In order for a college to thrive in the education/training situation likely to prevail in the 1990s, it may need to move from its existing management structure--which is probably hierarchical--to an alternative management structure. A hierarchical structure has some strengths, such as a clear delineation of responsibilities, the division of work…

Advocates of participative management in academic libraries point to increased job satisfaction and performance as benefits, while opponents favor less participative means such as consultive management, with librarians having input and the directors making the decisions. A survey of reference librarians in the Texas community colleges was…

Suggestions are made for establishing a policy for prohibiting smoking on school property. First, a working committee for policy formation should be established. This committee should consist of representatives from all populations affected: students, teachers, parents, staff, bus drivers, cooks, administrators, and union and community…

Since 1987, 12 California school districts and their teachers' unions have experimented with a new form of labor accord called an Educational Policy Trust Agreement. The project helps teachers, as represented by their unions, and school management to reach agreements on issues that are not included within the scope of traditional collective…

Quality circles (QCs) have been considered one of the most promising approaches to improving American workers' productivity. The differences of quality circle effectiveness between active QCs (N=36) and inactive QCs (N=17) in a 3-year period were examined in a quasi-experimental field study. The dependent variables examined were the amount of…

This paper presents organizational strategies and implementation methods for conversion to middle school organization (scheduled to take place in 1988) in the Johnson City, Tennessee, school system. Carried out by the district in partnership with local institutions of higher education, the study focuses on what is educationally best for the child…

The development and implementation of a high-tech laboratory in a small suburban high school in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, demonstrates that the high-tech future is both possible and valuable as it permeates the entire curriculum. In 1984, the vocational studies department shifted its emphasis to prepare students for college as well as for…

Recently, the traditional school structure has been harshly scrutinized for several key defects, including bureaucratic rules and regulations, professional isolation of teaching staff, evaluation systems irrelevant to instructional improvement, low teacher participation in decision making, and noncooperation between teachers and administrators.…

This paper describes Hilltop Junior High School's initial experience with interdisciplinary teaming, an arrangement whereby teachers from different disciplines systematically plan curricular experiences for a common group of students. The innovation began with the appointment of a new principal who advocated teaming as the basic unit of middle…

This book is an introduction and guide to school-based management, a decentralized form of organization in which decisions that have traditionally been made by a superintendent or school board are made by the local school. Chapter 1 provides an overview of decision-making in public school systems starting with a brief history of the trend toward…

The AMSCO culture survey instrument was developed to obtain specific information about the changing employee values resulting from the implementation of the new quality programs at AMSCO, Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The culture dimensions measured in the survey included job evaluation/job satisfaction, work efficiency, training and development,…

This document examines the relationship between the principle of representative government and information in light of dramatic changes in technology. The information age has increased the volume of information and the velocity of its transmission, while linking citizens directly to the site of decisions and facilitating direct citizen…

This report summarizes a two-volume study focusing on state administration of selected federal education programs and federal and state interactions surrounding programs for special pupils. Federal programs and civil rights provisions examined include four titles of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Education for All Handicapped…

Problems that threaten the future careers of faculty and the quality of education at colleges and universities are reviewed, based on a literature review. It is suggested that new federalism, decreased revenue, declining enrollments, increased state and federal regulations, and public demand for accountability have threatened the ability of higher…

The paper briefly discusses 12 critical issues that significantly affect program success in reducing severe self-injurious behavior (SIB) in group homes. The paper emphasizes the necessity of: (1) a process approach to the development and monitoring of treatment; (2) demythologizing the self-injurious client; (3) discussing and clarifying legal…