School reform is almost always born out of big dreams and well-meaning desires to change the status quo. But between lofty reform legislation and the students whose education is at stake, there are numerous additional policies and policymakers who determine how reforms operate. Even in the best cases, school reform initiatives can perpetuate…

California has long been a national and global leader in developing and maintaining quality higher education options, as well as in providing financial aid and consumer protections for Californians who access that education. However, although California's colleges and the state government do collect, receive, and report a great deal of data, these…

The report describes the functions of multicampus systems of higher education in the United States, considers their growing importance, identifies common concerns, and presents ideas for addressing those concerns. It is based on interviews conducted during 1991 and 1992 with administrators, faculty, trustees, and other experienced professionals,…

Presents findings of a national study regarding state-level educational policy for HIV-positive children and focuses on current implementation and practice of such policy, or lack thereof, as well as the states' perceptions of needed policy improvements. Analyzes responses in terms of states' experiences, need, and centralized decision making. (AF)

This analysis of the changing balance in who controls the schools contends that local authorities have been slowly losing authority to the states. Moreover, within the local districts, the central offices are assuming more control in such matters as curriculum content and state testing programs. The paper begins with an overview of recent…

This paper provides an overview of the multicampus higher education systems which now dominate governance of public colleges and universities in the United States. After briefly summarizing the three types of governance systems (academically integrated multisite institutions; multicampus universities; and multicampus or consolidated systems) and…

The literature concerning higher education and generic organization theory is reviewed to address various questions relating to faculty participation in institutional decision-making. Attention is directed to: the rationale for faculty participation, alternative types of participation, participation in academic senates, participation by functional…

This report is the result of an investigation of the schools of Beaufort County, North Carolina, at the request of the county board of education, for the purpose of studying the possibilities for centralizing the schools of the county and of recommending a definite plan of procedure for school consolidation. No complete investigation of the…