Many leaders of public research universities worry about falling behind private research universities at a time when private university finances have improved dramatically and state support for higher education has declined. In this paper, I provide grounds for a more optimistic view of the competitive position of public research universities. I…

This book takes a stand against the belief that "bigger is better" and warns that size and technological complexity are not risk-free. There is a price to be paid for our uncritical affirmation of bigness, universal solutions to problems, dehumanizing uniformity, and standardized mass production. The U.S. government, cities,…

This literature review surveys research on academic achievement in the middle grades to answer the following questions: What is the current state of middle-grades education? What led to the reform of middle-grades education? What does the research say about educational practices that support academic achievement in the middle grades? The review…

This document compiles a series of articles from the Center for Rural Affairs monthly newsletter, January-August 1999. The series responds to public statements of some legislators, urban school board members, and others about the need to eliminate small rural schools because of their "inefficiency." Seven short articles discuss various aspects and…

The development of effective policies to improve rural schools is impeded by the lack of a consistent definition of "rural" and a paucity of good rural education research. The argument for consolidating small rural schools into larger ones is based on the assumptions that larger school systems can achieve economies of scale that reduce…

Teachers and administrators from 15 northern Kentucky high schools were interviewed for their definitions of geography and their attitudes toward it as a discipline. Results showed that geography's tenuous hold on its place in the curriculum was caused by widespread ignorance about its usefulness in understanding global and local issues. (AM)

Two recent studies of interschool sports and physical education in Ontario secondary schools examine the issues of differences in interschool sports participation as a reflection of socioeconomic background, gender of the participants, degree of participation, and school size.

Tennessee's Project STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio), a large longitudinal project involving students in kindergarten through third grade, has provided important information about class-size effects on pupil achievement and development. The project showed that small classes provided higher student outcomes and better student behaviors than…

Envisions that the school of the future will more fully integrate educational processes with daily life and the community. Satellite neighborhood high schools will relate to a larger central "hub" that provides larger and more sophisticated facilities. (MLF)

Patterns emerging in a trend toward increased enrollment in private colleges are examined, focusing on the relationship of size, selectivity, location, women's colleges, historically Black colleges, and enrollment change. (MSE)

A Michigan State senator discusses institutional relationships with the state legislature and communication problems between institution and government that interfere with policy and budgeting processes. (MSE)

Reviews research on the association between school size and educational outcomes and considers policy implications of that research. Suggests a shift of value from large size to small size. Describes current state finance formulas, with an emphasis on sparsity and geographical isolation factors. Identifies policy considerations relative to the use…

A survey of 43 large universities nationwide investigated overall human resources staffing levels and staffing in five areas: personnel recruitment, benefits administration, compensation, management, records, and labor relations. Twelve tables and two figures present detailed findings in these areas. Trends from 1986 to 1991 are also noted. (MSE)

Explores whether scale economies in a single statewide, nonproperty-tax-supported district differ from studies in more traditional settings. The sample consisted of 179 randomly selected Hawaiian elementary and middle schools enrolling sixth-grade students. Stanford Achievement Test scores for grades three and six were used. Smaller schools had…

Describes a computational method used to predict faculty needs and distribution at the University of Nairobi (Kenya). The model is a function of the number of students taught, the hours taught, the manner in which students are grouped for lectures, and an adopted student-faculty ratio. (MSE)