A system for the statewide coordination of higher education that emphasizes centralized accountability and decentralized management should ensure that the concept of institutional autonomy is preserved. (Editor/PG)

The increasing costs of higher education and doubts about its importance, and the decreasing marketability of a college degree have made those responsible for appropriating public funds and the consumers of higher education services demand greater accountability from public institutions. These demands, as well as internal demands for greater…

This paper introduces and explores new counterpressures in educational governance, the central theme of this symposium. Drawing on research in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, but giving particular attention to Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada, and the United States, this paper provides an…

The style of management in higher education has changed significantly in recent decades. The groups that have demanded, and in most cases been given, a share in the governance of the institution are the administration, the faculty, the students, and the non-faculty staff. The problem arises in implementing the claims for a share of authority. Some…

The process and experiences associated with strategic planning in a recently decentralized administrative information systems environment are described. Background information on why Virginia Commonwealth University decentralized the authority, responsibility, and accountability for the delivery of administrative information services to major…

In 1991 Australia's National Industry Education Forum released a policy statement that suggested ways to improve Australian schools. This report, an outgrowth of that statement, contains a blueprint for the decentralization of management for Australian schools. Studies were undertaken in 11 companies to draw lessons from business and industry.…

Considers five major interests at stake in higher education: social justice, competence, academic freedom, autonomy/accountability, and decentralization/centralization. Suggests that the implementation of conflicting interests is less a matter of the relation between the state and higher education than of relations between the academic profession…

A comparative study of policies and practices for accountability in French and English schools is presented. Growth of central government influence and teacher autonomy are common elements. However, the constraints on teachers (formal in France and informal in England) do not necessarily cause more freedom or accountability in England. (MSE)

A study of five decentralized school districts reveals many reasons why recentralization could occur, including lack of accountability provisions, lack of effectiveness, retrenchment, central office reluctance to share power, and union hostility. Unless districts approach decentralization thoughtfully and with commitment, they may abandon the…

Draws on ongoing case studies of women's initiations of elementary collaborative principalships to discuss dilemmas encountered within the contradictory environment of "centralized decentralization" in New Zealand. Accountability issues have emerged as significant in one school, as the women and their board have been radically…

This paper presents findings of a case study that identified the new forms of accountability and control being constructed locally in the education service of England and Wales since the major legislative changes made in 1988. The changes include local school management, grant-maintained schooling, and competitive contract tendering. The 1988,…

The evolution and role of the lay board of control (trustees, directors) of higher educational institutions and the part the board has played or may play in maintaining diversity in the American system are examined. The evolution of the lay board in the United States and in the United Kingdom is described. The lay board has become "the…

This brief paper is a presentation that preceeded another case of considering the ongoing dialogue on the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized school-improvement processes. It attempts to raise a number of questions about the relationship between state-designed standards and accountability initiatives and change and…

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;…

Business should participate in school reform but has too narrow a perspective to guide it. Nationalizing education through comparative testing is a move to cut spending for social services, to increase accountability and efficiency without increasing financial responsibility or equity. Imposing private-sector rules on public education undermines…