This article outlines the findings from a contemporary study of principals' leadership practices in Malaysia as part of the 7 System Leadership Study. Recent policy developments within Malaysia have increased principals' accountability and have underlined the importance of the role of the principals in transforming school performance and student…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine and compare the school excellence model (SEM) approach adopted by Singapore and the school-based management (SBM) approach adopted by Hong Kong. It discusses the implications of such a strategy and the challenges that both Singapore and Hong Kong schools face in navigating a new paradigm of managerialism while…

Despite ambiguous results of corporate restructuring efforts, higher education has adopted many of the methods used in hostile corporate takeovers and leveraged buyouts, affecting "ownership" of the educational process by faculty and the relationship between faculty and administration. A common element in successful restructuring is the…

The functional and organizational activities of the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States can be an appropriate means for providing a new image and concept to the kind of extension service that is needed in developing nations and Sri Lanka in particular. The problems of the extension program in developing nations are inherited and…

This report looks at the conversion work in three large comprehensive high schools in Washington State with a focus on what was learned in the early years. Each school takes a unique approach but common themes emerge, including the importance of strong principal leadership, the use of data, a transparent decision-making process, and a commitment…

Examines three assumptions that underlie the argument that shared governance must be reformed, and based on the professional literature and experience, counters them. The assumptions are that the bureaucracy appropriate for industry is appropriate for a higher education institution, democratic decision making undermines effective college and…

Three competing models for public school improvement are described as points of reference. The technical transfer model of school reform focuses on how to better transfer knowledge already in the possession of academics. Placing the locus of authority in the classroom is the main issue of the professionalization model for school improvement. The…

Presents findings from studies that provide guidelines to policymakers and administrators on a range of issues related to school improvement. The first set of issues deals with deciding upon the nature of the desired changes. The second set deals with planning how to proceed. One hundred twenty-eight footnotes are appended. (IW)

Australia's second National Research and Evaluation Strategy for Vocational Education and Training (VET), which covers the period 2001-2003, builds on the following major themes contained in the first national strategy, which covered 1997-2000: stakeholder orientation, national coordination, and the importance of effective dissemination. The…