Facing severe financial problems, the author suggests that colleges and universities must reassess their objectives and improve their performance. Financial rewards are suggested as incentives for improvement in research and teaching. (DE)

Model outlines three dimensions of maturity likely to be relevant in all societies: (1) Capacity to function on one's own, (2) Capacity to interact with others, (3) Capacity to contribute to social cohesion. Nine attributes pertinent to these capacities are defined. Problems in the measurement of psychosocial maturity are discussed. (Author/RC)

Analyzes the results of a survey made by the scholarly French magazine Passe-Partout of approximately 9000 language students and instructors in the Netherlands. The questionnaire consisted of sixteen questions designed to measure attitudes toward language learning, the interest, usefulness, and facility of French, German, and English, and toward…

This paper explores the variety of qualitative methods available, in the context of a larger quantitative-qualitative debate in the field of educational evaluation. Each approach is reviewed in terms of the work of its major proponents. The dominant forms of qualitative evaluation include: (1) ethnography; (2) naturalistic inquiry; (3) generic…

This document reviews several approaches used to examine schools, evaluate their quality, or compare them to one another. The rationale and major purposes of each approach, the variables and processes employed, and the potential contributions of that approach to a comprehensive evaluation model are addressed. Six approaches are covered: (1) models…

The search for solutions to the perceived failures of American education of recent years indicates that the public senses there is something wrong with the educational system. Educators must examine testing in light of the fact that schools are getting poor results in terms of student achievement and, perhaps, change their view of what tests…

Intended to serve as a resource for the many and varied groups concerned with improving students' reading proficiencies, this report from the Nation's Report Card provides a long-term perspective on students' reading skills and strategies based on a series of five national assessments conducted from 1971 to 1988. Each chapter of the report…

A study examined state-mandated literature assessment procedures and undertook a content analysis of tests produced by proprietary testing companies and textbook producers in order to ascertain how literature achievement is assessed in the United States. Results indicated that 61% of the school systems assess literature as part of an assessment of…

This paper focuses on computer-based assessment embedded in the process of instruction, with the assessment being used for placement, assignment, instructional feedback, progress assessment, and/or exit testing. This discussion is based on experience in developing and evaluating assessment and instruction materials for college-level remedial…

Assessment strategies that colleges and universities design to evaluate the effectiveness of their academic programs should be compatible with other institutional improvement strategies. This paper stems from work done by the Outcomes Assessment Project in International Education, a project that attempts to assist institutions in measuring the…

A study investigated the nature and extent of adult illiteracy and the characteristics of the less literate populations in Philadelphia. Data were collected through 2,197 telephone interviews and 607 personal interviews. The personal interviews involved use of a modified version of the instrument developed by the National Assessment of Educational…

The purpose of the hearing on June 15, 1982 was to hear testimony from the administration, from Indian tribes and organizations, and from tribally controlled community college representatives on S.2623, a bill that would amend and extend the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978. Representatives who testified from the…

General directions in evaluating U.S. colleges and universities and problems that might be encountered in evaluating institutional quality are discussed. Eight guidelines for assessing institutional quality are also offered. Appendices consider the following five institutional evaluation approaches: educational audits, external consultant reviews,…

A survey was conducted in 1985 by the College Board to determine the educational status of blacks in the United States. The conclusion was that even though legal barriers to educational opportunities have been removed, education to a large extent remains separate and unequal in the United States. Desegregation resulted in a system that, for the…

State educational policy-makers are showing increasing interest in using statewide educational assessment and evaluation programs (1) to evaluate student thinking skills and affective learning as well as traditional academic achievement, (2) to evaluate teachers at all stages of their careers, and (3) to assess the impact of school reform efforts.…