This paper explores issues of social justice in relation to the practice of two principals from two Australian public schools. The stories of these principals are set against a policy backdrop in Australia that has seen renewed emphasis on school autonomy reform, on the one hand, and heightened external accountability and compliance, on the other.…

In contrast with that basic understanding of university autonomy, in most continental European countries, such as France, and also in Japan, the government has tightly controlled universities, in terms of both their organization and activities. In these countries, the concept of "governance" is often lacking, as institutions were not…

The higher education system in Israel is discussed, noting that tertiary education in that country makes a clear distinction between higher (university and academic) education and postsecondary education that is largely vocational. The Planning and Grants Committee (PGC) of the Council for Higher Education is responsible for the budgets of…

Education in European countries has been characterized by a tendency toward decentralization and deregulation. The Dutch Ministry of Education commissioned the University of Twente to perform a comparative study of actual and future shifts in tasks, responsibilities, and authority in education in several European countries. This book presents…

A study was conducted to determine the location of authority in multi-unit two-year colleges. Inquiry forms listed 84 practices categorized as general (e.g., accreditation), business, curriculum, instruction, administrative personnel, teaching personnel, non-teaching personnel, research, services, student development services, and relationships…

The impact of increasing federal regulation on American universities is discussed based on an informal survey of senior academic and administrative officials in 13 public and private universities. As government regulation is becoming more intensive and compliance more resource- and time-consuming, government is perceived as having little…

Many educators advocate school-based management, a method of decentralization wherein the school, instead of the district office, becomes the primary unit of educational decision-making. This shift is part of American education's long-term oscillation between administrative centralization and decentralization. Centralization, say its critics, has…

Since 1993, school reform leaders from Chicago (Illinois), Denver (Colorado), New York (New York), Seattle (Washington), and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) have come together in the Cross City Campaign to work for the improvement of urban education. In each of these cities rhetorical pleas for decentralization and the investment of decision making in…

The British tradition of institutional self-steering in higher education is considered along with possible applications to the West German higher education system. The objective is to identify an ideal self-steering system and an effective organizational decision-making structure for West Germany. Financial retrenchment in German higher education…

The role of institutional self-evaluation is considered in the context of transition from central regulation to self-regulation in various higher education systems in Europe. A distinction is made between external steering, where regulations and decisions are made by a central state authority, to self-steering, where decisions and regulations are…

The organization of local government in England underwent significant structural revision during the 1970s, creating centralized authorities focused on objectives and service delivery systems rather than on organizational structures and the separate services delivered. As the most autonomous local agency prior to reorganization, education was the…

A study is presented to determine (1) where people influential in public university governance believe various typical decisions are being made and (2) where they believe those decisions should be made. The kinds of issues that bring about most disagreement as to proper authority in governance and administration are identified. Centralization of…

Prompted by a California State University trustee resolution in 1985 to offer an independent doctoral degree in education, this report aims to determine whether additional doctoral programs in educational administration are needed in California. It examines the history and professional uses of doctorates in education, and surveys perceptions of…

Four articles on changing governance patterns of state colleges and universities are presented. In "State Control vs. Campus Autonomy: A Struggle for Balance," Donald E. Walters discusses the distribution of power in Illinois'"system of systems" governance structure. In Illinois several multi-campus university systems coexist;…