This paper investigates how schools are supporting parents' involvement with their children's education through the use of "Learning Platform" technologies--i.e. the integrated use of virtual learning environments, management information systems, communications, and other information and resource-sharing technologies. Based on in-depth…

Schools have long made use of digital technologies to support the co-ordination of management and administrative processes--not least "management information systems", "virtual learning environments" and other "institutional technologies". The last five years have seen the convergence of these technologies into…

This paper draws on interview data from national policy makers in England, Scotland and the European Commission to illustrate differences in the referencing of "Europe" in education policy-making in England and Scotland in order to highlight the emergent complexity of post-devolution policy-making in education through a focus on…

Although most secondary schools do use management information systems (MISs), these systems tend not to be used to support higher order managerial activities but are currently primarily used for clerical purposes. This situation is unsatisfactory as MISs fully utilised could offer invaluable support to schools, which are increasingly being granted…

The Education Management Information Exchange (EMIE) provides selected information on educational management to the professional staffs of local education agencies in England and Wales. The range of services provided by EMIE was developed by examining the needs of local agencies, planning ways of meeting those needs, and testing the resulting…

The purposes for which business management requires information, the sources of that information and the ideal characteristics in its form, presentation and availability are reviewed. In addition to the provision of technical information this paper deals generally with the problem of information needed to control the business as an entity.…

Using the Derbyshire Project as an example, describes the adaptation for use in public libraries of Benefit Assessment and System Change (BASYC), which was developed as a decision-support framework coordinating subjective and objective factors that influence management decisions to change policies or systems. Three data tables are included.…

Reports on ongoing work at five universities in northeastern England that have been evaluating and implementing online learning environments known as virtual learning environments (VLEs) or managed learning environments (MLEs). Discusses do-it-yourself versus commercial systems; transferability; Web-based versus client-server; integration with…

Summarizes a survey and two experiments designed to compare teachers' and department heads' use of, and attitudes toward, England's A Level Information System (ALIS). Conclusions are linked to theories of change, cybernetics, and a view of education regarding researchers and teachers as coinvestigators. Experimentation within school-effectiveness…

Sophisticated computerized school information systems (SISs) will have to provide school-based information relevant to the development of policies in areas where schools used to merely follow governmental guidelines. The large-scale research project in England, reported in this article, goes some way toward filling gaps in the knowledge on the…

Describes an image storage system for contract documentation in the Engineering Directorate of Thames Water Utilities (England) which uses optical disc storage and a relational database for indexing and retrieval of nearly 500,000 pages in compressed image format, and provides end user access through 7 workstations. Requirements, feasibility…

Describes the management of online information services at ICI Plastics Division in terms of control and development, reviews implications for higher management, and identifies problems and opportunities related to manpower, money, materials, machinery, and time. Project RADIUS (Rapid Access to Data and Information by Untrained Scientists) is also…

The latest in electronic document management in British local government is discussed. Finance, revenues, and benefits systems of leading vendors to local authorities are highlighted. A planning decisions archive management system and other information services are discussed. (AEF)

School leaders are faced with the daunting task of anticipating the future and making conscious adaptations to their practices, in order to keep up and to be responsive to the environment. To succeed in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world, it is vital that schools grow, develop, adapt and take charge of change so that they can…

A 1983 survey conducted in England and Wales by the Education Management Information Exchange and the Society of Education Officers Industry Committee examined the widespread administrative use of computers and related technology in Local Education Authorities (LEA's). This report summarizes responses from 95 of the 108 LEA's in the survey area.…