Eleven states have established autonomous professional standards boards responsible for teacher licensure. Supporters of these boards feel that they create higher standards than state boards of education do, are better able to address complex issues related to teachers and teaching, and are an important statewide component in the nationwide effort…

One of a series of studies related to the Delphi research project: "Policy Instruments for Higher Education in the Western Europe of the Future", this paper describes the beginnings of a consumer-oriented public higher education system in the Netherlands. It first examines the start of public debate with the publication of two political…

The Education Commission for the States' model state legislation for approval of postsecondary institutions and authorization to grant degrees is discussed with regard to three Supreme Court cases on academic freedom, as well as several recent state court cases on the regulation of teaching in private postsecondary institutions. Constitutional…

Aspects of proposed higher education reforms that involve assessment of students learning are clarified by the president of the Educational Testing Service. Governors and state legislators are advised not to adopt state minimum competency standards for higher education. It is claimed that the responsibility for setting instructional standards and…

During the period from 1949 to 1984, industry's share in the national economy of the Peoples' Republic of China rose from 30 percent to 60 percent. Despite raising literacy over the same period from 20 percent to over 75 percent, the Chinese educational system has failed to keep pace with the economy's rapidly expanding need for trained…

This book is an introduction and guide to school-based management, a decentralized form of organization in which decisions that have traditionally been made by a superintendent or school board are made by the local school. Chapter 1 provides an overview of decision-making in public school systems starting with a brief history of the trend toward…

The British tradition of institutional self-steering in higher education is considered along with possible applications to the West German higher education system. The objective is to identify an ideal self-steering system and an effective organizational decision-making structure for West Germany. Financial retrenchment in German higher education…

In 1973 Florida embarked on an ambitious adventure to improve the quality of public education by decentralizing many aspects of educational decision-making to the school site. The strategy incorporated a comprehensive reform of the state's school finance system, the development of a management information and accounting system, requirements for…

The issues of accountability, conflict, and academic freedom in higher education and the relationship between institutions and state coordinating boards (governing boards, voluntary and compulsory coordinating boards, and planning agencies) are addressed. The causes and nature of the inherent conflict between state coordinating bodies and…

There are four conditions that will enhance professional practice in schools and departments of education. The first condition is the necessity for commitment on the part of the education department and its faculty. As professionals, faculty must be committed to providing essential services to individuals and society, make decisions in the…

The conference program, a list of participating institutions and agencies, three manuscripts, and an outline of themes and speakers of past conferences are included in this report. The focus of the conference was public accountability to higher education. The following presentations were made: "The University and the Community: A Janus View," by…

Eight essays on financing policies and issues in higher education to be faced in the near future are collected. They include: The Political-Economic Context for Financing Postsecondary Education in the 1980's (Robert C. Andringa); The Political-Economic Context: A Reaction (Kay S. Cornaby); Financial Responses for the 1980's (Melvin D. Orwig); A…

The proposed formation of a Western Australian College of Advanced Education as a multi-campus reorganization of the existing five teachers colleges is examined, as are other options. The proposal is based on the 1976 Partridge Committee report, which claims that the autonomy of the five teachers colleges has resulted in unnecessary duplication,…

A case study of the relationship between governmental funding of public universities and governmental control in one nation, Mexico, is presented. Three factors in the university's autonomy from financial control are discussed: (1) university power to distribute its funds as it sees fit; (2) security against stark income fluctuations; and (3)…

By summer of 1978, the Office of Civil Rights expects higher education institutions to be in compliance with Title IX of the Higher Education Act, the provision mandating equal treatment of the sexes. Implications are discussed, especially in the areas of access for the handicapped and the tuition tax credit. (LBH)