The author develops the basic idea of evaluation policy, describes a practical model for development and revision of evaluation policies (including a taxonomy, structure, and set of principles), and suggests critical challenges and opportunities for the future of evaluation policy. An evaluation policy is any rule or principle that a group or…

Responds to an earlier comment by R. Jean Hills regarding the correct use of Parsonian concepts. Notes the difficulty of presenting Parsons' theory and quotes several sources supporting his interpretation of the functions of a system's managerial level. (RW)

Responds to an earlier comment, in a continuing discussion of Parsonian functional imperatives and their basis in observation, their intellectual status, their ability to be tested empirically, and the number of imperatives. (RW)

Examines the Swedish school as an institution created by society for certain purposes and with certain functions. The authors offer a model which describes the school as a social organization that steers the educational process. (AM)

Following recent thinking that sees organizations' structures as dependent on their environments, the authors consider characteristics of institutional sectors that affect the organizations arising within them. They first point out problems in present models relating organizations to their environments and discuss several "forerunners"…

The community practice model illustrates how goals of participation, empowerment, cooperation, and institutionalization are affected by inputs from human resources, program characteristics, finances, social costs, and policy requirements within the context of the social, economic, and political structure; population diversity; physical…

To clarify "power" and "authority," the authors review the concepts' history, examine contemporary concepts of social control, identify four authority modes (based on social relations and controls), derive four power resources from these modes, discuss persuasion and exchange as social control mechanisms, and demarcate…

The motivation/immersion model of literacy centers on the individual and isolates literacy from context. A community development approach regards literacy as a function of social structure; based on this model, literacy education programs are respectful of the culture and idiom of the community. (SK)

Because organizational effectiveness of schools is difficult to define, a model is needed to explain the complexities of the concept. Two models offer some promise. One is the goal model, which defines effectiveness as the degree to which organizations meet or surpass their goals (either official or operational). The other is the system resource…

New theories and paradigms are needed for today's schools to address the changes in society that affect education. They must acknowledge the history of schooling, and they must be informed by ethnographic research on teacher-student relationships. Social science knowledge must be used to create more humanized schools. (VM)

Discusses the paradigm of aging and society and explains how life changes and changes in the surrounding social structure influence one another. (SNR)

This paper summarizes a new paradigm of instructional supervision, which shifts the focus on supervision from an examination of individual behavior to the improvement of work processes and social system components of the school district. The paradigm, called "Knowledge Work Supervision," helps teams of teachers and specially trained supervisors…

This paper summarizes a new paradigm of instructional supervision, which shifts the focus from individual behavior to the improvement of work processes and social system components of the school district. The proposed paradigm, the Knowledge Work Supervision model, is derived from sociotechnical systems design theory and linked to the premise that…

Examines the possibility that parent-child relationships contain horizontal qualities paralleling comparable qualities in child-peer relationships. Argues that these qualities allow children to experience and practice horizontal skills later used with peers. Focuses on reciprocity and shared power, especially in parent-child play and control…

Describes uniqueness of "family realm" from other human experience spheres and implications in regard to family phenomena theories. Concludes, from five position papers presented, that "family" theories originating from nonfamily realms have significant limitations. Suggests "family realm" concept is helpful in evaluating current theories and…