Conflicts often are symptoms, not causes, of organizational problems. As school budgets shrink, the budget process becomes a battlefield. A systematic approach to revising the budget process involves clarifying the school vision, identifying leadership, clarifying participants' roles, organizing processes, exploring history, implementing change,…

Three events drive the need for increased school funding: educational technology deficiencies, school restructuring projects, and declining resources. Downsizing will not work for schools. As district budgets tighten, principals must build funding programs to sustain a high school's academic and cocurricular needs. A three-pronged effort involving…

Survey forms sent to a random sample of 5,271 school board members elicited responses from 1,096 (21 percent) board members. Lists the demographics of school board service, the specific budget cuts board members made last year, and choices they would make if further cuts were needed in the current budget. (MLF)

Reviews research that indicates parents and children, although spending little time together, remain satisfied with their relationships, largely a result of consistent, but detached, parental support. Argues that consequences of maternal employment, divorce, and single-parent family structure have been exaggerated and that researchers need to…

Chinese families (n=101) from two settings (urban and rural) responded to the Family Needs Survey describing life with a child with disabilities. Findings indicated that information was the most pressing need followed by financial help and help locating a doctor. Type of impairment and setting were related to need expression. (Author/DB)

The landmark study "Catholic Schools and the Common Good" presents a definitive analysis of the U.S. Catholic high school, providing insights about school-constituency relationships; the special motivations, rewards, and extended roles of private school educators; the benefits and disadvantages of small size; financial struggles;…

Rural and urban education constituencies are increasingly competing for scarce government resources. This article examines the root of the struggle (the basic value of an education), defines ensuing court struggles for resource adequacy and equity, explores urban/rural partisanship, and denotes future implications for financing education in a…

Survey responses of 549 North Carolina farm operators during an economically unstable period were analyzed using a covariance structure model. Results suggest that the relationship between farm financial strain and farmer's depressive symptoms is mediated by the farmer's perceptions of economic hardship and personal control. Contains 59…

Analyzes the development of the community services function in two-year colleges through articles appearing in the "Community Services Catalyst" in 1971-76, 1977-86, and 1987-90. Highlights conflicting perceptions of the community services functions and periods of broadening and constricting community services that correspond to fiscal…

Assesses the provision of universal primary education in seven rural villages in Guatemala. Indicates that although increasing numbers of children are enrolling in school, repetition and dropout rates remain high and that girls are at a greater disadvantage than boys. Suggests that families, communities, and schools provide input into policy…

It is argued that, before higher education can solve its fiscal problems and operational constraints, it must address some central contradictions in governance and management that derive from outmoded or cumbersome systems. It must then create new models of participation and governance and new patterns of decision making. (Author/MSE)

College and university administrators can apply lessons learned from corporate management to expected financial pressures of the 1990s. Problems requiring strong leadership include unclear expectations of staff; weak measurement systems; accelerating change; and the strangling effects of excessive administrative processes. (DB)

Arnold Mitchem, executive director, National Council of Educational Opportunity Associations (NCEOA), answers questions concerning key educational issues, the federal government's educational agenda, the Higher Education Act's reauthorization, federal policy influences on developmental and minority education, faculty retraining, financial…

The 1990s will not be easy for public college faculty, administrators, and governing boards, who will be expected to do more with less money and fewer resources, but bear criticism for cutting back. Simultaneously, society will make greater demands for preparation of the next generation of professionals. The educational establishment must…

Achievement of true tribal self-determination is seriously compromised by declining federal expenditures on Indian programs. Current proposals do not assure adequate funding for tribes to carry out basic government functions and do not address the question of tribal sovereignty. Contains 25 references and 7 data tables of expenditures. (SV)