Discusses difficulties within higher education management in achieving expected outcomes because of problematic elements in: artificial internal structures, funding formulae, the relative importance of system parameters versus system structure, and the significance of time scales and delays in influencing system behavior. Suggests that university…

Presents a model for overcoming traditional, culturally rooted resistance to change in educational administration programs. The systems model offered proceeds from the premise that reflective awareness is the starting point for change. Aligning the operator, engineer, and executive cultures within a university enables the development of a…

An instructional systems design approach to distance education systematically applies instructional principles based on how people learn in order to create an effective learning environment. A performance-based philosophy and authentic performance assessments, including portfolios, are important elements. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

Grounded in the naturalistic paradigm, a mixed-method research design (survey questionnaire, n=65; and interview, n=16) was used to explore the nature and benefits of, and constraints to, family recreation in families that included children with developmental disability. Statistical analyses were conducted on the quantitative data, while key theme…

Political governance and quality management are often contested concepts, meaning different things to different people; and often their meanings have shifted historically. The collapse of the governance system behind the iron curtain countries triggered an avalanche in international politics and instituted new governance and management system to…

Knowledge management continues to evolve as a discipline, yet even basic features that define a discipline have to be established. Developing a shared understanding of core concepts, such as the meaning of "knowledge", has been elusive in this field. In the absence of reaching a universal definition, surrogates for knowledge are adopted because of…

Families First is a NSW Government strategy that aims to improve the effectiveness of early intervention services supporting families and communities to care for children. Its implementation is the joint responsibility of the five NSW Human Services agencies: the NSW departments of Community Services (DoCS); Ageing, Disability and Home Care…

In recent years, career theory and practice has been challenged to revise and reinvigorate itself in order to remain relevant in the post-modern world. The most fundamental challenge is to produce an identity for career practice that is congruent with the post-modern world (Watson & McMahon, 2005). Career research is facing a similar challenge as…

Given the rhetoric and practice of systemic change in the last decade, we studied (a) the level to which the systemic change is able to penetrate, (b) the areas which the systemic change is able to impact, and (c) the coherence among various curricular and instructional components in the context of systemic change. Using hierarchical linear…

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science is among the world's premier supporters of basic research. The Office of Science enables the U.S. to maintain its competitive edge by funding science that can transform its energy future, supports its national security and seeks to understand the fundamentals of matter and energy itself. To do…

Library transformation requires a cohesive vision and execution. Beyond excellent management, organization, technical deployment and collection development, success of the public library as a sense of place requires additional dimensions. This includes attention to the details of environment, presentation, ambiance, graphics, customer service and…

The present study examined the occupational aspirations and career development influences of children attending Years 6 and 7 at a sample of rural and remote primary schools in the central western region of Queensland. Data was collected by means of the "Revised Career Awareness Survey" (McMahon & Patton, 2001). Australian and New…

Luhmann, a prominent exponent of social systems theory, maintains that in modern, functionally differentiated societies morality is neither possible nor necessary. Against this claim it is argued that democracies want citizens with moral motivation. In contrast to Kohlberg, moral motivation is conceptualised as independent of stage of moral…

Since the publication of McREL's "2003 Annual Report," McREL staff members wrote more than 100 published articles in practitioner and peer-reviewed journals describing what they know from four decades of research on effective schools as well as years of practical experience working to help educators raise student performance: that…

This qualitative analysis investigates the role of tenure-track faculty at Towne University (pseudonym), a regional institution with a long-standing public service mission. Towne has played an important role in the production and continued development of teachers for local schools through extensive K-20 collaboration. Recently, however, Towne…