Institutions of higher education are faced with difficult decisions on the allocation of funds between decentralized minicomputers and computer centers. The Computer Policy Committee at the University of Michigan provides a useful example of policy formation and decision-making regarding the acquisition and utilization of computers. Acquisition…

Examines the dynamic aspects and political nature of educational policymaking in France's centralized educational system. Considers the obstacles to the introduction and implementation of comprehensive middle schools, created in 1963 to permit social mobility through education. Contains 48 references. (SV)

A discussion of the response of George Mason University (Virginia) to economic decline in 1989-92 looks at four stages in the downturn and examines a variety of planning and policy issues, including management of both unplanned and planned reductions, continued uncertainty, politics of decline, organizational communication and morale,…

In 1974 local government in England underwent external and internal reform. The external reforms involved changes in governmental structures and functions, while the internal reforms involved the introduction of "corporate management," a concept stressing more centralized administration and fewer local executive bodies. This paper first…

Describes and analyzes a decade-long effort at administrative development by which the Colombian Ministry of Education struggled to bring order to a jumble of state educational systems that were functioning in a disorganized condition of semi-anarchy. Examines the historical organizational and administrative problems associated with the public…

This is the report of a study that examined the relationship between the New York City school system and the external (social and political) environment of which the school system is a part. The study had two purposes: first, to determine the impact that external constituents of the school system have on internal policymaking and implementation;…

This monograph studies the policy-making process of public schools at the elementary and secondary levels. Variables include legislative bodies and courts at the local, State, and national levels and special interest groups (e.g., labor unions and religious bodies, professional educators, and qualified voters). Public expectations have contributed…

The paper compares aspects of decision making in health and education in the United States and Great Britain from 1890-1970. The major purpose is to demonstrate variety in the degree of centralization within the two policy areas during this period. Centralization is defined as the degree to which all resources of a given type are controlled by one…