Across the country, urban school districts are moving beyond industrial-era systems by creating "innovation" or "partnership" schools that have the freedom to reinvent the way they educate students. The Progressive Policy Institute released a how-to guide for legislators, district leaders, and advocates who want to create more…

Higher education has become the focus of increased public debate. Stewardship of public resources, student achievement or the lack thereof, relationships and "partnerships" with business and industry in the area of research, substantial increases in tuition and fees, public perception of wrong-doing in the quality of programs, and allegations of…

State and district school leaders across the U.S. have long sought ways to create success for children attending schools where too many have failed for far too long. A new approach to solving this old problem is called "starting fresh." By beginning anew with the freedom to do things vastly different, a real opportunity is created to…

The University of Montpelier I's 1969 statutes permitting maximum autonomy for the faculties of law and economics, medicine, and pharmacology resulted in a well-established division between the university's constituent parts and an unwillingness to pool resources to effect savings. (MSE)

This proceedings presents the discussions, business meetings, lectures, and speeches delivered at the 104th Annual Meeting of The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, including the organization's financial statements for December 31, 1990 and 1989. In addition, the proceedings lists the past elected heads of the…

Trustees find themselves in the middle of an ongoing battle over accountability and autonomy. Government officials accuse the academy of being more interested in autonomy than accountability--more interested in demanding financial support than in serving public priorities. Business leaders question the responsiveness of colleges and universities…

A discussion of the relationship between the Scottish funding agency for higher education and universities focuses on expectations of the council for lay members of the governing bodies and the appropriateness of those expectations. Whether the state can continue to respect institutional autonomy while seeking greater accountability for public…

In response to changing government philosophy concerning higher education, including increased institutional autonomy alongside greater pressure for accountability and internal renewal, Dutch universities have developed a system for external quality assessment under the aegis of the Association of Dutch Universities. Its evolution and results to…

Most policymakers, charter school operators, and others immersed in the charter school movement since it began in the early 1990s have focused their attention primarily on charter schools, not on the public bodies that license these schools to operate. As the charter school movement has grown, there has been increasing recognition that effective…

Government, through its legislative, executive, and judicial arms, has exceeded the appropriate involvement in institutional affairs. Universities have the ability and the responsibility to diminish government intrusiveness by developing internal mechanisms of accountability. (Author/MSE)

The evolution of the current relationship between state governments and institutions of higher education is chronicled, focusing on the oversight role taken on by the state in the interest of providing services and facilities for the public good. The place of student outcomes assessment in this relationship is examined. (MSE)

An examination of trends in university-government relationships in Canada looks briefly at the situations in five provinces recently undergoing reviews of their higher education systems (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba), and details the circumstances in Ontario, which has the largest provincial system of higher…

Discussion of fiscal management in the reformed higher education systems of Eastern/Central Europe begins with analysis of reform attempts in two British universities and relates them to Eastern and Central European issues. It is argued that institutions must adopt a holistic approach to managing change and for addressing various staff, structure,…

Accountability of higher education institutions is discussed in the context of recent criticism of the institutional accreditation system. It is suggested that institutions reevaluate their responsibilities and reaffirm appropriate core values; however, application of those values will be influenced by the principal clients: students, employers,…

As of November 1996, at least 25 states had passed charter-school legislation empowering agencies of state government to enter into agreements with private individuals and groups to operate public schools. This is a guidebook for government agencies given the power to permit individuals and groups to operate autonomous public schools under state…