Reports on approaches to measuring the service quality of academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Discusses the role of government and the national background of quality measurement; measurement frameworks; better use of statistics; benchmarking; measuring user satisfaction; and possible future development. (Author/LRW)

In early December 2005, the School District of Philadelphia announced that, for the fourth consecutive year, students showed measurable improvement on standardized, nationally normed TerraNova tests. The school's good performance was induced by a well managed instructional program that includes data-driven instruction and decision-making…

The implementation of the No Child Left Behind accountability process has allowed schools to fail to report academic progress for significant groups of students. This study examined the impact of No Child Left Behind on accountability for special education students in small rural schools within a state. The study used both qualitative and…

This paper investigates European Union (EU) education and training policies in the light of the evolving Lisbon agenda on improving the competitiveness of the EU. It examines the ways in which EU policies have developed over time, focusing on their legal basis, underlying principles, main forms of implementation and their impact on national…

This paper reports the results of a small-scale (n = 9) interview study of the "ways of knowing" of academics in a Design School at a South African polytechnic. The focus of the study was on exploring the perceptions of these academics about discipline-specific knowledge in their fields. The paper presents an analysis of the responses,…

In today's climate of high-stakes testing and accountability, educators are challenged to continuously monitor student progress to ensure achievement. This article details how formative assessment helps educators meet this challenge and to ensure achievement. Formative assessment can influence learning and support achievement, allowing teachers…

In this paper the author examines the implementation of key performance indicators in Canadian post-secondary education institutions. More specifically he charts their implementation from the perspective of students and the effect they have on the quality and delivery of education. Key performance indicators (KPI) in Canada are administered by the…

During the last few years, a national quality assessment system for evaluation of the core activities of universities has been established in Sweden. Beyond participating in these national efforts, Lund University has also participated in the European benchmarking programme managed by ESMU (European Centre for Strategic Management of…

This study of school climate underscores the importance of the quality of interpersonal relationships in a school to student achievement. This study improves on previous studies in three ways: First, it makes use of a parsimonious school climate framework that is easier to interpret than previous measures; second, it replaces a subscale that…

This paper considers the process of being in special measures and looks at the experiences that teachers in five primary schools encountered. It also endeavours to establish links with generally accepted characteristics of school improvement as identified in previous research on sustained primary school improvement and school improvement in…

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the usefulness of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), for the comparative analysis of alumni teachers. This article shows how SASS can be used as an evaluative tool by any institution that wants to appraise its alumni in comparison to those of its parallel institutions for the purposes of…

This study investigated the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) on the academic skill performance of three junior high school students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The academic skills taught were aligned to the district general curriculum, and extended benchmarks were individually determined.…

Diversity among institutions or, at least, institutional types, is a policy objective that most systems of higher education pursue although to different degrees. North American colleges and universities, for example, are among the most diverse in the world. In the East, Chinese universities have until recently tended to be highly homogeneous. At…

Conceptual Foundations are the theoretical, conceptual, philosophical, and historical aspects; perspectives from outside the field; trends, issues, and future directions; and social, political, and economic facets that underlie our field. This paper attempted to capture these foundational aspects, taking stock of accomplishments and suggesting…

The "Fiscal Year 2008 Illinois Community College System's Performance Report" contains summary information about state and common institutional outcome indicators. External comparative benchmarks are cited whenever possible using the latest available data--national reporting typically trails what is available at the state level.…