The insights of various theoretical perspectives on school improvement can be integrated in a common framework called "the institutional perspective" when the sensitivity of each theoretical perspective to the nature of decision making for school improvement is taken into account. The institutional perspective thus generated considers the…

This report reviews the essential medical facts concerning Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the legal implications of AIDS in the school setting, and school board policy responses to AIDS. The report begins with an introduction that clarifies the extent of the problem posed to schools by AIDS and identifies the kinds of information with…

This report identifies the major issues facing community colleges in California and presents the judgements of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges concerning how these issues should be addressed, placing particular emphasis on what should be done during 1985. The issues constituting the basic agenda of the Board for 1985…

Appropriate for secondary school social studies or community programs, this publication considers the issue of welfare in the United States. The first of five sections, "Reassessing the Welfare State," looks at the history of welfare in America since Franklin Roosevelt and assesses the need for reexamining policy. "The Generous Revolution" looks…

This paper notes that vocational education has been associated with economic growth since the turn of the century, when such growth was used as a justification for the funding of early vocational training. Today, vocational education's contributions to economic growth include efforts such as employer demand research, dislocated worker programs,…

Much information of interest to bilingual education policymakers has emerged from basic research on language learning, bilingualism, and cognition. Among the conclusions drawn from it are the following: (1) bilingual education is superior to submersion education in many contexts;(2) one major bilingual education goal should be development of the…

Resources for the Future, Inc. (RFF) is a nonprofit, tax exempt corporation headquartered in Washington, D.C. RFF's purpose is to advance research and education in the development, conservation, and use of natural resources, including improvement of the quality of the environment. Most of its programs are carried out by resident staff, but a few…

Testimony from a congressional oversight hearing on the Women's Bureau, a component of the U.S. Department of Labor, is presented. Concerns are the extent to which the general orientation of the administration has led to some diminution of activities of the sort the Women's Bureau has done in the past and the dismantling or reduction of the…

Major long-term public policy issues related to the aging of the U.S. population are examined. Chapter one provides an overview of trends pertaining to the future elderly population, emphasizing some of the issues Congress may need to address in the near future. Sources of support for the elderly are also examined. Employment and retirement issues…

The Hawke Labor government in Australia, elected in 1983, conforms to a well-defined international trend away from stong public support for education and welfare spending. This paper focuses on the education policies of the Hawke government and compares them with those of the previous Fraser government and with those of the Reagan administration…

This study investigated the effect of a set of predictors of success in both the undergraduate English program and in all other subjects. Academic data for the graduates of an Arab university's English department during three years were analyzed. The predictor variables examined were: (1) total scores on the secondary school certificate…

Blue ribbon commissions in the United States from 1965-1983 are reviewed, and two commissions are covered in-depth. Attention is directed to: nationally-oriented blue-ribbon commissions, state-level commissions, blue ribbon commissions on campus, and factors that make commissions effective. For purposes of the study, a blue ribbon commission was…

The changing role relationships that occurred between the faculty and administrators of a university that implemented a decentralized management process over a 5-year period are discussed. The university changed from being highly centralized toward a shared and layered administrative approach. Five changes were instituted: an extensive committee…

In the fall of 1967, during the 1967-68 academic year, a large scale survey (the "College Trustee Study") was made of members of college and university governing boards. A questionnaire was mailed to the trustees of over 500 colleges and universities in the United States. Responses were received from 5,180 college board trustee members.…

A project was conducted at Sumner High School in Sumner, Washington, to establish districtwide policies and procedures for granting equivalent credit for English, mathematics, science, and social studies skills taught in vocational education courses. Using as a guide the Washington Commission on Vocational Education's 1986 booklet entitled…