The role of the chief scientist in the formulation of a policy of evaluation research by a government unit is considered, together with issues facing his office. Such issues include: accountability; meeting the expectations of decision makers; increasing evaluation utilization; and evaluation feasibility. (AEF)

Outlines the author's participation in several programs designed to effect change in educational institutions. Observations regarding school decentralization, community participation, and staff development programs are presented. (APM)

Discusses problems associated with federal regulations over funding of basic research. Topics covered include: (1) project versus programmatic support; (2) indirect costs; (3) accountability; (4) federal regulations; and (5) the nature of bureaucracy. (SK)

Government involvement--local, state, and federal--in higher education is discussed. Any institutional advancement program should include a government relations component designed to meet the institution's needs. Government relations officers must form the bloc of opinion leaders and potential voters that gives lobbyists their clout. (MLW)

The continuing intervention of the Commonwealth government in postsecondary education will become increasingly dysfunctional. Some issues discussed are planning and coordination, increasing degree of centralism, growth of bureaucracy, attitudes toward the sectors, and accountability. (MLW)

Evaluation of academic programs in higher education institutions has existed in the United States since 1640. In the succeeding 34 decades, demands for program review and accountability have led to the present development of academic program evaluation as a primary means to revise, curtail, or eliminate degree programs. (Author/MSE)

The author examines the background and aftermath of the government's 1977 Green Paper, "Education in Schools: A Consultative Document." In particular, he discusses the possibilities of government interference in curricular decision making at the local level. (Editor/SJL)

The author examines claims that progressive teaching methods are one cause of declining standards and looks at national monitoring systems developed as a political and administrative response to this issue. Finding these bureaucratic procedures inconsistent with the ideals of progressive education, he proposes an alternative school-based…

The teaching profession has fallen in public esteem, and much criticism is falling on schools, colleges, and departments of education. Fifteen ERIC citations provide a limited but useful resource list for the study of the reform of teacher education. (CJ)

Single-issue politics is seen as a threat to both political parties and universities. Single-issue politics rests on the following bases: moral principle, constitutional rights, and protection of a way of life. Single-issue groups will attack a special weakness of universities--their role as developers of moral virtue. (MLW)

Until recently, teacher behaviors as conceptualized by educational researchers were not consistent with teachers' own views of effective teaching. Explicit attention has to be devoted to the characteristics of the teacher so that changes or adoptions of new procedures will be congruent with the teacher's own ideas and attitudes. (JN)

There is currently no way to determine whether educational benefits of arts programs are myth or reality because the learning experiences have never been verified. Art educators, instead of aiming for vague general goals, must develop specific educational objectives and undertake the research to validate them. (Author/JM)

Behavioral science strategies offer an alternative to bureaucratic and political strategies. The weakness of a bureaucratic or political approach, the professor as social learner and as problem-solving adult, strategies for increasing faculty productivity, and ways for creating a learning institution are discussed. (MLW)

Educational administrators are faced with increased demands for research and evaluation studies. Recommendations to counteract the negative effects of these demands include: increased knowledge about the usefulness of evaluation for decision making; a more effective intermediary role in daily activities; and increased decisiveness in interpreting…

Discusses a study on the areas of concern in the relationship between government funding agencies and university based research programs. The conclusions about accountability which resulted from the study are given. (SA)