Summarizes federal regulations concerning academic advising, including defamation, negligence, privacy, disabilities, civil rights, duty to report crimes, and privilege. Relevant state laws, interpretations, hypothetical situations, and the possible institutional and personal penalties, both civil and criminal, of not following current laws are…

Asserts that a renewed commitment to scholarship should be made a top priority of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Defines and presents the benefits of scholarship for the system. Identifies some of the roles to be played by the chancellor, the college presidents and administrators, the faculty, and VCCS's new publication, Inquiry.…

This interview discusses the school-improvement process, describing difficulties with setting schoolwide goals, what should happen once the goal is selected, what prevents schools from emphasizing a single goal and working to achieve it, the need to develop high academic expectations for all students, how to use research, ways to go beyond test…

Examines the work of the college or university chief financial officer (CFO) in government relations, focusing on the CFO's responsibilities, methods of working with state legislatures, pitfalls in legislative relations, and special problems faced by institutions in capital cities. (Author/MSE)

Site-based decision making (SBDM) represents one of the more progressive paradigmatic shifts in decentralization. Varieties of the model have been implemented. Surveys issues emerging from the variety of experiments in SBDM. Concludes that, at its best, SBDM is the grand experiment of letting local schools determine how to meet the district's…

Recent school improvement trends, notably the emphasis on accountability and academic standards, are changing the school principal's role. Developing a school vision for teaching and learning is becoming the top priority for principals. Leadership skills that help accomplish this include collaboration, participative decision making, and listening.…

A study compared efforts by two rural schools and two urban schools to implement state instructional reforms in South Carolina. Obstacles to rural schools' reform efforts included insufficient human resources to undertake comprehensive reforms and too much familiarity between school and community members, possibly resulting in limited involvement…

In serving students, financial aid officers must address issues outside the scope of the financial aid program, including admissions, academic policy, institutional bureaucracy, student consumer education, and pricing. These require policy decisions and resource allocations the financial aid administrator cannot make alone. Cooperation and support…

To understand causes of stress in the workplace, research administrators can use the theory of "personality priorities" to understand researcher behavior. The theory suggests each individual adopts rules to help make decisions and maintain a sense of belonging. Each of these personality priorities (control, comfort, pleasing,…

Compares results of a national survey of college administrators' work-role satisfaction and values with those of academics surveyed earlier, identifying crucial areas of difference in values attached to work and the perceptions of work practices. Issues and tensions in the everyday work interface between academics and administrators are seen as…

Building teacher morale involves more than compliments, plaques, and one-time events. Teacher morale is higher in schools where principals create a positive school culture and climate. Sinking teacher morale generally accompanies sinking student achievement. Time constraints, excessive workloads, and insufficient classroom resources take their…

Dr. Ben Canada's unique blend of heartwarming personality and hardheaded management has been instrumental in turning around Portland (Oregon) Public Schools. As superintendent, Dr. Canada has raised the credibility of the district and gained community support as evidenced by the commitment of city council to pump $40 million into the school…

Presents the stories of seven women who are current and former community college chief executive officers. Contends that their accounts as academic laborers are important tools for exploring the meaning of administrator roles, for educating the "uninitiated" in the mission of the community college, and for reinforcing the value of that mission to…

For almost three decades we have optimized our organizations for efficiency and quality. We now look to innovation as the source of competitive advantage--for individuals, for organizations and for society. This paper examines the three components of an innovation ecosystem and their implications for corporations, universities and public policy.…

Superintendents often mourn the "good old days" when they were educators and did not need to worry about the managerial and political aspects of their districts. Linda Hanson shows how effective a superintendent can be in the role of educator as she and her reading staff help their school board understand the implications of a mandatory graduation…