A study was conducted to compare the job expectations of community college trustees in California before they were first elected or appointed with their perceptions of the realities of trustee service. Questionnaires were sent to the chief executive officers at each community college district in the state for distribution to the trustees. Study…

A description is provided of a conference session that was conducted to explore the structure and function of an environmental scanning/forecasting system that could be used in a community college to facilitate planning. Introductory comments argue that a college that establishes an environmental scanning and forecasting system is able to identify…

The National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) recommends a nine-item agenda for reform of the preparation of educational administrators. The agenda addresses reform issues in the areas of people, programs, and assessment. In addition to describing the agenda, this document: (1) depicts the problems to which the agenda is…

A primer on strategic planning related to institutional self-studies and attempts at assessment is outlined. The refinement of a strategic plan and the preparation for continued accreditation are major events in an institution's life, but the two processes are too often kept separate. Strategic planning requires that an institution know who it is;…

Statutory changes affecting postsecondary education enacted during the 1987-88 California legislative session are summarized, along with legislation adopted by the legislature in 1988 and vetoed by the Governor. Some important changes include the following on financial aid, fees, public school issues, and postsecondary issues: (1) the mandatory…

A comparison is made between two broad strategies for instituting reform in secondary schools: the bottom-up, process-oriented approach typified by the California School Improvement Program and the top-down content-oriented approach typified by the more recent reform effort in California, the School Reform approach. The comparison was made in…

Information about current policy issues and relationships Between state governments and higher education is presented, with focus on the conceptual issue of accountability and autonomy. The relationship between state governments and colleges is continually evolving. Four sections cover the following: (1) leadership in higher education (the…

This monograph explores the implicit and explicit public policy issues inherent in the debate over who is responsible for teacher certification and standards. A question is raised on the process to be used in making key decisions about the content of teacher education programs and entry into teaching. The issue of whether state agencies will…

Connections between the international exchange of persons and the larger system for the exchange of knowledge are discussed, along with the use of policy-relevant knowledge. Two examples of knowledge exchange are considered: (1) judgments about quality in higher education policy in Britain and the United States; and (2) the construction of new…

This report contains specific recommendations from the Commission on Teacher Salaries and Incentives for the State of Maryland. It is recommended that salary levels for teachers should be comparable to those of other professions and there should be greater equity of salary levels among the 24 jurisdictions in the state. In delineating incentives…

A committee reviewed existing certification requirements for vocational education teacher coordinators in Maryland and proposed a set of changes in the current certification system. The recommendations were developed after a review of the related literature, a 50-state survey to identify current certification practices, solicitation of expert…

A questionnaire was sent to all 256 public school districts in the State of Oregon, requesting information on policies towards students or personnel with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The survey was designed to see if districts had either a written or unwritten policy specifically designed to deal with AIDS. Responses indicated that…

An overview of the development of educational policy in Kiribati, a Pacific island nation, is presented in this paper. The decade of the 1970s was a period of tension between educators, economists, planners, parents, and politicians. These sectors interacted in shaping educational policy regarding government's financial responsibility for primary…

Over 200 news items, journal articles, position papers, and other citations concerning the issue of English as the official language of the United States are included in this bibliography. While information on state and federal legislative efforts is presented, testimony of congressional hearings is kept to a minimum, as are unpublished…

The politics of federal support for education is discussed, with attention to education policy formation and current themes and future directions for education policy that may flow from legislative history. The analysis is based on personal experiences as a U.S. Representative for over two decades and as president of America's largest private…