Senior civil servants (SCS) are powerful actors with great responsibilities in the field of policymaking and management. Due to public sector reforms that are New Public Management oriented, specialised education and structured training programmes for (future) SCS as well as fast-track systems for high-potential employees have become increasingly…

Casual observers of academic environments might conclude that women's problems in higher education have been resolved. Colleges enroll more women than men on an overall basis. There is gender parity in entry-level faculty hires, and the number of women in senior administrative positions continues to rise. A closer look however at the work, lives,…

This report presents findings on the numbers and types of public elementary and secondary local education agencies (LEAs) in the United States and other jurisdictions in the 2008-09 school year, using data from the Local Education Agency Universe Survey of the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system. The CCD is an annual collection of data that…

This paper examines the establishment and maintenance of a major data processing cooperative in the intermediate districts of the state of Michigan. It traces the development of the computer software system from its early stages as RAMS software to the data base IMS architecture, a level of system software that matches the technological advance of…

Examines the factors that lead to the success of one regional education organization and the failure of a comparable one. The study demonstrates that organizational arrangements and leadership within the centers themselves were much more critical to survival or death than were environmental conditions. (Author/IRT)

Each of the divisions of the Office of Educational Accountability in the District of Columbia Public Schools was required to submit an evaluation design that would be used to measure division accomplishments at the end of the school year. Since the Division of Research and Evaluation had already completed the development of the Planning,…

Levels of Use (LOU) interviews can be used for formative evaluation purposes in an intermediate education agency. Programs and services for training teachers provided to districts are evaluated. LOU interviews give program staff unique information for improving programs. Program improvement is aided by LOU interviews because information is…

To deliver training and continuing education for education personnel in a large rural state, Montana has decentralized its Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) by forming five regional councils. The Montana Center on Disabilities developed a statewide training program for using paraeducators as liaisons to communities to enhance…

Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) provide services to and draw strength from the larger environment of which they are a part. This study examines the functions and responsibilities of ISDs with the purpose of creating a more effective network linking state agencies with local school districts. It is divided into five sections: identification of…

It is possible to give a concrete meaning to the usually vague concept of decentralization by examining four core components. First, at the crux of decentralization is a downward shift in decision-making power. Administrative decentralization entails shifts internal to the institution. Political decentralization shifts authority to external forces…

This paper presents a rationale for developing computer-based information systems for use by the special education personnel of a consortium composed of 13 rural school districts, and outlines a three-function database that would meet the operational requirements of administrative and clinical staff and the informational needs of parents and the…

This paper examines the existing and potential roles of educational service agencies (ESAs) and their relationships with state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs). Special attention is focused on urban school districts. The paper also critically analyzes these roles and relationships as they relate to dissemination…

Duties of 46 county school superintendents in Oklahoma were analyzed and educational benefits of statutory provisions and additional activities were evaluated. Questionnaires, telephone and personal interviews, and on-site visits provided data. Statutory duties were found to be present in each superintendent's report and to be mostly clear and…

In 1990 the Michigan Inclusive Education Initiative was implemented by the state department of education to facilitate full inclusion of disabled students into regular classroom settings. This paper reports on implementation of inclusive education within the Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District (MAISD) in the Upper Peninsula region of…

A trend toward increased use of interdistrict collaboratives to provide special education and related services has been noted over the past 2 decades, as school districts, particularly rural districts, face more complex educational demands. A survey of 50 state directors of special education found that 36 states have some form of state-governed…