Through discourse analysis the research will unearth the tension between the Theories of Human Capital (HCT) and the Work First Policy (WFP), Policies Informing Education (PIE), and Human Capital Development (HCD) as they relate to the labor market. The application of discourse analysis demonstrates how the tenants of HCT are missing components…

The superintendency has historically been vulnerable to high turnover. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the turnover among two groups of Illinois superintendents: those in school districts with severe financial problems, and those in districts without such problems. The purpose was to determine the relationship between…

This article presents the address delivered by Roger Bowen, American Association of University Professors' (AAUP) general secretary, last fall to the Coalition of Faculty Associations of Western New York. The AAUP's history could be rendered in a series of biographies about academic dissenters who dared to speak truth to power. His address centers…

This paper examines the role of formal and informal sources of information in a higher education governing board's decision to close its doors, merge with another institution, or continue to struggle for independent survival. Answers to the deciding questions were found in the shared experiences of governing board members as they confronted…

Early retirement plans (ERPs) have recently been considered and implemented at a number of universities as a means to address their need to contain costs while simultaneously generating new ideas and energy within the institution through the revitalization of faculty ranks. This endorsement of ERPs by university administrators, however, is…

A study examined how coordinators and management committees successfully manage adult education agencies in rural New South Wales (Australia) during periods of adverse economic conditions. The harsh economic background consisted of economic recession combined with a crippling drought, which led to fewer course enrollments and, therefore, decreased…

This paper examines the impact on higher education of funding shortfalls that are due to significant reductions of college budgets by state legislatures and that result in trimming of services and laying off of employees. First, an overview of national trends and statistics describes retrenchment as a key institutional response. A look at some…

A survey of institutional researchers at 243 New England colleges and universities examined respondents' (N=127) views on the current and projected roles of institutional research. Results document limited resources particularly in small institutions. Also, a majority of institutional researchers reported that they were engaged extensively in…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated educational change within two innovative schools experiencing financial crisis. Data were derived from interviews with 14 educators (principals and teachers) and from observations of school board meetings. The two schools were: (1) the Team Academy, a nongraded K-6 school; and (2) the…

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of the leadership of nine presidents who have accepted the risks and challenges of executive leadership in nine small Midwestern colleges. Focus is directed toward these presidents' risk-taking strategies with respect to the major leadership challenges of being a senior executive of a small…

Seneca College is the designated community college for the City of North York, in the Greater Toronto Area, and is the most culturally diverse college in Ontario, with over 70 languages spoken by students. It also offers the largest business and among the largest applied science programs in Canada. In November 1995, in response to severe…

This paper highlights some of the similarities and differences in the labor-management experiences of Boston University (Massachusetts), Temple University (Pennsylvania), the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut), and Yeshiva University (New York) to determine which may represent failures and which do not. In comparing the Yeshiva and Boston…

Four years ago, the Colorado education system embarked on a course to downsize central offices in response to calls for accountability and site-based decision making. This paper presents findings of a study that examined restructuring and downsizing in four Colorado school districts. One consequence of downsizing was a reduction in force at the…

After a decade of dormancy there is suddenly a great interest among educators and policy-makers in public school finance, spawned by: successful court decisions in several states overturning existing state public school finance formulas; a popular book alleging more severe educational segregation than in 1954; congressional proposals for school…

This paper addresses the legal issues surrounding a university or college's action of dismissing tenured faculty members because of the school's troubled financial condition or program discontinuance. It explores various legal principles through an examination of specific questions. These questions are: (1) How do the courts define financial…