In recent years, Web technologies have helped expand distance education in higher education. Online programs have become widely and generally accepted in many countries. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) offering distance education has increased by one-third since 1994-1995; and 44…

This volume is the fourth in a series related to a project to create a Regional University Network on Governance and Management of Higher Education in South East Europe. It is both an essay on and source manual for quality assurance in higher education. Part 1 describes the origins and concepts of quality assurance systems that have been emerging…

In September 2002, the Council on Library and Information Re-sources (CLIR) commissioned a survey of North American-based digital cultural heritage initiatives (DCHIs). The purpose of the survey was to identify the scope, financing, organizational structure, and sustainability of DCHIs. To gain a funder's perspective on these initiatives, the…

The purpose of this study was to determine how well selected leadership competencies were remembered and used 1, 2, and 3 years after the completion of a structured collegiate leadership course. The study also investigated self-perceived leadership skills of the students 1, 2, and 3 years removed from the course and the use of selected leadership…

For nearly four decades, magnet schools have been an important element of American public school education. They have offered innovative programs not generally available in local schools and provided opportunities for students to learn in racially diverse environments. Magnet schools have been particularly important in districts that are trying to…

Among the provisions of Maryland Senate Bill 682 was that mission statements would be developed by the presidents of public institutions of higher education in Maryland, submitted, and then reviewed by the Higher Education Commission no later than June 30, 1999 as required by the law in effect before July 1, 1999. Mission statements were to be…

This packet contains the FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) Program Evaluation Inventory (FPEI), which provides teachers and administrators with diagnostic information concerning their elementary school foreign language program. The inventory consists of five different forms: the FPEI for FLES Teachers, the FPEI for Classroom…

This guide gives middle school teachers and principals the tools they need to get answers to their questions about program evaluation. It shows how to use the information to work more effectively and efficiently and explains how to use program evaluation techniques to make sure that the approaches selected really solve the problems of interest.…

In 1996, BellSouth Foundation launched a $1.5 million initiative to address the central role of school district leadership in ensuring education reform in the South. This report describes the BellSouth Foundation's investment in the Superintendents Leadership Network (SLN) from a developer's and funder's point of view. It also describes how the…

Based on the experiences of colleges and state systems that have successfully developed and implemented Grow Your Own (GYO) Leaders programs, this publication provides a complete guide on how to start a GYO program at your college. Community colleges with GYO programs demonstrate benefits ranging from enhanced staff performance to improved…

Individual program evaluation studies have the potential to accumulate of very valuable knowledge and practical wisdom. Drawing on "The Case for Pragmatic Psychology" (D. Fishman, 1999), this paper contends that much of this wisdom is being thrown away because of the positivist paradigm used in determining which knowledge should be…

Effective staff development for educators is ongoing and intensive; consequently, school districts are heeding this research and engaging in long-term contracts with technical assistance providers. Rural districts need external support provided by partnerships and need such assistance to meet state and community performance expectations. The…

The Massachusetts Board of Education is required to establish standards for prekindergarten programs serving 3- and 4-year-olds in whole- or half-day programs. This document presents the standards to be used by programs receiving Chapter 188 Early Childhood funds. The program standards are intended to guide ongoing development, evaluation, and…

The implementation and impacts of the Quality Program Assurance System (QPAS) within the Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia were studied. QPAS is a system of shared accountability for educational programs, with multiple levels of reporting. The primary goal of QPAS is to provide decision makers with quality accountability information on…

This paper describes a place-based research demonstration program to promote and sustain employment among residents of selected public housing developments in U.S. cities. Because all eligible residents of the participating public housing developments were free to take part in the program, it was not possible to study its impacts in a classical…