This document contains proceedings of a conference that fostered discussion on how low-performing schools become successful. Principal speakers were Michael Cohen, Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, who spoke about the demand for increased performance and high standards; Dennis Parker,…

Obstacles to the reform of British higher education include central government ineffectiveness, internal institutional policies, the tradition of institutional autonomy, diffusion of power, strong conservative political ties within the faculty, and economic recession. Reform of higher education is impossible without reform of the entire…

Critical forces affecting dental education in general, and the connection between science and practice in particular include shifts in patterns of oral disease; changes in the backgrounds of students entering the dental profession; public skepticism and funding; the response of the dental community to several recent major reports; and managed…

In "Board of Education of Boone County v. Bushee," the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld school site councils' power and autonomy in a dispute involving a school improvement plan. Implications of "Bushee" are enormous. School-based decision making presents school business administrators with brave new challenges and increased…

Discusses teacher education reform and development during the Chinese Reform Era since 1978, and explains why it is so difficult to implement reforms in China. The author focuses on preservice teacher education provided at teachers' colleges or normal universities and the shift of China's resources and attention away from teacher preparation. (GR)

Examines the preservice teacher education role of professional development schools in the context of school-university partnerships. The necessary joining of K-12 and university cultures raises numerous problems, including dealing with cultural clash and schools of education, sustaining leadership and commitment, providing adequate resources,…

Reviews recent research exploring the relationship between school inputs and student outcomes, focusing on the work of Ronald F. Ferguson (1991). Ferguson's research provides new information about what school inputs are important in predicting outcomes, and where expenditures are most likely to improve student performance. (SLD)

In England, vast amounts of energy are being spent on changing organizational structures and school financing systems to produce a market accountability on the schools. Raises a series of questions that should be considered in restructuring efforts in the United States. (MLF)

Advocates the formulation of an information systems strategy for higher education in light of trends affecting the information age, including globalization, networking, restructuring, pluralism, and automation. Management strategies of leadership, responsibility, organization, and funding are discussed; and implications for instruction, outreach,…

Includes excerpts from a 1986 report on educational funding for different provincial and local school systems in China. Asserts that many local governments have been able to improve school buildings and teacher training. Concludes with five suggestions for increasing educational funding at the local level. (CFR)

Explored the relationships among technology, reform, and equality through quantitative studies at an elite private school and an impoverished public school. Although reforms appeared similar, underlying differences in resources and expectations reinforced patterns by which the two schools channel students into different futures. (Author/SLD)

Discussion of the reorganization of the national higher education system by the Australian government focuses on a questionnaire distributed to university librarians that examined quality assurance processes and management. Topics include quality indicators and libraries; methodologies, including Total Quality Management; allocation of quality…

Malcolm Baldrige Awards has established a framework of operations in order to encourage accountability, transparent decision making, and optimal use of available resources. In 2001, the University of Wisconsin at Stout was the first higher educational institute to receive this award. Their operation has been prioritized into the factors of:…

Even with all the external elements of school reform in place, educators can end up spinning their wheels. To make progress, schools must identify the nonnegotiable key elements of their reform plans and use the habits of highly effective schools to turn them into school practice. These habits are: (1) demonstrate high expectations and a vision…

The challenges of meeting the needs of diverse students have long been recognized in higher education. As many institutions wrestle with austere budgets, however, diversity programs are struggling to maintain their effectiveness amidst financial rescissions. This climate of austerity coincides with demographic predictions for an increasingly…