In a rapidly changing context, US institutions of higher education are struggling amidst myriad pressures related, for example, to funding, accountability, standardisation and technology. In particular, pressures on 'progressive' or non-traditional colleges are immense. These schools, which have historically emphasised individualised,…

Reexamination of change management strategies has recently come under direct scrutiny in both the realm of the academic and the professional due to the significant shift of brick-and-mortar institutions to virtual organizational structures. As such, the examination of the management of change requires direct inquiry into several defining factors:…

Chinese vocational colleges are being compromised because the central government is moving more of its educational resources to the top-tier universities. Although vocational college enrollments have slowed in the increasingly high-tech eastern provinces, colleges in the western part of the country are poised for increased enrollments to address…

In 2011 England's career guidance profession lost its "own" public service organisation and its former dedicated stream of public funding. The immediate causes lay in decisions by the government of the day, but this article revisits the profession's history to seek explanations for its later vulnerability. It is argued that decisions…

Between 1970 and 1990 enrolment in Newfoundland and Labrador schools dropped by 22 percent. The first wave of major educational reform (1990 to 2000) saw massive reductions in public school expenditures and the reduction of more than 1650 teachers. Facing continued enrolment loss and a large current account deficit, in 2004, government again…

Ontario Roman Catholic communities have established and maintained their own schools for over 200 years. Yet, their struggle for survival has not come without many challenges, setbacks, and criticisms. With the achievement of open-access at the secondary level and equal funding across the system, many question the legitimacy and worthiness of…

In January 2010, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) identified Central Falls High School (CFHS) as one of the state's persistently lowest-achieving schools. The Central Falls School District (CFSD) and the Central Falls Teachers Union (CFTU) considered the transformation model but could not come to an agreement initially around…

This paper reviews 25 years of research on small rural schools in England, in a period of unprecedented educational reform, and shift in government policy on small schools from persistent threat of closure through a period of a centrally funded "presumption against closure" in the early 2000s. It notes a dearth of funded or peer-reviewed…

Catholic schools' improved fortunes stem mostly from socioeconomic changes beginning in the 1970s and their role in the national debate over educational quality. A study assessing the state of Catholic education shows that Catholic common schools are becoming a system of proprietary schools that educate growing numbers of non-Catholic children…

Compares a 1970s-era Canadian high school's failure to sustain its innovative character with challenges faced by a similar, recently founded high school. Both schools experienced problems with leadership succession, staff recruitment and retention, expanding enrollments, district and policy context, and community support. Recommendations are…

The only way schools will survive while preparing students for a new age is to become learning organizations that involve all participants in the improvement process. This article outlines major global revolutions that will shape students' lives, discusses students' three basic learning needs, and raises questions about developing learning…

The authors propose that the present system of medical education has not kept pace with changes in medical services and financing and is contributing to high health care costs. Academic medical centers are urged to assume a leadership role in finding solutions to problems in medical education and health care reform. (Author/MSE)

The "postindustrial" environment for higher education, with shrinking revenues and enrollments and increasing competition, demands that all colleges and universities become more integrated organizations. Planning can be a powerful instrument for achieving better integration in highly differentiated academic organizations, and good organizational…

An examination of trends in undergraduate liberal arts degrees and curricula reports two findings: (1) renewed interest in the liberal arts degree has occurred primarily outside liberal arts colleges, within universities; and (2) the struggle for institutional survival has caused some colleges to scale back or abandon their original missions. (MSE)

It is proposed that fiscal, technological, and societal pressures on higher education around the world require new administrative approaches and faculty-administrative collaboration to ensure institutional stability, even survival. Recommended techniques are outlined. Notes on government policies for higher education in Australia, Sweden, and the…