This report contains recommendations made by the Arizona Committee on Decentralization, who identified issues in the implementation of decentralization in Arizona's public schools. The report presents an overview of the definition and purposes of decentralization and findings of a survey of 4,100 Arizona public school teachers and principals…

This volume reports on the Case Study Project, an initiative that evaluates the experiences of math and science teachers across the United States and includes levels of schooling and achievement levels. The report focuses on typical public schools in the United States at three levels: elementary, junior high, and senior high with the intent of…

In the Australian state of Victoria, virtually all decisions about spending, curriculum, and personnel are made at the school level. Victoria's experience in developing a system of school-based management (SBM) and shared decision making offers a perspective on school reform efforts in the United States. Underlying the school restructuring trends…

There are many forms of school decentralization within and among countries. This paper presents findings of a study that compared decentralization efforts in England and the United States to identify changes that have been made in school-management structures and the effect of these changes on school operation. Data were derived from: (1)…

This book addresses the philosophy of governance in higher education, the nature of governance and some of the forms it may take, the meaning of democracy in university governance, criteria for assessing governance systems, and underlying assumptions about aims and efforts. The book focuses on the colleges and universities in New York City in the…

This report summarizes presentations from a conference organized to discuss the ways in which recent changes in the funding of British higher education seem to be threatening university autonomy and changing higher education's traditional role. Summarized reports of conference presentations are provided, under the following headings:…

The relationship of the University of Hawaii and its governing board to the state government, specifically the legislature and its major executive departments, was assessed with attention to institutional autonomy and the protection of academic freedom. Major findings of the review include the following: a 1978 constitutional amendment appears to…

The role of the theologian in Catholic colleges and universities is among several topics addressed in 11 articles. Some authors describe how they carry out the Catholic mission in higher education, while others focus on the historical background for the attempt by the Congregation for Catholic Education to describe and mandate a universal and…

Elements of educational quality and ways in which quality is estimated are identified, with specific attention to conditions that are prerequisite to achieving high levels of quality in universities. The quality of a university may be estimated by examining prestigous institutions based on reputational studies, by quantitative descriptions of…

In the 1940s two congeries of events brought the federal government into the field of education, an area that had previously been protected from federal interference. At the core of one group of events was a 1937 decision that the "general welfare clause" was established as an independent ground for the federal spending power. A second change came…

The historical development of public and private universities and colleges in the United States is examined. It is pointed out that nearly all American universities, no matter where their support comes from, remain autonomous institutions. The university often interprets, and sometimes invents, what it thinks is the interest of the state. Despite…

Discusses the position of leaders in higher education and state and federal government toward coordination, statewide planning, centralization, role definition, finance, and enrollment as they relate to Michigan postsecondary education in general and community colleges in particular. Includes results of a survey of voters and postsecondary…

Since the 1940's, state and federal governments have increasingly taken control of community colleges away from local authorities. Currently, in all but three states, state coordination and operation of community colleges undermines college autonomy and responsiveness to local communities. State and federal control is expected to increase. (TR)

Third in a series on the government's partnership with education, this article examines compliance costs in higher education, which seem to have had greater impact than the costs in industrial corporations. Focus is on the American Council of Education and Harvard cost studies, as well as the importance of indirect cost calculations, institutional…

The AAUP 1976 Recommended Insitutuinal Regulations prescribes that "dismissal will not be used to restrain faculty members in their exercise of academic freedom or other rights of American citizens." Constitutional freedoms, professional accountability, AAUP case reports, the Angela Davis case, and court decisions are discussed. (LBH)