This monograph presents papers by ten experts on such problems as the dynamic tension between the Province and local school districts, the size and inflexibility of the circle of elites who influence policymaking in education, and whether or not participation in policymaking should be broadened. The papers included are (1) Peter J. Cistone,…

Several dilemmas have arisen as a consequence of the centralization of state decision-making, including areas of tension between state boards and institutions and between executive and legislative branches of government. It is suggested that these boards are ultimately in the best interest of the higher education community. In a period of…

The Arizona superintendent of instruction established five statewide committees of thirty persons each to identify and prioritize the educational needs of the state. Each of these committees was composed of representatives of one identifiable group--parents; persons in business, industry, and labor; teachers; school administrators; and local…

Three review formats are enclosed in this publication, along with two basic service checklists and a comprehensive program review guide. These formats were developed to serve as tools to be used locally by school district personnel and Boards of Education in the development of quality policies and procedures to serve homeless children and youth.…

This "Emergency Planning and Procedures Guide for Schools" is a complete revision of "Emergency/Disaster Preparedness: A Planning Guide for Schools," published in November, 1999. These materials are intended for use by Minnesota schools to help them develop emergency procedures and crisis management policies. It should be used…

Case studies of community opposition to school closure decisions in 65 school districts indicated the tendency for opposition to be greater in districts where planning was more comprehensive; in communities where incompabilities were perceived between the superintendent and the board of education; and in urban versus suburban and rural areas. (MJL)

The firing of the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia after a 20-year tenure and similar changes in other states have raised concerns that higher education policy boards face tightened political control. Some Virginia legislators feel the dismissal has left the council with little credibility, and substituted political…

This paper reports a 2-year study of education policy that sought to identify, describe, and analyze the essential building blocks of state-level education policy and to discover the factors responsible for creating differences among states in their use of these elements to construct an overall framework for school regulation and support. Sample…

A major component of the legislative function of the Board of Governors (BOG) of the California Community Colleges (CCC), as mandated in Assembly Bill 1725, is the adoption of an annual state and federal legislative program. This program formalizes the legislative thrust of the BOG and is intended to set forth systematic legislative and budgetary…

The rationale for conducting a community survey to obtain information on a specific problem or issue for local school board policy formation is illustrated in this case study. A survey mailed to 10 percent of all district households in a small midwestern city yielded a 31 percent response rate. Survey analysis was utilized by the school board to…

The major findings of a seminar on "Effective Schools," sponsored by the Seattle School Board and conducted in 1982, are presented in this report. In the first four sections, research on effective schools is broadly reviewed, and then a definition is offered: an effective school is one where all students master the basic skills, seek…

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION ARE INCREASINGLY VITAL ISSUES FOR COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND SUPERVISORS AND THEIR SCHOOL BOARDS. THIS DOCUMENT SUGGESTS GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVELY DEVELOPING A POSITIVE APPROACH TO THE RESOLUTION OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS IN THE DECISIONMAKING PROCESS SO THAT THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEARNING…

Findings of a 2 year field study of community school conflict suggest that episodic involvement and emphasis on economic issues are the result of inadequate institutional provisions for sustained participation, deficiencies in the mechanisms providing observability of issues and ineffective channels for the expression, and mediation of dissent.…

This paper reports on a study of governance at the State level and discusses the usefulness of projected study results. The authors discuss selection of (1) level of governance to be studied, major policy areas, and States for case studies; (2) the selection and development of the research framework; and (3) the development of the survey…

Recent abandonment of certain established criteria in Australia's system of resource allocation for higher education are discussed along with resulting effects. The criteria include: specific institutional needs, nondisruption of institutional activities, and recognition of institutional autonomy. (MSE)