Although education cannot be reduced to profit-and-loss statements, schools need clearly defined objectives, processes, and procedures. Schools can learn from corporations' benchmarking practices (standard setting, measurement, and consequences) and their past mistakes, such as the complacency that seriously weakened Xerox and AT&T. Schools…

Describes a process developed by the Language Training Centre at Red River College (RRC) to use the Canadian language benchmarks in analyzing the language levels used in programs and courses at RRC to identify appropriate entry-level language proficiency and the levels that second language students need in order to meet college or university…

Discusses ways to evaluate school library media programs and how to demonstrate quality. Topics include how principals evaluate programs; sources of evaluative data; national, state, and local instruments; surveys and interviews; Colorado benchmarks; evaluating the use of electronic resources; and computer reporting options. (LRW)

Explains the reasons for the British Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's benchmark statements providing a background on the benchmarks and a discussion on the preparation of the benchmarks. Introduces the articles within the symposium called the "Benchmark Standards for Higher Education." (CMK)

Provides a copy of the British benchmark statements for geography in higher education by the Quality Assurance Agency. Includes the introduction, aims of an honors program, knowledge and understanding, student skills, abilities and attributes, processes and contexts of learning, assessment, standards and levels of achievement, and the conclusion.…

Reviews the benchmark statements of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom. States that overall the statement gives a positive view of the geography discipline and can be regarded as a constructive exercise worthy of adoption. Discusses two challenges that emerged. (CMK)

Focuses on the benchmark statements of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom. Addresses the document "Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards" created within the United States. Believes that the benchmark statement is useful for geographers within the United States. (CMK)

Reviews the benchmark statements of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom. Examines the various sections within the benchmark. States that in terms of emphasizing the positive attributes of the geography discipline the statements have wide utility and applicability. (CMK)

Seven fifth-graders developed concept maps depicting their knowledge of meat product development. Despite their rural background, they lacked understanding of agriculture concepts and had mixed knowledge of agricultural literacy benchmarks concerning food products. Their language did not reflect scientific terminology in the benchmarks. (Contains…

The New Standards Project has designed research to describe educational standards in other countries using an ethnographic case-study approach. Data review and analysis are organized by fundamental questions, the answers to which constitute a contextualized account of what students are expected to know and be able to do. (Author/SLD)

Describes activities designed to help elementary school students estimate distance, weight, and time through benchmarks. Activities include using length of stride to pace-off distances, using coins to estimate weight, and counting out loud to estimate time. (MDM)

Discussion of the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) in higher education and academic libraries focuses on the identification, collection, and use of reliable data. Methods for measuring quality, including benchmarking, are described; performance measures are considered; and benchmarking techniques are examined. (11 references) (MES)

Project 2061's first product, Science for All Americans, recommends the science, mathematics, and technology skills and knowledge that students should retain after high school graduation. Soon to appear are benchmarks for science literacy, and blocks, models, and blueprints for curriculum design. The project's basic premises: the ends come first,…

Educators who benchmark other "successful" educational agencies and/or private-sector organizations to find "best-practice" ideas face potential pitfalls. The benchmarked organization may have incompatible goals and objectives, obsolete processes and operations, and different primary clients and beneficiaries. Most organizations, public or…

To help library directors and Web developers create a benchmarking program to compare statistics of academic Web sites, the authors analyzed the Web server log files of 14 university science and engineering libraries. Recommends a centralized voluntary reporting structure coordinated by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and a method for…