School legislation is often designed to alter the fundamental structure of the public education system. Article describes elements of charter-school legislation and provides examples of strong and weak laws. Discusses California's experience to date with charter schools, issues to consider when assessing the implications of charter-reform…

The beliefs that underpin traditional governance in higher education no longer fit the reality of higher education leadership. Higher education must abandon the quest for the perfect governance structure and attend to the nature of effective governance. Focusing on autonomy and control issues distracts from solving problems of access,…

Describes the effects of electronic technologies on instruction, scholarly communication, and the storage and preservation of knowledge in higher education. The discussion covers the need to restructure universities, resolve the conflict between institutional autonomy and standardization, and explore new patterns of funding and staffing. (50 notes…

Describes a study of the location of decision-making authority in state community colleges at the college or governance board level. Examines differences in authority for academic, personnel, and administrative matters. Suggests that decision-making authority generally rested at the local level, although personnel decisions were more likely to be…

Cooperation between universities in northern and southern hemispheres in the current economic and geopolitical climate is discussed. The relationship between Canadian universities and the government is chronicled, and mechanisms of international cooperation are analyzed. Certain ethical principles are proposed as a framework for Canadian…

Contends that the Supreme Court decision in "Penn" that ruled the university must disclose confidential tenure files to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) strengthens, rather than threatens, academic freedom and valid academic decision making. Analyzes a number of issues related to academic freedom and discrimination…

Identifies and analyzes factors within and without the University of Alberta that impeded the development of teacher education programs there prior to 1942. Concludes that eventually the university prevailed against the will of the provincial government, establishing that the knowledge and competence for determining the configuration of the…

Profiles the Psychoneurological Institute, a turn-of-the-century scientific education establishment. The Institute developed its own syllabi, introduced new courses, and waived tuition for low-income students. This freedom attracted scholars, students, and political controversy. After the 1917 Revolution the Institute became an accepted part of…

Universities worldwide are being confronted simultaneously with three forces of change: new student populations; new technologies; and new ideas regarding teaching, learning, and what it means to be educated. Technology can assist higher education in successfully dealing with the first two challenges. However, new approaches and attitudes toward…

Public colleges and universities are complex organizations that assert their institutional autonomy as they simultaneously operate in a context demanding response to public and political scrutiny. State boards and legislators, for example, enact programs, incentives, or regulations in many policy arenas designed to affect how colleges operate. One…

Since the late 1970's, the Chinese government has been gradually changing its traditional policy for providing higher education and has begun to emphasize the comprehensiveness of the universities. Interdisciplinary cooperation and the synergization of resources are being promoted, and institutional autonomy is gradually increasing. Schools and…

Is academic freedom an issue in British universities? It should be because there is no legal protection guaranteeing academic freedom. Individuals have some direct statutory references but nothing of substance that actually provides a definitive statement. There are a variety of statutory provisions dealing with what may appear to be aspects of…

The ten essays in this book examine issues related to academic freedom and university autonomy. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction, providing an overview of the situation in universities worldwide, including national and international initiatives to promote academic freedom. It also discusses the role of the World University Service in this…

Development planning has recently become a commonly adopted strategy for school improvement in the United Kingdom. Development planning is a description and more formal explication of the process and actions required to plan and manage change with the intention of improving the school. The chapters in this book report on the "state of the…

The performance of national education systems is a growing concern in many Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This book focuses on the assessment of school performance in seven countries: England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The research questions include: Why are schools…