In 2018 the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings launched a series of Real-time Scaling Labs (RTSL) to generate more evidence and provide practical recommendations on how to expand, deepen, and sustain the impact of education initiatives leading to transformative change in education systems, especially for the most disadvantaged…

What models of governance are effective in complex education systems? In all systems an increasing number of stakeholders are involved in designing, delivering, and monitoring education. Like our societies, education systems are increasingly diverse regarding students, teachers, and communities, as well as the values and identities we expect…

Educators today are challenged with the task of designing curricula and standards for students of varying abilities. While technology and innovation steadily improve classroom learning, teachers and administrators continue to struggle in developing the best methodologies and practices for students with disabilities. "Models for Effective…

This is the first report from an ongoing study of four urban school districts (New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and the District of Columbia) that are experimenting with new school designs and new ways of holding schools accountable for performance. This report introduces the idea of a "portfolio school district," and shows how some leading school…

Institutions that have organized and centralized their data enjoy an obvious advantage in grappling with strategic planning and other issues. As the drumbeat for accountability, planning, and demonstrating effectiveness to internal and external stakeholders intensifies, the stature and importance of institutional research offices on most campuses…

A recognition of pradigmatic diversity and the contribution of multiple paradigms to planning greatly enriches both theory and practice. This analysis groups planning definitions into two general models, associates both with hard and soft systems thinking, and examines conceptual roots. The interpretive/humanist paradigm often highlights…

A nine-step method for defining and pursuing key performance indicators (KPIs), derived from a strategic planning process, is outlined, and its applications at the University of Northern Colorado and Illinois Benedictine College are described and tabulated. A chart summarizes current and projected KPIs for Illinois Benedictine College for each…

National Institute of Education (NIE) staff members have developed a convening process characterized by collaborative meetings with experts to focus on specific problems of an educational organization. The process is intended to help combine research knowledge with practical experience in order to make informed decisions quickly. This document is…

An economic model for evaluating the cost performance of academic and administrative programs in higher education is described. Examples from its application at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis are used to illustrate how the model has been used to control costs and reengineer processes. (Author/MSE)

Intended for researchers, policy makers, and planners, the studies in this volume examine issues in communication policy and planning in developing nations. The five studies discuss the following: (1) the organizational and methodological aspects of communication planning, including structure and organization, methods and models; (2) the economics…

Some baseline information is offered in this study to help determine the ends to which the strategic planning processes are being put and the outcomes that are being pursued. A conceptual overview of planning models and the role of planners are presented. The complete study comprises a two-stage process of data collection. First, strategic plans…

This paper describes a methodology for helping institutional research assess its roles and its effectiveness in supporting decision-making at all institutional levels. The paper discusses how to meet this goal by planning, doing, checking, and acting. Planning requires the understanding of the roles of the data custodian, the broker, and the…

The value of microcomputer modeling tools and spreadsheets to help college institutional researchers analyze proposed capital projects is discussed, along with strengths and weaknesses of different software packages. Capital budgeting is the analysis that supports decisions about the allocation and commitment of funds to long-term capital…

This report discusses collaboration and cooperation in the field of education, describing them as distinctly different operational processes between either individuals or organizations, with each mode requiring different kinds of input and each yielding different sorts of returns. Based on these premises, the report attempts to briefly answer the…

The purpose of this bibliography is to help researchers and practitioners in higher education to locate relevant literature concerning the problem of linking planning with budgeting in the administration of higher education. Citations from the separate literature on planning and budgeting were selected according to how well they demonstrate the…