In 1973 Florida embarked on an ambitious adventure to improve the quality of public education by decentralizing many aspects of educational decision-making to the school site. The strategy incorporated a comprehensive reform of the state's school finance system, the development of a management information and accounting system, requirements for…

This document contains seventeen presentations delivered at the ninth annual meeting of the Florida Statewide Conference on Institutional Research. Part one contains: (1) "Your Legislative Session--1976"; (2) "Equal Access/Equal Opportunity: Institutions, Students, Politics, and Fairness"; (3) "The Impact of the Equal…

The role of state-level goals in providing a framework for assessing the performance of postsecondary education in Georgia is considered. The effort of the Governor's Committee on Postsecondary Education in developing goals and indicators of goal achievement and in analyzing performance is described. The Committee developed a set of goals and…

General administrative principles and procedures applicable to any type of program sponsored by external funds, including the federal government, are examined. Contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements are the devices for authorizing sponsored programs. Since the institutions assume full legal responsibility for the programs and for fulfilling…

The Medical University of South Carolina's financial management practices and its use of public resources and the adequacy of federal and state efforts to monitor the university's use of public resources were reviewed by the U.S. General Accounting Office. Specific weaknesses in the areas of equipment, entertainment expenses, and controlled…

A perspective on quality in higher education suggests that standards and assumptions about quality that have been traditionally accepted for upper level colleges are not applicable to community colleges. It is proposed that quality standards be established for community colleges to reflect their unique mission and goals. The most distinctive…

Reactions to the American Institutes for Research (AIR) study of state legal chartering and approval procedures are presented. In presenting a federal perspective, Alfred Moye notes that the AIR study both assessed the degree to which postsecondary state licensing and approval agencies provide student consumer protection and suggested strategies…

A summary of the Inservice Education Program Seminars for State Leaders in Postsecondary Education, sponsored by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, is presented. Themes that occurred in the discussions, recommendations of an American Institutes for Research (AIR) report…

The issues of accountability, conflict, and academic freedom in higher education and the relationship between institutions and state coordinating boards (governing boards, voluntary and compulsory coordinating boards, and planning agencies) are addressed. The causes and nature of the inherent conflict between state coordinating bodies and…

A 1978 conference report on major issues of the 1980s in statewide coordination and governance in postsecondary education is presented as part of an inservice education program. The introduction to the report contains the conference summary by Jerome M. Pollack. The keynote address by Richard Millard is presented in three separate sections,…

The purpose of this handbook is to provide local administrators with some basic guidelines which will enable them to conduct a needs assessment in their areas. The handbook contains a description of the model, sample forms, procedures, and techniques that a local administrator will need in order to conduct a needs assessment. It is divided into…

The symposium reported here was held to provide representatives from business, industry, labor, agriculture, government, and education an opportunity to examine the present and future role of vocational education in the state of Washington. First, this report presents the opening remarks regarding vocational education's role in a changing economy…

In addition to reporting on the technology of needs assessment and evaluation, these guidelines examine the context in which certain technologies should be employed, the opportunities/limitations of different methodologies, and the rationale for assessing needs and evaluating. The guidelines, intended for personnel at various levels and different…

Self-regulation by autonomous occupationally-dominated boards creates an inherent conflict of interest. Consumers are wondering whether what they get by way of protection is worth the economic and social costs. Perhaps the weakest links in the regulatory chain are enforcement and discipline. Few practitioners are suspended or have their licenses…

With the emphasis changing from paternalism by the federal government to self determination, it is time to set aside tribal politics and work toward developing, strengthening and improving Pueblo governments and leaders. By incorporating basic management techniques into the operation of tribal governments while taking into account laws of the…