Policymakers and researchers often talk about "autonomous schools" as if there's a single, agreed-upon definition of what that means. In reality, there's no standard design for autonomous school policies, and school autonomy can mean a lot of different things. The policies that states have enacted vary widely in terms of their goals, the…

Policymakers and researchers often talk about "autonomous schools" as if there's a single, agreed-upon definition of what that means. In reality, there's no standard design for autonomous school policies, and school autonomy can mean a lot of different things. The policies that states have enacted vary widely in terms of their goals, the…

This report provides six mini-case studies of higher education policy reforms enacted in other states, exploring the important role that state policy leadership played in developing, promoting, and implementing these policies aimed at improving higher education outcomes, and discussing the relevance of each reform effort for California. This…

Charter schools have been studied from numerous perspectives. One topic that remains under-researched, however, is charter school leadership. Therefore, we examine how charter administrators define their leadership roles and their ability to lead. Results indicate that charter principals see three primary functions in their leadership--building…

In support of a legislative examination of the governance, role, and mission of Colorado's institutions of higher education, this paper presents the position of the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges on postsecondary coordination and governance. Of the several approaches toward statewide coordination or governance that have been attempted…

Policy changes in state higher education since the early 1980s are described. For each innovation, the problem and impetus for change are described, as well as the results. Contact persons and some publications are identified. While two states addressed both quality and flexibility in fiscal reform, 13 states had incremental reforms addressing…

The 27-member Blue Ribbon Community College Study Commission, representing a variety of groups within the educational community, assessed the effects of the statutes, goals, policies, and practices under which Colorado community colleges have operated with the purpose of recommending needed changes with respect to the following ten years. Through…

A panel presentation and discussion of the effect of politics on the elected governing boards of the public higher education institutions in Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, and Nevada, especially in relation to board election procedures and the state system's complexity, is summarized. (MSE)

The traditional governance culture in which most school boards function contributes to role confusion. Most board policies focus more on operational concerns than on governance. Several Colorado boards have applied John Carver's Policy Governance model to define their parameters. A sidebar summarizes (positive) results of two superintendency…

Four articles on changing governance patterns of state colleges and universities are presented. In "State Control vs. Campus Autonomy: A Struggle for Balance," Donald E. Walters discusses the distribution of power in Illinois'"system of systems" governance structure. In Illinois several multi-campus university systems coexist;…