In this text, the author draws on her experience as creator of the ALIS project (A-Level Information System), a quality monitoring and feedback system in use in many parts of the UK. She asks the question "how do we get quality into education?" and uses the positive lessons of ALIS to analyze the requirements of an effective, "value-added" monitoring system.

Carol Taylor Fitz-Gibbon is Emeritus Professor of Education and Director of the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre at the University of Durham.