Policy makers internationally are increasingly preoccupied with the need for education systems to be developed in ways that mitigate unfairness. What is more contestable is what might need to change. In England this emphasis has informed the development of fair access policies that aim to improve the representation of 'disadvantaged' young people…

In the current review, we examined teacher leadership research completed since York-Barr and Duke published the seminal review on teacher leadership in 2004. The review was undertaken to examine how teacher leadership is defined, how teacher leaders are prepared, their impact, and those factors that facilitate or inhibit teacher leaders' work.…

Communities across the country are grappling with different approaches to improving their schools. Introducing or expanding charter schools is one of the approaches that states and school districts have considered or implemented. Charter schools serve more than 5 percent of public school students nationwide and make up close to 7 percent of all…

The chapter explores critical roles of internal evaluators in contemporary organizational settings. The need is highlighted for an expanded, reconfigured, unorthodox set of roles and styles of work to meet the needs of the emerging learning organizations effectively. A discussion of major categories of internal evaluator roles emerged from the…

This case study examined a multi-college community college district in northern California in a primarily rural area, to understand how their practices compared to management best practices designed to improve student success, barriers that may exist in implementing best practices, and how the institution may improve its own practices. The problem…

Examines the interaction between the cultural definers of "brain death" and the policymakers who have formulated and enacted statutes in several states. Considers the medicolegal and philosophical-ethical approaches affecting the policy decisions. (JMF)

Different researchers have suggested a variety of definitions for democratic leadership. As there is no one generally accepted definition, it is difficult to categorically characterize a style as democratic. Democracy in a pure form is based on the assumption that no member of the group is superior to other members. In operation, no organization…

Based on a review of the literature, procedures worked out at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, and on insights gained working with personnel at several institutions in the formulation of goals and objectives, this report delineates procedures for goal-setting, and describes how the needs of community colleges differ…

Eight criteria developed by the National Forum on Assessment (Washington, DC) as guidelines for evaluating existing and proposed assessment systems at any level are listed. Criteria call for clear definitions and fair assessments to assist educators and policymakers in improving instruction. Continuous review and improvement are recommended. (SLD)

This literature review considers definitions of strategic planning as well as historical and operational aspects of its use at community colleges. First, a number of definitions of strategic planning are presented, indicating that, compared to long-range planning, strategic planning is more action-oriented and more concerned with issues, the…

Defining rural youth as the 14-25 age group (literate or illiterate and employed or unemployed) and as residents of localities with less than 5,000 people, this paper addresses Ghanaian rural youth and its relationship to: the total population; youth policy and organizations; rural-urban differences; and societal improvements. Major points of…

In a technologically advanced society, many of the dialogues take place within the "management information system," or as a result of the "hard data" acquired through such a system, rather than in a public forum. The absence of the Hispanic American from that type of systems dialogue can and does place unnecessary disadvantages on Hispanic…

Vesting Congress with implied powers over American Indians produces attitudes and assumptions which are extremely influential. There are seven such controlling assumptions: Congress is presumed to act in good faith toward Indians; the belief that past policies were based upon some intelligent criteria that incorporated an understanding of…

Key issues that educational measurement professionals must face in the next decade are explored. Questions of definition and localization of testing, teacher education, increased computer use, variation in types of assessment, and the effects of litigation are likely to be central in future measurement and policy decisions. (SLD)

This paper on identifying education outcomes for students with disabilities proposes a framework for applying an outcome-based approach throughout the education system, by looking at the needs of the three major levels of the system (local, state, and national); defining different uses for the term "outcome" in order to achieve consensus…