Traces the history of the sociology department at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, from its position as a top department in the 1950s and 1960s to its decline in the 1970s, and termination in the 1990s. Criticizes the administration for allowing the department's prominence to decline. Maintains that the closure will hurt all social…

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not ask the Supreme Court to review a lower court's decision to exempt the Michigan Education Trust from federal income taxes. The state college tuition prepayment plan was discontinued in 1991 due to legal challenges but promised to honor its commitments to 55,000 participants. The program may now be…

Results of a survey of 145 special education administrators in 27 states are presented under 4 headings: student identification practices; service delivery; student exit procedures; and program evaluation practices. Findings indicate student identification procedures are fairly well developed, whereas student exit and evaluation practices are less…

During 1992-93, the school of social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was confronted with proposals for elimination, merger, and consolidation. This case study examines the proposals and rationales behind the school's strategies to counter them. Implications for social work programs in similar circumstances are discussed.…

Common causes of program failure are failure to meet expectations; presentation method; lack of interaction time; failure to adhere to schedule; lack of applicable information; poor service; lack of assistance in implementing new ideas; failure to account for cultural diversity; content already known; and failure to give presenters information…

Factors affecting program participants' failure to learn as expected include (1) carelessness in details; (2) confusion over program goals; (3) lack of commitment from management, participants, or trainers; (4) lack of clarity and courage; (5) lack of cultural sensitivity; and (6) disagreement between educators and learners about what is to be…

Interviews were conducted with 19 parents and mail surveys were received from 27 parents of students (grades 3-8) identified and served by a gifted program eliminated in 1990. Parents perceived that their children were experiencing a decline in energy, curiosity, and intrinsic motivation to achieve at high levels and were beginning to disengage…

Discusses the events leading up to the development of the new arts education program for the Sarasota Country School District in Florida. Addresses the work of the Community/Schools Partnership for the Arts, its role in developing the arts program, and the interactions between the community and the school district. (CMK)

Addresses the Sarasota County school district's decision to eliminate the arts programs in the elementary and middle schools. Discusses the efforts by the school district in rescuing the arts in the Sarasota schools and the superintendent's idea for creating the Community/Schools Partnership for the Arts that is working for world-class arts…

This undisguised, embedded case study examined outcomes related to student enrollments and representation over the four year period following a decision by the City University of New York (CUNY) to eliminate remediation in four-year colleges. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies provide insight into contributing factors to changes not only…

This final report describes activities of a 4-year (1987-91) project at Western Maryland College to develop an 11-course graduate curriculum for teachers of American Sign Language (ASL) and teachers of ASL/English Interpreting. The curriculum formed the basis for two graduate programs at Western Maryland College. The project also developed six…

This report focuses on productivity improvements in instructional programs at Illinois' public universities by providing an assessment of statewide instructional capacity. The report identifies 22 disciplines in which reduction, consolidation, or elimination of programs should be considered. It notes that when programs are offered by several…

This paper describes the implementation of an innovative integrated approach to the delivery of services for disadvantaged youth in Massachusetts, and examines the fiscal, political, and organizational factors that led to its subsequent demise. Massachusetts was one of the first states to envision and implement a statewide system of coordinated…

The Netherlands' use of an ad hoc interinstitutional committee of university board members during a period of retrenchment is described which resulted in a plan to close a number of university departments and to terminate many small and not very successful research programs. (MSE)

This technical assistance paper is intended to provide updated guidance for Florida educators of students with disabilities concerning changes in identification, free appropriate public education (FAPE), placement, or dismissal from special education. Following an introductory section presenting the background, purpose, and relevant terms, the…