The only thing that more testing will tell us is what we already know: The schools that disadvantaged children attend are not being given the supports necessary to produce achievement gains. Students cannot be tested out of poverty, and while NCLB did take us a step forward by requiring schools to produce evidence that students were learning, it…

As a member of Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) for over 40 years, and having served on the Executive Committee (EC) for over 10, this author is firmly bonded to the organization, and appreciates the EC's efforts to address the challenges facing it today. Obviously, foremost among these challenges is a substantial decline in…

"Absorptive capacity" is a frequently used term amongst development practitioners in education. It is adopted by some as a reason for caution over scaling up aid. Others are of the view that absorptive capacity is an excuse by some donors for not delivering on their Education for All financing commitments. Drawing on interviews with…

Background: The high school production offers our students a creative way to develop their literacy, numeracy and social skills to mention a few. Why then do we permit anyone to teach the production and usually expect teachers to volunteer? Purpose: To do research into why the school production should be adopted as an integral part of our…

Striving to provide public good and maximize public value strike many as highly abstract and idealistic ideas. Written in the form of an interview, this article, written from the perspective of a practitioner, addresses some of the pragmatic issues that arise when trying to conceptualize approaches to museum offerings and demonstrate their…

For academic administrators, the management of research remains a matter more of hope than expectation. It has proved particularly difficult to measure quality. Managers typically view research as an "asset". This essay argues that it is more useful to view research and its management as "process", and explores the implications of doing so for…

An interview with Stephen C. Hall and Constance F. Towler of the Harvard University Office for Information Technology (Massachusetts) addresses issues in implementing management techniques to improve and maintain program quality. Topics include motivation, executive-level knowledge and support, specific changes made, and response and assistance…

College and university public relations professionals are encouraged to follow the example of business in managing their publications programs. Planning, marketing those plans to the campus community, involving administration, and assuming accountability are seen as key elements in publications program success. (MSE)

Five veteran college alumni directors share strategies for creating an effective association: deciding what program aspects must be measured; assessing the program realistically; listening to customers; stretching program resources to hold down cost and work more efficiently; and remembering the value of the human touch in program design and…

Although volunteers serve many useful functions in fund raising, soliciting gifts should be left to staff. Volunteers are hard to recruit, keep, motivate, are unreliable, lacking in expertise, and they can balk at the realities of development tasks. Development offices should carefully think through the appropriate roles for these individuals.…

The administration's adviser to the Illinois State University Student Alumni Council examines the benefits of student participation in alumni affairs, outlines some considerations in the creation and development of a new student alumni program, and suggests program possibilities for different constituencies, including alumni, students, future…

The values and successes of college sports to higher education are threatened by patterns of abuse, particularly in larger programs. The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics' report and recommendations for reform are designed to stem abuses and help athletics find its proper and legitimate role. (MSE)

There has been rising concern about the disconnect between universities, their communities and society at large. This is of special interest to professional schools, whose missions are founded on connecting practice and theory. We argue that cooperative inquiry, an action-based methodology, can help foster connectedness and contribute to healing…

Contends that the primary focus of social welfare management should be to optimize effective services to clients. Addresses several dimensions of effectiveness-oriented management practice as well as some of the common problems encountered by administrators who seek to make client outcomes the primary criterion of agency success. (Author)

The purpose of this article is to review the rural area administrator's role in the areas of teacher recruitment, hiring and staff development. State and Regional Policies reveal that these areas are chief among the concerns of rural school leaders (Johnson, 2005). The rural school administrator's role often requires him/her to become involved in…