Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to invite educational managers and management educators to reflect critically on practice. Design/methodology/approach: Using the point of Socrates' death, the paper suggests ways of reflecting on actions using ethically-critical, socially-critical, environmentally-critical, politically-critical and…

According to this author, "unchecked capitalism is destroying the nation's public schools, and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the final nail in their coffin." He argues that, marching under the banner of "accountability," right-wing, pro-business forces are willfully undermining the democratic right of all children to a free,…

The author of this article states that, for more than 20 years, public educators have developed a professional inferiority complex and a strong sense of hopelessness. After all, he claims, the dominant message over those years, including from some within the profession, has been that educators have caused the declining quality in public schools.…

In their popular explanation of No Child Left Behind, journalists and other public voices claim that unruly and inefficient public schools are being brought under the control of effective central authorities by scientific, test-driven accountability. Other popular themes of reform in media include mayoral control of schools, non-educators as…

Argues that educational outcomes are a function of educational processes, and that outcomes evaluation expands upon process evaluation. Reviews literature linking outcomes to process. Concludes that outcome evaluation can improve educational process when attention is paid to the process leading to the desired outcome. (AYC)

This paper considers some of the similarities and differences between education and business in view of the fact that there are many who advocate that the public schools follow a business model in their operations. Salaries of executives in education, and superintendents in particular, tend to be lower than those of business executives, and their…

A step-by-step method can determine whether training programs match the training needs as expressed by rated objectives. Trainers calculate the time devoted to each objective while the program users rate the importance of each objective. The match between importance and time is a measure of program efficiency. (LRA)

Australian higher education has an elitist disregard for the needs, interests, and concerns of the rest of society, and operates under a system that is inherently unaccountable in any democratic sense. Dawkinism does little to change this, and the academic community appears unable or unwilling to question the status quo. (MSE)

Discusses the obstacles and opportunities that school counselors face in attempting to conduct research in the public schools. Suggests that engaging in research and program evaluation may necessitate restructuring the goals of the guidance program, altering the priority of counselors' tasks, and modifying the expectations of various groups within…

This statement responds to the need for all higher education leaders to consider the perspectives of external voices while resisting purely political or ideological agendas. Long-standing and recent external challenges to the traditions of citizen governing boards of colleges and universities make it necessary to distinguish between broad, often…

States that central to any efforts to improve urban schools is the relationship between the school managers and the teachers' union. Recommendations include creating learner-centered schools; focusing on improving the knowledge and skills of teachers; negotiating "Living Contracts"; and expanding school choice by making public schools…

This article examines the total quality management (TQM) concept as it is applied to higher education campus facilities. Each of the fundamental principles of TQM are examined as follows: customer-centered orientation; leadership; improved communication; continuous improvement; accountability; and quality of life. (GLR)

Discusses an assessment program in the geography department of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Describes the development of a senior proficiency examination. Suggests that the assessment process include development of meaningful curricular goals and strategies for implementation. Breaks the project down into phases: the search for funding,…

Legal ethics scholarship should abandon the debate between the "hired-gun" and "moral-activist" approaches to legal ethics. Many pressing issues can not be resolved through either approach. These critics have not brought us closer to a shared understanding of moral accountability for lawyers, or of what values should activate…

The Internet has become a powerful force in transforming organizations in both private and public sectors, including public education. Some educational reformers now view virtual schools, in which the majority of course content is delivered online, as a viable alternative and innovative means of educating K-12 students. As of September 2007, 42…