In this paper we present selected findings from a 2 year study system-wide study of the province of Alberta's Public Charter School System-some sixteen years into its existence. In 1994, Alberta Minister of Education Halvar C. Jonson introduced Bill 19, the School Amendment Act for the establishment of Canada's first charter schools as autonomous…

This study explored how teachers and school administrators connect large-scale assessment results with school improvement planning. Using a semi-structured format, 20 teachers and 18 administrators were interviewed from two school districts in southern Ontario, Canada. The interview protocol contained a range of questions related to teaching and…

Local management of schools, parental choice, and accountability were crucial themes of Great Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act. Central government's belief in market forces as the key to sustained systemwide school improvement was further supported by the 1993 Education Act, which increased the variety of school offerings for parental choice by…

The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) is a province-wide partnership program whose goal is to improve student learning and performance by fostering initiatives that reflect the unique needs and circumstances of each school authority. It is currently ending its third cycle and ninth year of implementation. "The Colloquium on…

This paper examines the relocation of Athabasca University, an open-access, distance education institution, from Edmonton to Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, and the effect of that move on the library. Factors that helped make the move successful are discussed, including the 5-year institutional planning process; a government grant for the purchase of…

Within most institutions of higher learning, the typical approach to the integration of new information and communications technologies into the teaching and learning process has involved a heavy reliance on early adopters. This path of least resistance approach has provided organizations with the opportunity to quickly claim a presence in the…

The history of a higher education demand assessment program in Manitoba is outlined, beginning with a sharp dip in enrollment in 1970. A three-year project was begun with three snapshot surveys of grade 12 decision-making in February, May, and June. The second year involved two snapshots, and the third used only one. During this time, attitudes…

In collaboration with teachers, teacher librarians have a positive impact on student achievement in content areas, information literacy, and reading motivation and ability. Current professional issues of teacher librarians include role clarification, appropriate preservice education, standards for student information literacy, articulation of…

This paper discusses the development of educational planning processes in Canada. The first of the three topics addressed is change in eight characteristics of planning between 1956 and 1986: (1) the locus of planning, (2) the vehicle for planning, (3) the educational level on which planning focused, (4) the scope of planning, (5) the time frame…

The timing and nature of the process of retirement for self-employed individuals were investigated. Subjects were 25 farm couples and 24 non-farm couples, all residing in rural Alberta, Canada. Both groups were matched on age, income, and education. Findings support the existence of a retirement process with a developmental sequence beginning at…

This study examines the changed and changing mission of community colleges in the 1990s in the United States and Canada. By narrowing the focus to the geographical area of the Pacific/ Western region, the study seeks to identify the development of international cultural connections consistent with the region and to explain how the globalization…

A review of counseling services within Alberta Career Development and Employment is presented in this document. Strategic issues were identified, most of which occur in other vocational counseling organizations. The issues include: (1) adapting to organizational changes; (2) increasing linkages between counseling services; (3) re-defining…

A rationale is offered for the use of communication satellites, which would provide a means for transcending the difficulties of distance, for the formation of academic constellations to conduct courses, coordinate cooperative research activities, and conduct academic business. One means of instituting satellite usage would be the formation of…

This study examined the role of faculty participation on strategic change within higher education. An open-ended questionnaire was completed by seven individuals from Singapore and the United States who had had experience with higher education strategic planning and change as both faculty and administrators in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the…

The Career-Life Planning Model for First Nations People (1997) was created by Drs. Rod McCormick and Norm Admundson to address the need for more culturally sensitive career planning with First Nations people. The most unique thing about this model is the inclusion of many cultural practices, such as: opening and closing prayers, the invitation to…