Education, the most visible of local government functions, is often the center of a societal climate in which the protection of individual rights is not only expected but also demanded. Governing boards and administrators must deal with conflict and bring about acceptable solutions. Since 1950 education has experienced a significant increase in…

This report identifies and discusses the management issues and resources associated with establishing a microcomputer support center within an organization. A general introduction supplies a definition of a microcomputer support center and a historical perspective on data processing services. The remainder of the document is divided into two major…

Developed by a a working group of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Section of School Libraries, these guidelines present succinct and precise statements on the duties and functions of school librarians, their educational and training needs, and details of how the preparation of school librarians differs…

A synthesis is presented of the outcomes of the "Beyond the Looking Glass" Conference which brought together educational practitioners, policy makers, and researchers to make concrete suggestions for what should be done to improve the conditions, processes, and effects of teacher education. Three major points of agreement formed the…

From a European perspective, this paper focuses on a set of issues affecting the emerging information economy. Among the issues covered are: developing a means of measuring the value of information and knowledge; studying other institutions such as the United States Department of Defense and the United States venture capital industry which are…

Program presentations on issues related to staffing considerations in research libraries and business meeting minutes are combined in this report from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Under the program title, "Organizational Futures: Staffing Research Libraries in the 1990's," a report by the Task Force on Research Library Staffing…

Designed to promote new direction, accountability, and support for California's community colleges, this concept paper outlines six major legislative initiatives that should be integrated into the Community College Reform Act of 1986. The paper urges that: (1) the mission of community colleges must be given focus, and, for the first time,…

In response to the current intensified public interest in education, some professional organizations have undertaken to draft public policy responses. These responses are constrained by a variety of issues. When practitioner task forces analyze policy under time constraints, they face issues in policy definition, and the definition used affects…

Social, technological, and economic factors relevant to informed decision-making are presented to provide policymakers with an understanding of factors involved in national entry into videotex and/or teletext technologies. It is assumed that the policymaker has a basic knowledge of computers, but little or no knowledge of the videotex-related…

Issues concerning whether to centralize or decentralize decision-making are addressed, with applications for colleges. Centralization/decentralization (C/D) must be analyzed with reference to a particular decision. Three components of C/D are locus of authority, breadth of participation, and relative contribution by the decision-maker's staff. C/D…

This paper, one of the nine-booklet Teacher Quality Series, offers guidelines for educational leaders who have the responsibility of making policy to improve the school as an organization in which teaching and learning take place. Various organizational schemes that encourage staff to share understandings and techniques, help each other to…

Several conceptualizations and definitions of retirement have been proposed. One of them--the three-stage transition process--can be illustrated from studies in Israel: (1) leaving the old role; (2) going through the act of formal separation; and (3) adjusting to the new situation and role. Today's higher rate of survival into later years means…

This report develops a conceptual framework for considering policy options to improve access to Japanese and other foreign scientific and technical information. The rationales for and against a role for the federal government in accessing foreign technical information are detailed, and the stages in the process of information access are described.…

This paper describes Alaska's state-managed telecommunications system, and details state efforts to increase the value of the state's information system to users within state government and in the private sector. The results of two studies conducted in 1986 at the request of the State Legislature are discussed, i.e., a statewide survey of Alaskan…

Organizations and groups responsible for the bulk of the nation's adult basic skills provision are currently reaching an estimated 9-10 percent of the needy population. This represents an increase from the 7-8 percent reached in 1984. Adult Basic Education (ABE), the largest single program in the nation, has shown an overall growth in enrollment…