This paper examines the concept of school climate as a key factor in the success of planned change in elementary schools. Beginning with a general review of the literature on organizational climate and using as its basis three major reviews that appeared in the mid-1970s, the paper defines climate, examines variables that have been used as part of…

Court intervention in special education systems and prisons has varied consequences. This paper comparatively reviews a series of case studies of court ordered prison and school reform. Several factors conspire to frustrate attempts to improve public services: the allocation of costs and benefits of the proposed change, the realities of the public…

Boundary spanning in colleges as evidenced through the activity of offices of institutional research was studied. Literature in organization theory suggests that those institutions that adapt most rapidly to changes in their external environment are those that establish formal structures (boundary spanning roles) for monitoring that environment.…

This collection of papers explores various aspects of strategic planning at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC). First, an overview is presented, clarifying what strategic planning is not and describing the strategic planning at LBCC and its objectives (i.e., to develop a plan utilizing community and internal assessments that can be developed…

Based on similar studies conducted in 1978 and 1983, this paper provides information on changes in state department of education (SEA) evaluation units over a 5-year period and an update on current conditions. In brief, there appears to have been substantial reductions in the size of SEA evaluation unit staffs. While the majority of studies…

Despite considerable federal support for educational innovations, few innovations persist beyond the period of federal funding. The non-persistence and premature termination of so many innovations make it desirable to determine managerial strategies that may work to ensure that innovations believed to make a difference in solving educational…

This paper explores some definitions of school-based budgeting and other forms of decentralization, attempts to determine the extent of their adoption, develops some indications of decentralization results, and provides suggestions for further research directions. The paper addresses (1) how often decentralization involving a change in resource…

School districts have attempted to integrate their efforts at school improvement with concepts and techniques of organization development. Some of them have approached the problem of continuous change with the help of an internal cadre of peers who offer organization development services to their school districts. The following school districts…

This essay defines autonomy as the responsible self-direction of teachers engaged in planning and carrying out instruction in the schools in which they teach, particularly in their own classrooms. This 'professional' definition excludes the influence of teachers on district- or state-level policies, regulations, guidelines, or plans. The essay…

The Minnesota Extension Service sought to have adult learners provide local leadership for establishing educational priorities as well as to have them become actively involved in the organizational change and program-planning process. Because it was found that many citizens are unprepared for such leadership roles, the extension service developed…

A self-examination of the Central Library System (CLS) at Temple University was undertaken by a task force made up of staff members to examine the current organizational structure in the light of technological, financial, curricular, enrollment, and library service considerations, as well as such organizational concerns as work flow, appropriate…

In response to increasing financial pressures, Oakland Community College instituted a policy in the 1970s to reduce the number of college administrators as a means of saving staff costs. While student enrollments increased from 11,700 in 1970 to 24,000 in 1980, the number of administrators fell from 84 to 32. This reduction was realized through…

This document provides extensive procedural detail for the design and execution of a needs analysis/feasibility study survey and the resulting 6-day experimental demonstration project of information and instructional programming (called Cablexpo), which was presented over two of the Iowa State University's five cable television access channels.…

Four alternative organizational structures are discussed with regard to their applicability to the reorganization of community college allied health programs. After introductory material noting the complexities, multiple interfaces, and high costs that make allied health and nursing programs prime targets for reorganization, the four models of…

An onsite study of two major program areas (faculty development and curriculum revision) in a national sample of 11 Dean's Grant Program projects sought to increase understanding of how academic innovation and change occur in higher education, and the processes for effectively managing change. Case study methodology was used, and data were…