What *is* Program Leadership and Improvement?  What does it include - or 
not include - in the context of adult basic and literacy education?  Are 
some aspects of program leadership and improvement more important than others?

...For some of us, the answers may come quickly - we have very specific 
ideas when we see these terms.  For others of us, the list seems 
unending.  I struggle with these questions.  My formal education and 
training, as well as my work experience point to fairly defined ideas about 
quality and improvement and are for the most part, quantifiable. However, 
since so many parts of the day-to-day workings of adult education efforts 
are (hopefully) making the "program" better/improved, thereby ultimately 
serving the needs of the adult learner in the best way possible, then 
doesn't program leadership and improvement include almost every aspect of 
adult education?

When the Core Knowledge Group for the Program Leadership and Improvement 
Special Collection met for the first time to thrash out the beginnings of 
the collection, we brainstormed resources that  came to mind.  Later in the 
process, we worked to come up with a list of "categories" that those 
resources seemed to naturally fall under.  While the collection is 
continuously evolving, the list of topics we have up to this point, is I 
think, a solid start.

However, are there others areas of program leadership and improvement that 
are missing from this list?  Are some of these topics more important than 
others? ------- Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

Program Leadership and Improvement is...
Developing instructional capacity
Strategies and frameworks for managing program improvement
Volunteer retention
Using data for program improvement
State leadership in adult education
Capacity building for non-profits
Outcomes and impacts
Performance accountability
Program quality indicators (state)
Teacher competencies
Manager competencies
Professional development as program improvement
Assessment
Evaluation