This case study explores a central office's attempt to improve its school performance by shifting from a loosely to a more tightly coupled organization through greater oversight and standardization of practice. Educational leaders and, specifically, district-level and central office administrators often negotiate between providing schools autonomy…

What can today's educational leaders do to create schools that are purposeful, moral, and successful? In this book, Glickman and Mette provide a powerful set of guidelines that will lead to true school renewal. Using a practical framework for school, district, and community leaders, their roadmap replaces dependence on top-down state and federal…

In the literature, site-based management was defined as authority for decisions on programs is in the hands of those who are directly affected and it involves all stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, principal, superintendent, Board of Education, and community members). It is not seen as a means to an end, but as an on-going process to…

Are teachers unions and collective bargaining agreements barriers to high school reform and redesign efforts in Washington, California, and Ohio? The short answer: sometimes, but not as often as many educators seem to think. Rather than wade into the pro- versus anti-union debate, this report instead aims to offer guidance for educators, unions,…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy for preparing administrators whose basic unit of instruction is a project. Students are organized into teams and work on these projects to grapple with the problem and to achieve the learning objectives that are embedded in the project. In this PBL project, students design and prepare a…

Describes the advantages of charter schools, which are started by individuals or groups in the community and can set their own educational agendas and goals. More states are passing or expanding charter school laws every year. Benefits include autonomy, site-based management, increased parental involvement, and increased teacher control.…

This collection brings together many of the world's leading sociologists of education to explore and address key issues and concerns within the discipline. The thirty-seven newly commissioned chapters draw upon theory and research to provide new accounts of contemporary educational processes, global trends, and changing and enduring forms of…

Observers in various European, South American, and Asian countries outline current general trends, issues, and prospects in higher education in those countries. (MSE)

The so-called binary system of postsecondary education in Australia, a subject of recent criticism, is found to be less a matter of concern than the related funding issues and concern for equitable support of all sectors. (MSE)

Academics in both the industrial world and developing countries face funding declines, growing state intervention, public hostility, and corporate pressure. Simultaneously, they are experiencing internal wars over policy, curriculum, and nature of scholarly communities. In North America debates about academic freedom center on tenure and free…

A proposed charter of academic freedom and institutional autonomy in Australian higher education is examined, including the origins of the proposal, interests of staff and management, international political context of the proposal, history and values of the academic freedom concept, role of Australian universities, and faculty association role.…

News reports issued during the 60 days the Nebraska Legislature was in session between January 4, 1984, and April 9, 1984, and pertinent bills considered by the legislature during that period are the main sources used in this examination of the effort to resolve a conflict between the regulations of the Nebraska State Department of Education and…

Institutional, foundation, and professional association administrators and state and federal policymakers outline potential improvements in public higher education and research policy. They include adjustments in research emphases, improved educational opportunity, upgraded academic standards, more consistent research and general support, and more…

A review of attitudes about the need for changes in the structure of postsecondary education in Australia and the role of the government in each sector concludes with the suggestion that the state take less responsibility for short-term planning and institutional development and focus more on long-term planning with strong involvement in technical…

China's plans for higher education change include awarding scholarships for merit and charging tuition, increased local government responsibility for providing education, increased institutional autonomy in hiring, greater student curriculum choices, university training for industrial workers, and practical courses for humanities students. (MSE)