Controversy continues over the merits of field-based teacher education as a superior preparation system versus campus-based preservice teacher education. The first in a series of articles addressed to this controversy focuses on the problem of the lack of autonomy in schools of education. (JN)

The goals of socially mandated government regulation in education must be clarified to remove the confusion and doubletalk. A balanced approach and clearly defined positions on both sides are recommended. (Journal availability: University of Utah College of Law, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, $4.00 per issue, $2.00 per article.) (MSE)

Many American institutions have turned their backs on millions of dollars from Middle East oil-producing countries for fear of strings attached that might limit faculty hirings or what would be taught or might discriminate against Jewish or other scholars. (MLW)

The rising demand for accountability has had a great influence on the design and use of management information systems. The purposes of accountability, needs assessment, and program evaluation would be well served if a set of indlcators could include information about the outcomes of higher education. (MLW)

Two contrasting views of social policy toward organized athletic competition are presented: (1) Hackbart vs Cincinnati Bengals, Inc. suggests a laissez faire approach; and (2) Nabozny vs Barnhill holds that courts should apply basic tort law to ensure respect for basic standards of civilization. Implications for colleges and universities are…

The challenge in university governance is to provide sufficient autonomy to sustain academic vitality while ensuring that this energy is directed toward the broad public interest. Maine and New Jersey, two very different states, have been experimenting with structural changes, primarily decentralization, to balance autonomy with accountability.…

Analysis of selected set of charter-school research reports through late 2001. Finds, for example, that charter schools are more autonomous than other public schools, but that the jury is still out on some of the most important questions, including those about innovation, accountability, equity, and outcomes. Provides a framework for examining…

A creditable response to society's needs and expectations can be best undertaken by establishing a national agenda in academic medicine that places a high priority on health services research and the scientific analysis of the entire health care system. The expansion of the cadre of health service researchers is needed. (Author/MLW)

Britain's higher education system illustrates how increased governmental influence can change social systems and produce unintended consequences. A model of change used to analyze this situation also suggests a form of accountability that can reduce unintended consequences, based on sharing of both power and responsibility by government and…

The Danish experience with university democratization suggests that the process is irreversible and that its progress is determined by how the initial change was begun two decades ago. It is also proposed that government attempts to intervene and revoke traditional institutional autonomy threaten to invalidate the progress made. (Author/MSE)

Pennsylvania's 10-year-old system of 14 state-owned universities has focused on increasing the stature and character of individual institutions, limited centralization, and fostered cohesion and cooperation rather than competition, particularly in difficult economic conditions. (MSE)

Examines evidence that higher education institutions in the United Kingdom are not discharging their responsibility for program quality and standards, and suggests that unless institutions act on these findings, they may find themselves sharing responsibility increasingly with external agencies and authorities. Evidence comes mainly from recent…

Presents results from the Hudson Institute's Charter Schools in Action, a two-year research project that evaluated the creation, operation, and impact of charter schools. The paper discusses the charter notion and examines accomplishments achieved and dilemmas confronted by various charter schools. The study concludes that charter schools are a…

Reports on the establishment of a charter school in Michigan that serves home-schooling families and stresses a creationist curriculum. Describes the legal action taken against public funding of the charter school. (DDR)

A discussion of the relationship between the Scottish funding agency for higher education and universities focuses on expectations of the council for lay members of the governing bodies and the appropriateness of those expectations. Whether the state can continue to respect institutional autonomy while seeking greater accountability for public…