This paper presents composite indicators of the institutional and policy characteristics of educational systems, collated from the questionnaire responses of 26 Member countries. These indicators provide an overview of the institutional framework in the primary and secondary education sector and are constructed so as to be used for the analysis of…

Despite being central to government education policy in many countries, there remains considerable debate about whether resources matter for pupil outcomes. In this paper we look at this question by considering an English education policy initiative--Excellence in Cities--which has been a flagship policy aimed at raising standards in inner-city…

This booklet explains the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) for universities in the United Kingdom receiving public funds and outlines how it works. It also includes some facts and figures and sources of further information. The RAE, which operates through a process of peer review by experts, is designed to provide ratings of the quality of…

Concludes an earlier article analyzing how four British secondary schools' implemented a rational approach to resource management. Findings suggest a continuum between systems-based and integrative-culture forms of school-development planning and resource allocation. Integrative-culture schools with strongly shared values and flexible approaches…

Reviews, from a management accountant and funding council chief executive's perspective, relationship among (British) funding council models for competitive funding of higher education institutions, resource management, and quality assessments of teaching and learning. Posits a constrained funding environment for the rest of the 1990s. Concludes…

A discussion of the current economics of the United Kingdom's higher education system outlines conceptual models used by economists for evaluating a system's efficiency and applies them to assess the effect of recent funding changes. It is concluded that increased emphasis on research is adversely affecting university teaching quality. (MSE)

More than one billion people do not have access to an adequate water supply. In Gambia and Haiti, people live on less than 4 liters of water per day. By contrast, most toilets in the West use several times that amount of water for a single flush. The global distribution of water is making it increasingly difficult for poor people to access it, and…

A key issue in educational administration in England at present is the interrelationship between professional responsibility and public acceptability, and between professional responsibility and political control. These papers show how the conference focused on this issue and the question, Should the education service in the future continue as an…

Results of a recently implemented British rating scale for universities are analyzed to obtain a multidimensional picture of the government funding agency's perceived research rankings of the institutions. The analytical method and results are discussed. (MSE)

Reports results of a 1990 survey of 33 British university libraries regarding current funding patterns. Following a discussion of recent political and funding trends in higher education and major issues facing university libraries, data are provided on student enrollment, number of academic staff, payroll and nonpayroll budgets, and acquisitions…

Reviews the impact of local-management-of-schools funding formulae on schools of different size. Examines the ways that over 80 local education authorities (LEAs) have defined formulae to protect their small schools and reports the effect of the change to formula funding from 27 LEAs to describe the pattern of "winning" and…

For several years, small primary schools in England and Wales have been threatened with closure because of feasibility and educational quality concerns. This article argues that school effectiveness depends not on size or age distribution, but on teaching methods, curriculum and staff organization, resource availability, collegial interaction, and…

The creation of "Higher Education Corporations" in the United Kingdom is discussed within the context of what one Polytechnic has done in creating a Decision Support System to address the problems found in resource management, cost control, and competitive bidding. A summarization is included of the actions taken by the Polytechnic in…

Estimates the rates of return to overeducation in the United Kingdom, using the 1991 British Household Panel Survey. Describes three approaches to analyzing skill utilization and their returns. Analyzes characteristics of the overeducated and undereducated work force. Overeducation is part of an adjustment in the labor market and tends to…

Describes the development of quantity surveying as a third level discipline and the role of professional bodies in determining its cultural orientation. The article examines the conflict between professional standards and market forces and concludes that the contract on offer to surveying students commits them to a monocultural world view. (33…