Results of changes to the planning process at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands are described. During the past years, government actions related to retrenchment prompted the Dutch universities to change their planning process in order to increase flexibility and to account for differences in quality. Two important procedures were…

In many respects higher education since 1968 has been or has been urged to be qualitatively different from higher education prior to that time. Concerns and misunderstandings over the nature and purposes of higher education are produced in part by the urged displacement of the primacy of rationality and cognition by the affective, experiential,…

The impact of a large in-migration of scientists and technicians on the educational policies of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, public school system from 1945 to 1965 was investigated for the purpose of analyzing the educational politics of a system related to an increasing tempo of demands for a more academic curriculum. A case study design which…

This study attempts to develop a decision framework to aid project directors in planning change under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Literature on change, the change process, decisions, and the decision process is reviewed and a framework within which to study planned change is constructed. Decision making, in the change…

Educational planning involves both the notions of ordering any unordered educational system and that of replanning an institutional and policy framework according to new criteria. Planning refers to that situation where there are relatively few or no constraints on the planning process from existing educational institutions or current policy…

The institutionalization of faculty development policy and activities is compared for Australia, Great Britain, the United States, West Germany, and Sweden. The factors that precipitated the trend in each country are examined, and it is concluded that the reward systems in each country favor faculty research performance over teaching. (Author/MSE)

The evolution of higher education's relationship with the state in Sri Lanka since 1921 is chronicled, focusing on the roles and changes of the state coordinating agencies, first the National Council of Higher Education and later the University Grants Commission. The issue of institutional autonomy throughout this history is also discussed. (MSE)

The Ontario Council of University Affairs was established to counsel the provincial government concerning higher education and to act as a buffer between institutions and government. However, with no statutory authority, its advice has been largely ignored or rejected. A 1983 commission to rectify the situation has not succeeded. (MSE)

While the university systems of many countries owe their foundation and strategies to the British model, the coordinating agencies have been thought out more systematically and in some countries show significant variation in their roles. Their futures will depend on academics' firm judgment and willingness to stand up to government. (MSE)

Educators are under increasing pressure from policymakers and the public to demonstrate that educational resources are used in appropriate ways. This demand, coupled with an environment of increased standards and shrinking budgets, is a major challenge to rural, small, and low-income schools. This digest reviews contemporary research on resource…

For fiscal year 1999, President Clinton is requesting $31.2 billion in discretionary budget authority for the U.S. Department of Education, an increase of $1.7 billion over the 1998 level. The budget is broken down into seven program areas: elementary and secondary education, bilingual and immigrant education, special education and rehabilitative…

This report examines Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Annenberg Challenge, Children Achieving, a districtwide systemic reform initiative designed and led by a small core group of district officials and external partners. It was organized around eight core strategies (fair funding, standards, accountability, decentralization, leadership and support for…

This report follows closely on the footsteps of the previous 7 editions published by American Legislative Exchange Council in presenting the basic facts about public elementary and secondary education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report contains more than 90 tables and 25 figures that display, in various ways, more than 100…

To function well, every system has to fully understand and manage its resources. Mapping is a first step toward enhancing essential understanding, and done properly, it is a major intervention in the process of moving forward with enhancing systemic effectiveness. In schools and community agencies, there is redundancy stemming from ill-conceived…

The evolution of management information systems in higher education is traced, with contributing factors noted. Benefits are summarized and shortcomings are discussed with emphasis on their limitations as the basis for resource allocation during an era of budgetary stringency. (Author/JMD)