In the essay, "The logic of convergence and uniformity in teacher production", Loomis et al. advocate that teachers are experiencing a shift from individualistic programs that prepare them toward uniform, common teacher preparation resulting from top-down agenda-setting and mandated regulations. In their theoretical stance, the knowledge…

The distinctive quality of a college is not readily discernible and its identification requires long-term, intensive study. Some common features that help to analyze the character of an institution were discovered in a study of historical developments which occurred during a 40 to 50-year period at 3 colleges (Antioch, Reed, and Swarthmore).…

Presents a rationale for the need to investigate the environments of educational organizations, presents ideas and reviews research on the nature and effectiveness of organizational environments and linkages, and outlines implications for educational policy formulation and policy implementation. (Author/IRT)

This article reports findings related to race, ethnicity and institutional type from a more extensive study on the perceptions of South African academics on academic workload. An attempt in a South African university department to distribute workload fairly indicated this task involved personal and sensitive concerns, which often had to do with…

Curriculum initiation in public vocational programs in Wisconsin is an unstructured procedure, is conducted from an inadequate data base and with little or no involvement of local advisory committees. Improved procedures are recommended for the purpose of facilitating curricular relevance to rapidly changing occupational needs. Data collection was…

In this article, the authors reply to the arguments of Professors Nagel and Ladwig on the article "The logic of convergence and uniformity in teacher production". Professor Ladwig's review of their article is particularly valuable in two respects. First, it highlights the need for an institutional level of analysis to explain fully and…

Universities that have been successful in providing computing-intensive environments for their user communities have done so by setting up campuswide task forces on computing strategies. In this report, the principal investigator recommends that a task force on constructing humane computing environments at the Ontario Institute for Studies in…

Higher education in Australia and the Netherlands illustrates two international trends: restructuring toward systems of fewer, larger institutions; and government tendencies to continue setting broad policies while decentralizing other responsibilities to institutions. Success in restructuring is attributed to the interaction of public policy and…

This paper discusses teacher education, institutional growth and the economy of information. It compares the sector of teacher education with global markets, described by Thomas Friedman in his book "The world is flat", as emerging and "flattening" in light of rapid technological and communication advances. The institutional…

Suggests rules that satisfy moral leadership requirements for boarding schools and the students that attend them. (RK)

During 1960-95, unplanned and uncontrolled educational expansion in Nigeria, coupled with a population explosion, military coups, and a depressed economy, created an environment of crisis in the educational system. Problems included poor funding; inadequate facilities; corruption in admissions, certification, and examination practices; emergence…

This study examined the adaptation of institutions of higher education in the United States and Europe to changing socioeconomic factors and proposed a theory of adaptation in higher education which stresses the need for new forms of governance, management, and leadership structures. The study analyzed six university structures, each with a…

Interviews with nine principals of Hong Kong schools found that faced with uncertainties arising from Hong Kong's political transition, principals were somewhat confident about coping with changes in curricula and school management but felt less control over broader changes in access and opportunity following the expected influx of teachers and…

Examines factors currently affecting the viability of small elementary schools (90 students or less) in England and Wales. While centralization of educational control since 1988 has worsened the educational and economic environment for small schools, locally based support strategies (interschool cooperation, anti-closure campaigns, voluntary fund…

The challenges facing urban elementary and secondary schools are like those facing suburban and rural schools, but there are complex circumstances that complicate efforts by urban school systems to carry out their mission. Schools in the cities have more students from impoverished homes, more foreign-born or minority group students, and more…