Preserving the quality of graduate education in the arts and sciences is seen as the most serious educational challenge facing American universities over the next decade. The quality of graduate education must improve, while the overall numbers of graduate students and Ph.D. programs must be reduced in an orderly way. (MLW)

The author projects trends in teacher education in England and Wales for the 1990s, examining institutional, structural and governance changes in the Colleges of Education and curricular changes needed to match society's redefinition of the teacher's role. This article begins a theme issue with the same title. (SJL)

The Small Schools Project of the National Rural Center has conducted a national survey of our smallest schools. This article summarizes respondents' views on five crucial issues for rural education: changing enrollments, consolidation, educational resources, vocational education, and special education. Part of a theme issue on rural education.…

Russian and Soviet studies specialists see long-term threats to the field's continuing strength with the sudden decline of private and public funding. Some potential problems are identified: narrowed language offerings, declining enrollments, and a history of politicization in Soviet studies. The use of Soviet emigres is advocated. (MLW)

Community college trustees face critical decisions on policy issues. Instead of the growth-oriented marketing approach, the alternative of planned decline under board management is suggested. Alternatives, response to decline, role of faculty in policy determination, and new resource allocations are discussed. (MLW)

In addition to declining enrollments in the '80s, colleges and universities must reckon with decreased public funding, a lack of money for construction, and a possible loss of educational diversity. Public and private institutions must work "to promote better public policies." (Author/MLW)

College missions, it is argued, must be formulated, reviewed, and reformulated on an ongoing basis, in response to the sociocultural, economic, and educational reality in which they exist. At no time should external economic pressures alone determine the reformulation of a mission. (MLW)

A list of questions are posed to introduce a range of issues that may affect higher education enrollment. The need for opening up a dialogue to promote thought and subsequent action on alternative responses to future unknowns--e.g., federal intervention, unionization, labor force redirection--is discussed. (MLW)

Enrollment projections for liberal arts colleges based only on demographic information are described as not useful tools for institutional planning. Attention must be paid to family size and income, financial aid policies, and quality of programs. The nature of higher education enrollments in 1964 and 1977 are discussed. (Author/MLW)

This paper discusses the difficulties that rural and small urban communities are facing in resisting attempts to consolidate their schools into larger districts. (BE)

This paper describes and analyzes the political and organizational effects of school consolidation in Arlington. Existing research on consolidation is criticized and new directions for inquiry are suggested. (Author/EB)

Higher education faces some difficult problems, caused by limited resources and declining enrollments, including planning for retrenchment, the competition between the private and public sectors, the protection of higher education's autonomy, and academia's role in school reform. But the end of growth can also mean a new opportunity for academic…

The role of marketing in higher education is discussed in light of declining student enrollment and the problems of retrenchment. It is suggested that, rather than an unconditional acceptance of the marketing approach to institutional survival, there may soon come a time when some colleges should close their doors. (SF)

Discussed are the options universities and colleges have to counter the trend toward declining participation in geology programs at the undergraduate level. Included are solutions involving precollege education, science teacher training, public relations improvement, the balance of research and teaching for college faculty, and increasing…

Methods for combating declining applicant pools at women's colleges are discussed. Research suggests that effective student recruitment can be facilitated by the use of single-gender market niche as a means for differentiation and parent influence for promotion. Review of strategies currently used indicate these marketing methods are underused and…