Although public education is within the jurisdiction of some federal agencies such as the Department of Education and its Office of Education, this country has no centralized, national control over educational institutions. Within recent years state and local governments have increased their levels of supervision over education, but, in general, schools continue to operate with considerable independence. Professional educators, however, have recognized and addressed the need to measure school programs against mutually held standards of excellence. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) is one of six private, non-profit regional accrediting associations that offer programs and services which monitor school performance and school improvement efforts. The mission of the Commission on Public Secondary Schools, one of five Commissions within the Association, is to maximize student learning and the Standards articulate best practices about student learning and the support of learning.
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