The College Readiness Indicator Systems (CRIS) initiative was developed in response to a troubling pattern: More students than ever are enrolling in college after high school, but many of them are not college ready, as evidenced by persistently low rates of college completion. The sense of urgency to close the gap between college eligibility and…

The implementation of programs and practices that reflect the best available research and evaluation is a new and very promising development in the out-of-school time field. However, successfully implementing a new, evidence-based program or practice is a major challenge for practitioners. This challenge is due, in large part, to a lack of…

Like the bestselling first edition, this introductory textbook succinctly presents concepts and theories of educational leadership and organizational behavior and immediately applies them to problems of practice. It includes practical case studies, real-world scenarios and analyses, reflection questions, and straightforward explanations of…

Presents a systems theory approach to strategic planning and a framework for conceptualizing and managing the process more effectively. Reviews problems in past strategic planning efforts, presents a synopsis of systems theory, and applies the systems approach to planning and decision-making processes. Includes two figures and 26 references. (MLH)

A recognition of pradigmatic diversity and the contribution of multiple paradigms to planning greatly enriches both theory and practice. This analysis groups planning definitions into two general models, associates both with hard and soft systems thinking, and examines conceptual roots. The interpretive/humanist paradigm often highlights…

A method for analyzing expenditures and revenue, and a matrix for use in decision making about program choice and more productive use of resources, is outlined. Institutional integrity (internal and external cohesion) is preferred to emphasis on competition. (MSE)

A decision maker must organize information into a pattern that enables judgments to be made. Vocational education programs can be viewed as systems of components which can be categorized and interrelated for effective decision making. (SK)

Guidelines to facilitate the assessment and development of educational leadership decision-making skills are presented in this paper. Included are a review of traditional and contemporary concepts of the decision-making process, identification of appropriate techniques, and an analysis of four contemporary decision-making models by Thompson,…

Systems dynamics, a computer-based tool for visualizing how parts of an organization work together over time, is a valuable tool in administrative decision making. Feedback loops among elements mimic complicated behavior in real or imagined situations. An experiment using the technique with a simple research funding model validated its utility.…

Proposes that teachers begin the school year with a class study of discipline and student participation in establishing classroom rules. Describes the components of such a lesson and the procedures and forms inherent in any effective discipline system. (RL)

Article provided a systems approach to individualized instruction. (Editor/RK)

Presents a classification scheme applicable to systematic instructional design, which partitions the cognitive domain into the four levels of knowledge, understanding, mental processes, and strategies, each of which encompasses specific instructional objectives. Guidelines are offered to assist in the design and construction of these instructional…

In light of the complexity of the administrative conditions in higher education institutions, academic planners must prepare for the 1980s by increasing their understanding of the institution as a political system and learning to plan under conditions of economic adversity and intense political action. (MSE)

Educational systems evaluation is a cyclical process of delineating, obtaining, and providing information for judging decision alternatives. As such, it encompasses much more than measurement. Methods for evaluating systems must be developed, because activities and orientations at this level differ from those of individual students, curricula, or…

Planning in higher education has evolved as a response to changes in the environment, such as expanding enrollments, student unrest, economic recession, and pressures for financial accountability. Strategic planning has emerged as one way institutions can handle and overcome the adversities of the future. Definitions of strategic planning are…