"Excellence" has been a prevalent term in New Labour rhetoric on education, most notably in the stated goal of "excellence for all" in education. Despite that, the meaning of the term has remained imprecise, and the implications of universal excellence unclear. In this paper, three distinct definitions of excellence are…

The text of a hearing on successful efforts to prevent child abuse and strengthen families is presented in this document. After an opening statement by chairwoman Representative Patricia Schroeder, statements are presented by Representatives Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, Jr., Neil Abercrombie, Blackwell, Gerry Sikorski, Matthew Martinez, Frank…

Since 1989, when it became legally possible for private higher education to operate in New Zealand, the sector has grown to become a significant part of the country's higher education system. We explore the private penetration, trace the changes that have occurred in private higher education, and evaluate the sector's position in New Zealand…

Life review interviews with 54 midlife and older women discussed their volunteer activities. In general, highly public activities were associated with formal volunteering and low-agency/private activities with informal volunteering. Even formal activities with limited public exposure helped network people who would otherwise not have made contact.…

Many features of organizational environments discourage high-skill workplaces and training investments. Both public and private sectors can improve measurement of investment in people by identifying reliable and valid indicators, using benchmarks, and promoting certification of high-skilled workers. (SK)

Analyzed two programs in a public agency: Investors in Management (a British government initiative) and employee-led development. Found that both programs exposed tensions between individual growth and traditional values constraining growth. Concluded that effective organizational learning in the public sector must be collective and aware of…

Examines factors that have contributed to the development of measures that can determine the impact of library services, including evaluation approaches, demands for public sector accountability, and government activities aimed at determining service outcomes. Discusses impacts of community information services based on a study by the Institute of…

Uses Karl Weick's view of organizing and traditional rhetorical theory to explore (1) how private organizations need public space within them; (2) how organizations affect the public sphere and are affected by that sense of the public; and (3) how organizational and rhetorical theorists might join in understanding the "privatizing" of…

Responses from 325 senior state government employees showed that pressure for change was linked to stress, dissatisfaction, and intention to leave. Psychological hardiness had a negative impact on stress and a positive impact on satisfaction. Hardiness may serve as a significant counterforce to the effects of pressure. (SK)

Responses from 96 of 105 employees in 2 public, 2 nonprofit, and 2 private organizations suggest that, if public sector motivation (higher need for public service, lower need for financial rewards) exists, it is difficult to quantify and its effect on employee behavior, attitudes, and goals is negligible. (SK)

Responses from 251 of 831 public sector administrators yielded no single idea or definition of work force diversity; 43.5% believed it was the same as equal employment opportunity/affirmative action, 40.5% thought it was different. Of individual characteristics of diversity, 94.9% selected race, 85.1% gender. Existing diversity programs were…

A psychological contract is a set of unwritten reciprocal expectations between trainee and training program. Public agency trainers must establish and manage psychological contracts through clearly defined objectives and development of a learning climate that leads to effective training. (SK)

Kolb's Experiential Learning Model suggests that people differ in how they perceive and process information. Public agency training should incorporate knowledge of brain hemisphere dominance and learning style preferences in training design. (SK)

Discussed are the efforts of the Pentagon to help U.S. companies remain competitive in high-tech civilian markets. The tug-of-war for these companies between Congress, which has come to view them as a vehicle for pork-barrel funding, and the administration, which is trying to rein them in, is described. (KR)

Describes the National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage (NINCH), a membership coalition of 65 cultural organizations and institutions, including arts, humanities, and information technology communities, committed to successful integrated networking of cultural resources. The NINCH Web site, strategic community-wide meetings,…