Immigrant community college presidents are working to ensure the unpleasant, even frightening experiences of their younger years are not replicated among the current student body. Immigrant leaders interviewed by "Community College Journal"--Dr. Steady Moono, president of SUNY Schenectady County Community College; Dr. Lin Zhou, president…

While this article is not about women's colleges or exclusively women presidents, the author notes, it is women's colleges that have experienced the greatest challenges, due primarily to financial constraints and competition. As operational costs escalated and choices for students increased, many small struggling colleges with little or no…

This article shares reflections in the rearview mirror of a departing board chair. The author has served seven years as board chair of Redwood Day School (California). As he departs, he figures out a few things that might be worth sharing. The author shares his responses to some Frequently Unasked Questions.

The 2005-6 executive compensation controversy at the University of California has been explained as the result of a massive breach of compliance with the University's compensation policies by the Office of the President (UCOP). For more than a decade, the explanation goes, UCOP failed to comply with its own compensation policies, embodied in the…

Takeover artists are a rare breed. Persons hired to put bankrupt school systems back on the road to academic solvency need stamina, clout, and plenty of experience. For all their state-given powers, takeover superintendents must identify key constituencies, build bridges, and promote belief in change from within. (MLH)

This monograph, dealing with some current issues in educational administration, points out some of the dilemmas and problems that accompany the educational changes that administrators face. The papers included in the publication outline important challenges with which educational leaders must cope, such as changing public policy and concomitant…

Given the entrenchment of professional dominance and the decrease in lay influence, the establishment of School Site Councils in California will probably not radically alter the structure of educational governance. The author suggests that if professional power continues to grow unchecked, it will pose a threat to democratic principles. (Author/WD)

This position paper of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges begins by examining the philosophy behind different structures in an academic institution. This discussion leads to a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of "chairs" within that structure and how they might be fulfilled by department chairs, division…

The chancellor of the California community college system has begun a controversial effort to achieve higher academic standards through governance reform. (MSE)

Legislation in the State of California has mandated bilingual programs. They must be included by administrators developing mainstream curricula for California schools. Not all program administrators have complied with this legislation. Legal requirements for bilingual programs have raised philosophical, legal and teacher morale problems for…

When the author became the principal of Citrus Middle School in 1998, it was the lowest performing school in the district. Students from Citrus were viewed as largely under-prepared, often read below grade level, had high drop-out rates, and were responsible for a significant amount of the gang activity on the school campus. She was also told that…

As an adjunct to the California State Board of Education's 1983 report, "Raising Expectations: Model Graduation Requirements," this paper presents legislative and administrative recommendations on teacher quality and on the principal's role. The State Board's Master Plan Committee, which also produced "Raising Expectations,"…

Growing conservatism, dwindling resources, and the increased diversity of students require that the California community colleges develop a plan to meet the challenges of the future. First, efforts must be made to ameliorate the current crisis in educational leadership caused by excessive concern with quantitative management techniques, reporting…

This report examines political conflict in decision making in three public schools, and describes how the Teacher Participation Project (TPP), which was implemented in two of the schools, sought to minimize such conflict by institutionalizing local governance structures for teachers. The report consists of two parts. Part I investigates various…