An increasing number of studies are concerned with the international comparison of the results that different education systems achieve. For example, TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA publish the results from different countries in mathematics, science and literacy. The European Commission has also published indicators and benchmarks relating to the quality…

It is difficult to find a person who unabashedly admires each and every detail of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. However, amid all the howls and moans about the implementation of NCLB, the flywheel has been whirring, catching, and turning. In some places, it has turned more than in others, but no matter what the underlying philosophy or…

Reviews a series of service-learning programs implemented over a four-year period by special education teachers enrolled at California Lutheran University's preservice graduate program. Finds that an increasing number of these programs involved students with special needs in the service learning projects. These "reciprocal empowerment"…

Philosophical, political, quality, learning, and instructional challenges are being encountered as higher education institutions respond to pressures and enticements of the World Wide Web and the Internet. The author's involvement with electronic instruction, almost from the infancy of that process, provides a basis for his views on these…

The American public sees community colleges as high quality institutions, offering access to higher education and job training for everyone. Results from a new national survey confirmed Americans' strong endorsement of the opportunity provided by community colleges, indicating that the colleges are highly valued and integral in American society.…

Amid growing criticism of public universities, there is little discussion of what appropriate institutional evaluation would entail. Six-year graduation rates are commonly used, and public bachelors granting institutions have lower rates than private institutions, but with the growth in non-traditional college attendance, these can be misleading.…

With a great deal of fanfare, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released its national higher education report card, "Measuring Up 2004," in mid-September. The report, the third in a biennial series, issues grades to the 50 states in five primary categories: (1) Preparation: How well are young people in high school being…

Recognizing the challenge of adequate evaluation in higher education, this essay introduces some of the critical, alternative-seeking conversation about educational measurement. The thesis is that knowledge, value, and meaning emerge in the relational dynamics of education, thus requiring complex approaches to evaluation, utilizing relational…

In this article, the authors provide insight into alumni perceptions of Master of Business Administration (MBA) program return on investment (ROI). They sought to assess the relative value of skills, knowledge, and teaching methods in explaining ROI. By developing insight into the drivers of ROI, the real utility of MBA program ingredients can be…

Large scale surveys in education have to face non-response issues that might bias the results. Non-response can occur at three levels: (i) a school refuses to participate, (ii) a sample student fails to participate and (iii) a participating student refuses to answer a particular question. Until now schools and student non-response have been…

Over the last 20 years policy makers have introduced a number of measures intended to improve the quality of education provided by state secondary schools in England. The survey reported here, undertaken at the request of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), offers an insight into geography education in such schools with particular…

There is no one intervention that promotes a supportive learning environment in every setting, but research has revealed some of the organizing principles that support substantive school improvement efforts (Cohen, 2006). A school climate assessment provides an opportunity to engage in many of these school climate improvement efforts, although it…

In "The Other Curriculum: Out-of-Class Experiences Associated with Student Learning and Personal Development," George Kuh (1995) cites numerous benefits associated with a college education, including gains in knowledge, autonomy, social maturation, and personal acceptance; modest gains in verbal and quantitative skills, cognitive…

Purpose: To examine the relationship between financial resources and variables associated with institutional rankings in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between endowment funds and variables associated with rankings as determined by the "U.S. News & World…

Self-evaluation is a concept replete with paradox and ambiguity. It suggests a spontaneous impulse but connotes a political mandate. It posits an individual act of self-reflection but is a meaningless notion without some social reference point. Its application may be personal, social or institutional, its purpose summative or formative. It may be…