Since the 1960s, the world has undergone transformations in trade, industry, and technology. Some assert that the postmodern society needs organizational structures that allow for diversity, instability, unpredictability, and mobility. However, this paper argues that the headlong rush toward such organizational forms may well encourage the…

This report presents results and recommendations from an assessment of the Campus Compact Center for Community Colleges (5C or the Center), Arizona, designed to support and guide planning for the future of the center. The study was supported by the Campus Compact and the Maricopa Community College District/Mesa College, Arizona. The project…

Investigates the use of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) by adjunct faculty at three Florida community colleges. A qualitative methodology, with a phenomenological approach, helped to describe the meaning that the experience of using CATs had for adjunct professors. Interviews with eighteen participants were the primary means of data…

This paper presents national 2000-01 data from charter schools and charter-school authorizers in the United States regarding the various stages of the accountability process: the charter application stage, the monitoring stage, and the sanctions stage. The larger accountability context of public schools and its impact on charter schools are also…

This document begins with a brief overview of what assessment is, including a definition, purpose, brief history, and important process considerations in creating a successful and effective assessment effort on each campus. The three key questions in creating an effective assessment for each school are: (1) what do faculty members expect students…

Distance education--that is, offering courses by Internet, video, or other forms outside the classroom--has changed considerably in recent years and is a growing force in postsecondary education. More than a decade ago, concerns about fraud and abuse by some correspondence schools led to federal restrictions on, among other things, the percentage…

This Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) report argues that educationally effective institutions channel student energy toward the right activities, and that a key factor for student learning is the quality of effort students devote to educationally purposeful activities. The statistics offered herein state that 15% of…

This report explains how students with significant disabilities who submit portfolios for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Alternate Assessments are evaluated to meet state requirements for a "competency determination" needed to receive a regular high school diploma. The reasoning behind the Massachusetts approach and the…

The use of advanced learning technologies enables various new forms of collaborative learning and group assessment. This paper outlines a radically different model of student assessment to that traditionally used in most universities and other educational institutions. The model is particularly suited to those using, or seeking to use,…

This brief paper summarizes legal requirements for non-standard accommodations for students with special needs or disabilities in educational assessments based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. After noting that all students have due process rights under the 14th Amendment,…

This fourth annual study reports on state practices in 1999-2000 concerning reporting on the participation and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Unlike previous reports, the unit of analysis was the state assessments rather than all publicly available print reports. The report describes the assessment systems used…

This document discusses the results of a 2001 employee survey for Los Rios Community College District (LRCCD) (California). The survey gathered information on employee perceptions and satisfaction with their current positions and the services provided by their community college and the district. A total of 1,462 LRCCD employees responded to the…

This report presents the highlights from the 2001 QUEST (Quality Education for Students and Teachers) Survey for Adjunct Faculty, administered in November 2001 at Howard Community College (HCC) (Maryland). The survey listed 64 service areas to be rated on a 5-point scale ranging from poor (1) to excellent (5), or to indicate if they were…

Both the United States and Canadian provinces have moved to enhance educational choice within their educational systems to improve educational productivity. In spite of this similarity of purpose and means, the two nations are taking very different approaches. Most Canadian provinces have moved to full provincial financing of schools and to the…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) is one of the most comprehensive education reform efforts attempted in the United States. This document presents an overview of factors leading to KERA's passage, its accomplishments, and areas in need of improvement. The conditions leading up to passage of KERA included disparities across Kentucky…