Describes a pilot project by a regional library system in central New York State to implement systematic planning activities in rural public libraries serving populations under 5,000. Motivations for the adoption of innovation and key elements in the decision making process during implementation are examined. (CLB)

Explains a theoretical framework for interpreting educational policy-making and, on the basis of that framework, identifies educational policy makers and policy changes in Hungary in the 1960s and 1970s. Tests the theory by examining controversies about secondary education and the structure of the educational system. (JHZ)

Recommendations for chairs of college-level foreign language departments include: being supportive of the department; communicating fully and openly with faculty and staff; promoting grantsmanship; and encouraging staff and faculty. Recommendations for deans working with chairs and department heads include: consulting frequently and communicating…

Discusses the use of simulations to study complex real-life systems in engineering. Describes some of the limitations of using simulations. Identifies some situations in which computer simulations are practical and useful tools for the design, analysis, and evaluation of systems. (TW)

When asked how much freedom they had in determining course content, elementary and secondary teachers in England responded that they didn't have total freedom, nor were they totally restrained. They felt that this was how things should be. The most important factor influencing curricula is aid provided by external professional groups. (Author/RM)

The author advances the argument that evaluation is unique not in purpose, but in environment. The evaluator operates within ethical, organizational, and political contexts in order to achieve utilization of a context-responsive evaluation. (LMO)

College costs, methods of payment, and how the pressure to make money may be shaping enrollment patterns are reviewed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. There is some evidence that students who take sizable loans may major in such fields as business, engineering, and allied health, which offer higher salaries. (MLW)

As part of continuing research into how individuals decide what to do with their lives, ninth graders in a small town high school were surveyed in 1967 and 1979. Focusing on group differences, results of questions on future time perspectives, career possibilities, interactions with people, family cohesiveness, and autonomy are discussed. (BS)

At a critical point in one university's history, a value-added student assessment model was developed. Data generated by it have been used to improve student learning and development throughout the curriculum and to help clarify the institution's mission. (Author/MSE)

Reviews ERIC literature focusing on: (1) community college part-time faculty; (2) open door admissions policies; (3) retrenchment and its effect on program quality; and (4) differential salaries for faculty. Includes an extensive bibliography. (AYC)

A historical analysis of the ways in which representatives of the business and professional communities were able to control the development of a city school system, based on documentation from the 1920's to the late 1960's in the Cincinnati, Ohio, school system. (Author/DCS)

Systemic efforts to implement data-based decision making at the school and classroom level face several challenges. First, most data available within district information systems are limited to what has been deemed important for the operational needs of schools and the district. Second, educational organizations have little experience integrating…

The District of Columbia is four years into the implementation of a ten year Educational Facility Master Plan and seven years into the development of Public Charter Schools. A great deal of work to improve public school facilities has been done. The new buildings and renovations that have been completed by the District of Columbia Public Schools…

For the past decade, the federal government has supported comprehensive school reform as a way to improve under-performing schools (US Department of Education 1998). Thousands of schools across the country are now implementing scores of different whole school reform models with the hopes of improving school culture and raising student performance.…

In the positive theory of public bureaucracy, the prevailing view is that the structure of public agencies is designed from the top down by political superiors. Faced with bureaucrats who may disagree with them on policy and who are advantaged by private information, superiors choose rules and procedures to try to ensure that agencies do what they…