Successful continuing professional education programs require that the learners be involved in design and implementation. Program planning and advisory committees are one means of ensuring the participation of adult learners and of meeting their needs. (SK)

A sagacious school board will ensure that its school system meets the needs of the whole community by adopting a policy supporting use of school facilities for adult education programs and activities. (Author/JM)

The lay citizen Federal Advisory Committees (FACs) appear to be playing a recognized role in federal policy advisement, fulfilling one of the tenets of adult education: citizen participation. The 21 education FACs, particularly the 11 adult-education related ones, deserve the attention of adult educators. (SK)

The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities has undertaken a project to train disabled adults as volunteer consultants in vocational and career education. Consultants work with advisory panels mandated by legislation on such topics as individualized education programs, least restrictive environment, program options, and nonacademic…

Describes informative measures used by a library advisory committee to advise university administrators of the adverse impact of budgetary constraints on the operation of the academic library. (RAA)

Presents a model of organized advisory councils containing three components: structural knowledge, programing skills, and group process skills. This framework can be used to train advisory council members and improve the effectiveness of extension programs. (SK)

Examines the University of Nebraska's experience in implementing a procedure for grade appeal hearings. Discusses the importance of the setting, the chairperson's role, faculty and student roles, committee member's bias, and interactions at the hearing. (CT)

Citizen groups can help school boards by independently gathering faculty and administrator opinions without being a threat to either group, something that board-sponsored inquiry groups cannot do. (Author/IRT)

Focuses on the important role of curriculum in the educational process. Suggests that until a core of persons, along with local community support, are trained in curriculum development, schools must accept other alternatives in order to maintain responsibility for an adequate education for all youth. (Author/RK)

The Sheffield (England) City Council used an advisory group approach to solicit citizen participation in community planning. Two important lessons were: ensuring that all target groups are represented and providing training and information to prepare citizen representatives for their consulting role. (SK)

To support concepts such as teacher empowerment, school improvement plans, and site-based decision making, principals must learn how to lead or work with small groups. Each project team must have a champion (usually the principal), assigned members, a name, a district goal, desired outcomes, critical parameters, a time frame, resources, processes,…

Contains a scripted interchange between three caricatures (the zealous reformer, the harried committee chair, and the skeptical administrator) concerning a project for curriculum reform in a college English department. (TB)

Encourages teachers to participate and take leadership roles on committees designed to improve the educational process. Notes that the process of change is slow in the present school structure. (RS)

Discusses four issues for higher education institutions to consider if they employ consultants for presidential searches: (1) search consultants dominate the process; (2) they do not really expand the pool of applicants; (3) organizing the search process can be handled well by institutions themselves; and (4) consultants are inevitably placed in…

Responses from 20 chairs of allied health dean/director search committees indicated that 55% found filling the position very or moderately easy. Mean time was 6.9 months. Most (65%) new deans/directors had health professions backgrounds; 30% had been assistant deans/directors. With a mean number of 11.7 viable candidates, the applicant pool was…