Education, an obsessive concern in most industrialized countries, has undeniable benefits. However, most reform efforts are divided between boosting an increasingly worn institutional infrastructure and hyping untested high-tech strategies. This article examines major challenges and avenues (such as deschooling) for reinventing whole systems of…

Various strategies used by state policymakers to influence small school districts are discussed. Incentives can be used to help small districts survive or encourage them to reorganize or consolidate. Disincentives, or "the stick," can withhold funding from small districts or establish impossible goals, resulting in consolidation while…

For years, researchers have forecast the increasing diversification of students in higher education as a result of changing demographics and a variety of other social and economic shifts. The diverse elements of today's student body include differing age, gender, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and increasing numbers of differently able and…

The radical restructuring of Alaska's public higher education system brought on by the state's 1986 economic collapse is discussed. The plan called for a merger of 11 community colleges with three universities into three multi-campus institutions. It realigned statewide programs in vocational technical education, fisheries and ocean sciences,…

This article offers responses from Joyce V. Johnstone and Kevin M. Hanbury to the article "Urban revitalization: A case study of one Catholic elementary school's journey," by R. F. Owens. Johnstone mentions that the Owens article tells the story of one school in Chicago. Although the study itself may not be highly generalizable, it is…

Oral Roberts University is facing a crisis in credibility because of mismanagement and scandal, and financial support of the university and the many related enterprises has dropped drastically. Financial problems and a declining reputation have caused the departure of some faculty and students. (MSE)

Reflects on the declining quality of higher education today, the increasing inability of higher education to meet student needs, and the ways in which demographic influences will affect higher education in the next 16 years. Offers seven suggestions for leaders of higher education in dealing with these concerns. (IW)

This study examines the relationship between school consolidation and district transportation costs, effects on instructional expenditures, and institutional factors supporting consolidation. Data on actual student transportation costs across the United States indicate that despite widespread school and school district consolidation,…

Problems and controversies involving public black colleges are reported in the context of the recent Supreme Court decision suggesting states should merge historically black colleges with geographically close, predominantly white institutions. In some cases white political leaders are blamed for potential closures of vulnerable institutions.…

Summarizes the most important economic factors that have had an impact upon kindergartens in Kazakhstan in recent years. Provides city-specific data detailing the effects of the collapse of communism and the rise of market-oriented economic reform on kindergarten closures. Discusses policy responses to declining enrollments and school closures.…

This book aims to help parents, community members, and educators find resources, design school options, and take action together to improve small rural schools in ways that meet community and student needs. Chapter 1 discusses the virtues of smallness, outlines basic assumptions about the role and nature of good education, examines the…

This report presents a course of action that California and its higher education campuses could pursue in response to economic conditions that have undercut the quality and equality of the system. California's higher education system is described as being in a state of emergency due to unique features: the staggering increase in its college-age…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Fact Book presents the latest available information on significant national, regional, and SREB-state trends affecting higher education. Trends are presented from SREB's extensive databases on demographics, elementary/secondary education, higher education institutions and their enrollments, degrees…

This comparative study examines the functioning of Indiana school districts that are placed under control of the state school property tax review board for the purpose of emergency relief. The study sought to determine the fiscal status on selected criteria of seven such "controlled school corporations" (CSCs) for the 1985 budget year by…

An elementary principal believes the universal "right" to a free public-school education has so hamstrung educators that they cannot effectively set or maintain standards. Two case studies involving disruptive students and irresponsible parents illustrate a vicious cycle that only educational vouchers (for full per-pupil amounts) might…