This paper describes the problematic aspects of redesigning the administration, organization, and funding of early childhood education in New Zealand. A committee for redesigning early childhood programs in the nation had specified the dimensions of the government's role in supporting early childhood education, and had proposed new arrangements…

This guide was prepared to aid school system vocational education advisory committee members and instructors in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities. The booklet covers the following topics: purposes and role of the advisory committee; advisory committee rationale; organizational goals; responsibilities of advisory committee members;…

Those studying the distribution of urban services have generally concluded that services are distributed according to bureaucratic decision rules based on professional and bureaucratic norms such as need, efficiency, economy, equity, and convenience. Interest groups and elected officials may play a central role in effecting changes in bureaucratic…

An analysis of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which requires basic English language proficiency and knowledge of United States history and civics of illegal aliens seeking permanent residency status, suggests that the Act is an example of poor language planning. The analysis has three components. First, the legalization…

Wisconsin's Task Force on Early Education, Child Care, and Family Involvement identified the early education, child care, and family support services that will be needed in coming years and determined how these services should be implemented and coordinated. The task force began its work with an invitational conference involving about 100…

The private health financing system in the United States does not meet the needs of much of the population, especially midlife women (aged 35-65). It is no longer possible for anyone but the richest persons to pay for their own health care. This situation developed during the past 3 decades, during which employer-paid health care expanded…

The purposes and nature of institutional research are described as well as its role in institutional governance and of the contributions it can make to the functioning of postsecondary institutions. The first section in the booklet discusses the nature and purposes of institutional research by describing several forms of research and comparing and…

The Maricopa Community College District's (MCCD's) Commission on Student Assessment and Initial Course Placement was formed to assess the current status of student assessment for initial course placement across the district, to review the available instruments that assess student skills for placement, to discover what other community college…

A case study is presented that used the methods of Generic Design Science to conduct strategic planning for the Department of Communication at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Applied in the context of an academic environment, the methods yielded a comprehensive management and planning design for focusing administration and faculty…

Language policy and planning has become a major concern of applied linguistics. Most language planning is institutional and not systemic, planning not the forms of the language but the relationship between the language and the individuals who use it. Institutional language planning, policy formation, provides the context for systemic language…

The government of New South Wales (Australia) is attempting to enhance the quality of public education by radically altering management structures and practices. Despite some popular objections, political intervention was mandated and warranted due to excessive centralization in administrative policy making, curriculum development, and resource…

The purpose of this paper is to summarize current trends in child abuse prevention and to provide program administrators and policymakers with guidelines for implementing successful new parent programs in their communities. Contents address: (1) the scope of the child abuse problem; (2) a theoretical framework or conceptual model for use in…

Efforts of educational interest groups to defeat merit pay for Pennsylvania teachers during 1983-1986 are explored in this case study. Political systems theory and allocative theory provide the conceptual framework. Deutsch's (1973) outline of variables that affect the course of conflict was used to organize indepth personal interviews and a…

Views on ways the U.S. tax code might be used to stimulate investment in research and development were presented at this hearing. Witnesses represented industry and universities and included experts on how tax policy impacts scientific research and development. The document contains testimonies and supporting documentation from the following…

This paper presents an overview of poverty in rural America, and examines the ways in which improved education could alleviate rural poverty. The question of education as a mechanism to reduce poverty includes issues of economic demand and supply. On the demand side, labor market projections indicate that the service sector will continue to grow,…