Congress completed the fiscal year 2012 appropriations process on December 17th, 2011, finalizing annual funding for federal education programs through September 30, 2012 at $68.1 billion, down $233 million from the prior year. It is the first year since 2007 that Congress did not increase total appropriations for education programs. This issue…

This report by the Kentucky Department of Education states that "the school council shall have the responsibility to set school policy consistent with district board policy which shall provide an environment to enhance the students' achievement and help the school meet the goals established in KRS 158.645 and 158.6451." The report's 18…

The educational administrator must often straddle the gap between empirically sound and politically expedient decisions, employing policy assessment as a hedge against adopting ill-conceived policies. The resource allocation model (RAM) attempts to remedy this dilemma by tying program evaluation and policy analysis into a single conceptual yet…

This discussion guide on the conference theme, Library and Information Services for Meeting Personal Needs, is intended to provide a starting point and a possible framework for discussion of the issues involved in the provision of information to meet needs ranging from basic facts about survival to advanced forms of intellectual self-realization,…

This booklet for trustees of institutions of higher education offers guidelines for strategic financial decisions required in light of the financial challenges higher education faces in the 1990s and beyond. "Strategic response" is defined as a decision that requires changing a major policy, program, or practice and involves some risk. Five…

Intended for use by schools in studying their library programs and services, this needs assessment packet is designed to serve as an instrument for determining what exists as a program of services and to assist in setting direction for planned growth of an effective library program. The philosophy and services quoted in the document were derived…

A social anthropologist suggests that other decision making models besides the consensual one (which assumes that the public behaves in accordance with values and attitudes) should be adopted by education as a result of shrinking resources, and discusses approaches to making decisions resulting from P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped…

This manual describes a systematic process for conducting an educational needs assessment at the building level which includes suggestions for the formation of an advisory group and the use of two Likert Scale surveys. The advisory group is composed of parents, students, and educators; this group carries out the tasks of understanding, planning,…

A step-by-step program for developing a staff improvement program within a school is offered. Discussions concerning participant identification, task setting, decision making, policy formation, goal decisions, and evaluation are presented, and record-keeping instruments for similar inservice programs are suggested. (JD)

To function well, every system has to fully understand and manage its resources. Mapping is a first step toward enhancing essential understanding, and done properly, it is a major intervention in the process of moving forward with enhancing systemic effectiveness. In schools and community agencies, there is redundancy stemming from ill-conceived…

The principles of ratio analysis can help measure use of financial resources to achieve college mission by quantifying status, sources, and use of resources and the institution's relative ability to repay current and future debt. Business officers and boards can use these measures to measure institutional performance; ratios can also help focus…

The influence of the federal government budgetary process on international education programs is discussed, and information is provided to help persons who wish to have their views known to the decision-makers. Specific information is included on programs administered by the U.S. International Communication Agency (USICA) and the Department of…

This booklet for trustees of higher education institutions offers guidelines to help trustees understand the institution's financial statements. Individual sections describe the three major financial statements and cover topics such as: (1) standards of the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (2) the "statement of financial position,"…

New Maryland State Board for Higher Education funding guidelines for public four-year institutions in Maryland are presented, along with information on the development of the guidelines. Four guidelines models were studied and evaluated by criteria endorsed by state and university officials. To derive the guidelines, each program area…

The agenda, structure, and responsibilities of a board of trustees standing committee--the campus student affairs committee--are discussed. The size, selection, and rotation of student affairs committee members will vary with the traditions and policies of the individual institution. If possible, the committee should include students among its…