The post-incorporation further education (FE) sector has experienced a number of quasi-markets over the past 23 years designed to incentivise college agents (managers and lecturers) to meet government objectives. To create such quasi-markets principal-agent (P-A) solutions have been introduced in the form of a series of funding incentives and…

This article synthesises findings from two systematic reviews that examined evidence of the link between large-scale assessments (LSAs) and education policy in economically developing countries and in countries of the Asia-Pacific. Analyses summarise evidence of assessment characteristics and policy goals of LSAs that influence education policy,…

This monograph on health problems and health systems throughout the world addresses the following topics: (1) global health patterns and prospects; (2) basic concepts on primary health care and prerequisites of support to primary health care; (3) organizing health system support for primary health care; (4) intersectoral support for primary health…

This study argues for the use of public service employment (PSE) as a portion of an anti-recessionary fiscal policy package to include public works and tax cuts. Keynesian economics, deficit spending in this case, serves as the study's underpinnings. Chapter 1 reviews public service employment's current low status as an anti-recessionary measure.…

Analyzes the Mexican case through four hypotheses: decision makers are not rational; decisions are determined by economic rationality; policies reproduce ideology and/or culture; and policies and plans maintain decision makers' power. Concludes Mexican schools are not consciously organized to reproduce the dominant ideology, but they contribute to…

Needs assessment is a young and growing field. Needs assessments contribute to effective educational planning and help educators improve services to students. Needs assessment can be used to identify goals and objectives, but probably has the most utility as a problem-focusing strategy that includes the following sequence: (1) identification of…

The planning of health care systems is currently being carried out under conditions of uncertainty and economic constraint in Europe, and full integration of health projections into the decision making and planning processes at the highest levels is therefore essential. A study of work on projections of the future health situation in Europe was…

Intended for vocational education planners, administrators, or representatives of special population groups, this state-of-the-art report provides a comparative analysis of procedures which typify state-level planning for special needs. The introduction provides a brief account of the historical evolution of the concern for those with special…

This paper discusses a qualitative case study that examined faculty attempts to establish and maintain a faculty council as a means of furthering shared governance between administrators and education faculty at a college of education over a 4-year period (1996-2000). Initial experience in shared governance--faculty members participating in…

Documents pertaining to the planning of vocational education programs and services for special populations are provided in this annotated bibliography. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author within each of seven sections: (1) planning approaches, (2) policy development, (3) needs assessment, (4) formulation of goals and objectives, (5)…

A critical review of research on school effectiveness is presented. The research findings are applied in a discussion of the issues of quality of education, resource allocation, and public policies. (JN)

Articles in this special issue use survey data to provide policymakers with validated indirect needs assessment models that will help them obtain information about populations requiring different levels and types of mental health services. The articles provide the basis for predictive needs assessment and explanatory models of resource allocation.…

This paper considers implications of the findings of the Texas Performance Review concerning mental retardation services, in light of decreasing numbers of students at state schools and budgetary restraints on major investments in both institutional operations and community service programs. The paper concludes that Texas should consider closing…

This background paper on refugee needs assessment discusses the assumptions, goals, objectives, strategies, models, and methods that the state refugee programs can consider in designing their strategies for assessing the mental health needs of refugees. It begins with a set of background assumptions about the ethnic profile of recent refugee…

This review of the key issues likely to surround the reauthorization of Chapter 1 covers allocation formulas, selection of schools and students, fiscal issues, and accountability. As Chapter 1 is the largest federal elementary and secondary education program, with appropriations of over $6.1 billion in fiscal year 1993, a concern of…