The Balance between Higher Education Autonomy and Public Quality Assurance: Development of the Portuguese System for Teacher Education Accreditation

Autor/in	Campos, Bartolo
Titel	The Balance between Higher Education Autonomy and Public Quality Assurance: Development of the Portuguese System for Teacher Education Accreditation
Quelle	In: Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12 (2004) 73, (33 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1068-2341
Schlagwörter	Higher Education; Teacher Education Programs; Quality Control; Educational Quality; Policy Analysis; Academic Standards; Accreditation (Institutions); Politics of Education; Program Implementation; Social Influences; Teacher Qualifications; Foreign Countries; Institutional Autonomy; Educational Development; Portugal + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Qualitätskontrolle; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Politikfeldanalyse; Accreditation; Institution; Institutions; Akkreditierung; Staatliche Anerkennung; Institut; Educational policy; Bildungspolitik; Sozialer Einfluss; Lehrqualifikation; Ausland; Institutionelle Autonomie; Bildungsentwicklung
Abstract	The accreditation systems of higher education institutions and/or programs are becoming a policy measure used to find a balance between their autonomy and public assurance concerning the quality of the qualifications they award. This article analyses, from the point of view of this balance of power, the process of development of the Portuguese accreditation system aimed at providing public assurance that initial teacher education programs are more driven by social demand, namely by the changing school education needs. This was a political and cultural process rather than a merely rational and technical one. Thus the emergence of the need for, and possibility of, external pressure upon higher education institutions is related to the evolution of several social factors. On the other hand, the implementation of the accreditation system means a significant change for these institutions which implies new practices and comes into conflict with some of their values and with power sharing within and among them and with society. For these reasons a strategy of wide participation of significant stakeholders was deemed more suitable for the formulation, adoption and implementation of this new public policy. The way in which government, the accreditation body, and the significant stakeholders exercised their power in this process influenced the characteristics of the system, the rhythm of its implementation, and the abrupt governmental decision to put it on stand-by, until now. (Contains 1 table and 9 notes.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: http://epaa.asu.edu
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10