A Matter of Quality: A Report to the People of Iowa from the Faculty of Iowa's Community Colleges.

Institution	Iowa State Education Association, Des Moines.
Titel	A Matter of Quality: A Report to the People of Iowa from the Faculty of Iowa's Community Colleges.
Quelle	(1993), (30 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Academic Standards; College Administration; College Faculty; Community Colleges; Educational Change; Educational Finance; Educational Improvement; Educational Needs; Educational Quality; Financial Needs; Needs Assessment; Professional Development; School Funds; School Support; Self Evaluation (Groups); State Aid; State Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Conditions; Two Year Colleges; Iowa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? College administrators; Hochschulverwaltung; Fakultät; Community college; Community College; Bildungsreform; Bildungsfonds; Teaching improvement; Unterrichtsentwicklung; Educational need; Bildungsbedarf; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Bedarfsermittlung; Schulförderverein; Self evaluation; Group; Groups; Selbstevaluation; Gruppe (Soz); Lehrerverhalten; Lehrbedingungen; Unterrichtsbedingungen
Abstract	In an effort to provide the people of Iowa with a clearer sense of the needs for improvement in the state's 15 public community colleges, this report examines problem areas and causes and presents recommendations for improving educational quality. First, a discussion is provided of four key problem areas identified through a survey of over 1,000 faculty members and subsequent focus group discussions, including: (1) teaching conditions, such as increases in enrollment, expanding curricula, lack of adequate funding, an increase in students drawn from the third quartile of ability, overworked faculty, use of part-time faculty, and limited facilities and equipment; (2) leadership and governance, discussing such problems as inconsistent and inexperienced leadership, faculty members failing to raise issues of quality, declining standards, and the inability of colleges to commit to decentralization; (3) the community college mission, highlighting confusion in redefining the mission and concerns about economic development and partnerships with business; and (4) the lack of opportunities for professional development. For each area, recommendations for improvement are listed. Causes of these problems are then examined, indicating that many are chronic, having existed in the colleges for 20 years, and are similar to those experienced by public K-12 education. Finally, suggestions for statewide action are made, including adequate financial support, pilot programs to improve governance, support for mentor programs, and the creation of five autonomous college districts. (MAB)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC