Strategic planning is a process by which the guiding members of an organization envision its future and develop tactics to achieve that future. This paper discusses the nature and purposes of strategic planning in educational organizations, and presents a 10-step generic model to illustrate the basic components of strategic planning. These 10…

This paper discusses the effective restructuring of schools to accommodate at-risk children. Broadly, it addresses some issues of school structure and management for meeting the educational needs of this large and increasing group of students. Specifically, it defines and analyzes effectiveness within the accelerated schools model developed by…

Because of concerns about its ability to meet the shifting demands resulting from changes in today's society, the Virginia Extension Homemakers Council (VEHC) undertook a systematic program to change its organizational structure. In 1983, representatives of the VEHC and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service (VCES) met to identify the causes…

This guide is intended to assist institutions of higher education with the process of organizing, conducting, and reporting the result of their self-study in preparation for evaluation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. The guide is divided into the following chapters: (1) self-study in accreditation (purposes and the…

This book describes various aspects of the historical development of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The first chapter, entitled "Origins," sketches the factors leading up to authorization of the BLS in June 1884. A chapter entitled "Carroll Wright: Setting the Course" discusses the views and contributions of the BLS's…

When the city council of Spokane (Washington) decided in 1971 to establish a cable franchise, it created a citizens' committee to set cable specifications. Representing Spokane School District 81 and KSPS-TV (a public television station licensed to the public schools of Spokane), the author of this document served on the committee that set five…

Stressing the importance of the relationship of vocational and technical education to the economy, this paper discusses how existing educational research and development (R&D) resources can assist in preparing for the computer literate, high technology, information society. After emphasizing the magnitude of the education and training industry,…

This monograph compares foster care systems of New York City and the southern region of New Jersey, focusing on each system's impact on the foster care experiences of Black, Hispanic, and White Children. Recognizing that minority children move through foster care systems at a slower pace than do White children, the report first attempts to…

New approaches to planning and management will be required in the 1980s if community colleges are to deal with the challenges posed by declining enrollments and funds and changing public attitudes toward financing higher education. In the past two decades, management development and college planning have emphasized the creation and expansion of…

Background information is presented for use by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges Budget and Finance Committee in developing principles for allocating state funds to community college districts in 1983-84 and in the future. First, committee tasks and objectives are outlined, and the major issues affecting the allocation of…

Any attempts to improve excellence and equity in our schools must be predicated on the self-confident assumption that our schools can make a critical difference in the lives of children and young adults. Four propositions are offered as to what we know about school improvement: (1) public schools, individual classrooms, and school systems can and…

In the past management information systems (MIS) have focused on data relating to the internal operations of the institution (e.g., registration and space utilization). Recently, however, strategic planning as a means of establishing long-range goals is becoming increasingly dependent upon data external to the institution, such as demographics and…

Results of a study of the role, governance, and future direction of the community colleges of the University of Alaska are detailed in this report. Chapter I describes the purpose and methodology of the study and presents an overview of the community college system. Chapter II gives the legislative history of the Alaska community college movement.…

Perspectives concerning accreditation standards for colleges and universities and assumptions about institutional quality are considered. The various accrediting agencies and associations focus on a broad set of criteria that are generally perceived and promoted to be attributes of institutional program quality. The accrediting criteria of the six…

Guidelines are suggested for developing measurable institutional objectives and for carrying out an educational needs assessment survey. The paper first notes the importance of measurable objectives to evaluation efforts and then delineates suggested benchmark, formative, and summative criteria that can be used by a college in assessing its…