Phasing out ineffective programs may free up resources for more effective alternatives and improve student outcomes. This review of the literature on the de-implementation process in schools includes a practical guide that can be used to ensure students receive the most effective services available. This framework can be applied to illustrate how…

This historical study chronicles the creation, development, and termination of the Midwestern Conference on School Vocal and Instrumental Music, hosted by the University of Michigan between 1946 and 2005. Beginning as a band music reading session led by William Revelli in 1936, the conference developed into a premier professional workshop by the…

The authors of this memo to President-elect Barack Obama state that many in Congress are now proposing that the federal government intervene to address a range of problems in education by creating new programs and federal subsidies, including public school infrastructure and construction, funding for runaway college tuition costs, and the costs of…

A discussion of college and university retrenchment based on interviews with 40 faculty and 20 administrators at 2 research universities looks at programs threatened with termination as terrains contested among academic fields, where wide divergences in professional/discipline-based power become evident. Results appeared to have less to do with…

Most public schools, out of financial necessity, have had to reduce costs while maintaining facilities and essential programs and remaining accountable for student outcomes. School downsizing can mean making painful decisions about program elimination and staff layoffs. This digest offers suggestions for using downsizing to some…

Describes recent efforts to combat the downward spiral of music programs in American schools. Increasing enrollments in arts education coupled with financial downsizing have spurred music educators and concerned constituents to fight for inclusion of fine arts programs in school curricula. (LMI)

Five years ago the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) launched a revolution in our education system by insisting that all students should be proficient in reading and math by 2014 and demanding comprehensive reforms to reach this national goal, including strong assessment and accountability systems, a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, more…

This article argues that the field of gifted and talented education is entering a period of intense change in ability identification, programs, teachers, classrom practices, funding, and terminology. Three questions are posed: "What changes within the field herald a reconceptualization?"; "How does the current transformation differ from previous…

Diplomacy and political sophistication are as important as sound data and thorough review in the faculty layoff process. Distinguishing characteristics of institutions and departments affected by retrenchment and reasons for retrenchment are discussed, along with institutional research policies needed regarding release of data. (Author/LB)

This Policy Research Brief summarizes longitudinal national statistics on the number and characteristics of persons with mental retardation and related conditions living in state institutions, their movement into and out of those institutions, the costs of state institutions, and the growing numbers of closures of these institutions. Findings are…

This report examines the Perkins Student Loan Program, and in particular, the weaknesses in the Department of Education's policies, procedures, and practices for recovering Perkins loan fund assets from schools that go out of business. The report reveals that when schools in the Perkins Student Loan Program close, the Department of Education…

This paper focuses upon a variety of curriculum related issues that have potential legal connotations, such as whether the college bulletin forms a contract, whether advertisements can be considered contracts, and determining the appropriateness of student discipline for academic and other reasons. Presented first is a brief overview of contract…

Planning issues for colleges seeking to maintain quality in institutional programs in the face of retrenchment are analyzed, based on a literature review. An extensive bibliography on the following topics is provided: quality (ratings, rankings, reform, institutional goals, and educational outcomes); retrenchment (enrollment decline, faculty,…

This paper considers implications of the findings of the Texas Performance Review concerning mental retardation services, in light of decreasing numbers of students at state schools and budgetary restraints on major investments in both institutional operations and community service programs. The paper concludes that Texas should consider closing…

Most administrators approach program reduction as a budget issue; in reality, it is a governance and planning issue of major importance for the 1980s. Steps in a planning process for program discontinuance (including pitfalls) are described, based on a national study supported by the Exxon Foundation. (Author/LB)