This document contains proceedings of a conference that fostered discussion on how low-performing schools become successful. Principal speakers were Michael Cohen, Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, who spoke about the demand for increased performance and high standards; Dennis Parker,…

The report presents findings and recommendations from a 1996 statewide study of the adult education needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) adults in California, designed to help in planning and policy initiatives. The study explores three broad areas of concern: patterns of need (the extent of services needed by the LEP population, by county…

Patterns of government financing of universities and institutional finance in the United Kingdom were studied. Formulas used in allocating resources for administration, services, salaries, maintenance, facilities, and equipment are reported in some detail, and funding patterns are illustrated in charts. (MSE)

Outlines the latest Federal budget and regulatory proposals being discussed, examines the spending and taxation priorities on which they are based, and suggests alternatives for the funding of education and other human services. (Available from Gutman Library, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.) (Author/GC)

Quality of schools is a critical resource in the production of school achievement, individual and national. Countries with a scarcity of resources (transportation, administration, and management) would be expected to perform worse in distributing any resource, especially one of such complexity as school quality, but this does not seem to occur.…

Obstacles to the reform of British higher education include central government ineffectiveness, internal institutional policies, the tradition of institutional autonomy, diffusion of power, strong conservative political ties within the faculty, and economic recession. Reform of higher education is impossible without reform of the entire…

The conditions facing postsecondary education during the 1980s, it is suggested, call for institutional planning styles that are comprehensive, systematic, public, regular, and expansive. The formal democratic style is described as a comprehensive planning process that requires all departments to submit their plans to the college. (Author/MLW)

In 1976 a questionnaire designed to gather information about methods to determine the allocation of staff within tertiary institutions in Australia was mailed to universities and colleges. The results are discussed including methods of allocation, student-load/staff ratios, staff contact hours, and sabbatical and study leave provisions. (MLW)

University-based postsecondary research centers are discussed and issues of concern to these researchers are reviewed. A coalition of university researchers is viewed as important for combatting the lack of attention to higher education research. Two models for a coalition are discussed. (SF)

Economic trends in health care delivery and medical education in the United States are examined. It is noted that the market for physician services is being more extensively socialized due to insurance practices and it is suggested that there is a trend toward desocializing medical education and transferring a greater share of the cost to the…

Examines the issue of meaningful education for Creole-speaking students, particularly Haitians, in the context of U.S. bilingual programs. The discussion focuses on the home language, Creole, as it is used in the school system and what the value is attached to it in an attempt to provide these students with effective instruction. (41 references)…

Describes an Australian Catholic school district's efforts to pursue school effectiveness by implementing system-level practices embodying Fullan's notions of support and pressure. Key elements included school development processes and appraisal and professional development for principals and teachers. The system has mobilized resources for…

Library patron demands will exert increasing influence over the allocation of materials budgets. To determine the extent to which data produced by automated systems are used to guide collection development, a questionnaire was sent to the 108 university library members of the Association of Research Libraries. Responses (n=79) showed that such…

Critical forces affecting dental education in general, and the connection between science and practice in particular include shifts in patterns of oral disease; changes in the backgrounds of students entering the dental profession; public skepticism and funding; the response of the dental community to several recent major reports; and managed…

An Ohio legislative plan that will keep Central State University open for two years but places substantial restrictions and conditions on the funding is criticized as threatening to cause the institution to fail completely. News of the restrictions is seen as adversely affecting recruitment and retention efforts and a presidential search, all…