This article describes an innovative partnership between a state department of education, local school systems, and institutions of higher education aimed at increasing the number of effective teachers for high-poverty/ high-minority schools through collaborative partnerships, rigorous coursework, ongoing professional development, intensive…

The purpose of this guide is to assist school districts that might wish to form a consortium in understanding how to do so, how to decide which activities to undertake, and how to ensure success for the consortium. The ideas and suggestions contained in the guide come primarily from the 17 program improvement consortia in operation during the…

Examines the external change forces in the environment and their resultant impact on the internal structure and activities of an organization designed to jointly develop uses of computers and data processing techniques to facilitate the administrative, instruction, and research activities of member school districts. (Author/IRT)

Cooperative purchasing programs among school districts have grown rapidly in the past decade, but significant questions remain about the benefits and drawbacks of such programs. This document presents the results of a project sponsored by the Association of School Business Officials for the purpose of addressing these questions. Comprising…

This report describes and evaluates the Midwest Center/Satellite Consortium which was designed to initiate change in the pupil personnel services in urban schools. This consortium, through university and public school system cooperation, aimed to effect change within institutions while aiding pupil personnel workers to achieve a balance between…

A consortium of five school districts is formed to continue quality inservice with fewer funds through cooperation. (DCS)

Four small Connecticut school systems demographically different but similar in size have established a consortium to minimize the effects of declining enrollment by sharing their students, teachers, and resources. Despite such obstacles as scheduling and transportation costs, the consortium has generally proven successful. (JBM)

In spite of a diminishing amount of money available for educational research, a demand still exists for research and evaluation. This paper discusses how to initiate cooperative research between local education agencies and neighboring universities and educational labs and centers. First, the paper identifies problems in the development of…

Using interviews, observation, and archival documents, researchers traced the 4-year history of a "freestanding" interorganizational arrangement for school improvement in Santa Clara County (California). Called the "AB 65 Elementary Consortium," the interdistrict collaboration was started in response to California Assembly Bill…

States have had to budget increasing amounts for mandated pupil-transportation services as their state transportation aid has been slashed dramatically. Among school districts, cooperation and coordination through shared services (consortia) have resulted in safer, more reliable, and more efficient transportation. Implementation advice is…

This handbook reports on the use of consortia-appointed curriculum directors for meeting small, rural school districts' curriculum renewal needs. It is based on interviews with individuals involved with consortia in five Western U.S. case-study sites. Limited resources in rural schools often hinder curriculum-renewal efforts. If several districts…

Institutional research is viewed by many persons as the process of providing appropriate data for the purpose of making sound decisions. The major place for applying the principles of the discipline of institutional research has mostly been in institutions of higher learning and a few large metropolitan public school districts. It is proposed that…

A consortium was organized in 1977 to assist 16 school districts, covering 5,100 square miles and including 19,000 students in a largely rural part of Oregon, to comply with Public Law 94-142 which requires provision for appropriate public education for the estimated 12% of the school population who are handicapped. Problems making it difficult…

Partnerships is an Emporia State University program designed to strengthen university relationships with public schools in Kansas. It contains four strategies for offering services needed by public school practitioners: (1) providing leadership, research, and staff development assistance to formal school district consortia in the university's…

This second volume of a two-volume report of a New York State consortium for career education contains project performance and evaluation reports from five of seven component districts: Erie Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES); Orleans-Niagara BOCES; Rockland BOCES; three rural districts; and the Syracuse City School District.…