Higher education in Flanders has seen some major changes in the 1990s. One of the key elements of the new higher education regulations was the quality assessment system. This exemplified best the government's policy of granting all institutions of higher education autonomy, making them responsible for their policies, while still keeping the…

This article looks at policies of the British Government relating to teaching, the curriculum, and research and how they impact Theology and Religious Studies (TRS). It reflects on the use of Government funding to steer research outputs and to focus such activity on a small number of selected institutions. It further discusses Government attempts…

Accountability involves holding individuals and organizations responsible for agreed-upon promises to perform. This relationship between two or more parties includes formal structures that track results to determine if the parties who have entered into an agreement live up to that agreement. From the mid-1980s, states and districts in the U.S.…

Most policymakers, charter school operators, and others immersed in the charter school movement since it began in the early 1990s have focused their attention primarily on charter schools, not on the public bodies that license these schools to operate. As the charter school movement has grown, there has been increasing recognition that effective…

The leadership of the Arabian Gulf nation of Qatar, like that of many other countries, views education as the key to future economic, political, and social progress. Many have concluded that a country's ability to compete in the global economy and enable its citizens to take full advantage of technological advances relies on upgrading the quality…

Evander Childs High School and Morris High School are two of the largest and most challenged secondary schools in the Bronx. Despite decades of political handwringing, many attempts at school reform, an array of corporate and community partner programs, and efforts to recruit highly qualified faculties for the long term, many of the students in…

Charter schools may provide part of the answer to increased demand for restructuring and school accountability/autonomy. This handbook describes in detail the organization and operation of charter schools. Chapters define charter schools, describe their appeal and the approval process, present a model charter-school structure, discuss innovative…

This paper presents findings of a study that explored effective school-based budgeting practices within effective school-based management (SBM) contexts. The sample was comprised of 18 schools across 9 school districts (7 in the United States, 1 Canadian, and 1 Australian)--that had used SBM to improve school performance. During onsite visits,…

Before undergoing restructuring in 1991, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) was perceived as a model of bureaucratic inefficiency, an impediment to school reform. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the typical operating procedures of the new KDE. Surveys were sent to a total of 293 randomly selected Kentucky public…

The successful implementation of site-based management (SBM) requires time and changes in the role expectations among all members of the school community. Because needs and achievement levels differ among schools, there is no one best way to implement SBM. Schools are better off developing their own self-starting, working models. This paper…

Today, the division of large schools into subschools or subunits is often recommended as the answer to a number of problems in education. This paper examines the several forms of school-downsizing efforts and the somewhat diverse purposes for which they are being established. The data come from a review of literature and an evaluation of 22…

Charter schools are publicly financed schools that are governed by teachers, parents, administrators, or others who want to create and manage an innovative public school. This document briefly defines charter schools and provides an overview of their history. It also discusses the stance toward charter schools taken by President Clinton, who…

In Victoria, Australia, every government school in the state is a self-managing school. The Victorian system of school-based management is called "Schools of the Future." This paper presents findings of a study that sought opinions of the school community toward various aspects of the Schools of the Future program and its outcomes. A…

Education in European countries has been characterized by a tendency toward decentralization and deregulation. The Dutch Ministry of Education commissioned the University of Twente to perform a comparative study of actual and future shifts in tasks, responsibilities, and authority in education in several European countries. This book presents…

In 1991, Minnesota enacted ground-breaking legislation that authorized school districts to sponsor a limited number of charter schools. Implementation of the program was politically contentious, and the issue remains highly charged. This document presents findings of a study that examined the charter schools that were proposed and operating in…