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The trend report, "Where Are We Headed with Center Accreditation? Trends in Quality Assurance" in the March/April 2009 issue of Exchange offered this upbeat conclusion:
It is the American way to “let a thousand flowers bloom.” Instead of decreeing one right way of doing business, we let the market work things out. Beta and VHS technology competed for years before VHS eventually became the defacto standard.
Having dozens of quality rating and accreditation systems in play at the same time is certainly confusing. And, it splinters quality enhancement efforts in a number of directions. But if we view this as a grand experiment, we are testing out a range of avenues for broadcasting quality. In time, cumbersome, ineffective systems will fall away and we will start reaching consensus on which systems are most useful.
As statewide quality rating systems are refined and coordinated, they will be seen as the way to provide a convenient, across the board rating of programs. But for monitoring quality at the highest level, program accreditation systems will continue to provide the truest, in-depth assurance of quality for parents, regulators, and funders.
You can view this entire Trend Report, including descriptions of current accreditation systems, on the home page of Exchange.
For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.
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