At a nine-day UNESCO-sponsored conference in Geneva, educational and political leaders, most from developing nations, called for an international campaign to make higher education a more effective tool for economic and social progress, urging the expansion of basic and vocational education. (MSE)

Curricular changes in Romania's higher education system precipitated by the abruptly altered political situation and new decision-making processes are examined. Need for change existed because of political outdatedness of some disciplines, faculty frustration over poor research-curriculum connections, long-standing curricular immobility, and need…

Discusses the changing role of the school library media specialist. Highlights include the impact of an increase in job complexity and decreases in library funding; strategies for delegating; circulation; equipment operation; and empowering teachers. A sidebar lists 11 different perspectives of the media specialist's role. (11 references) (KRN)

This examination of the New American Schools Development Corporation initiative in Bensenville (Illinois) details the controversy over the reform effort and argues that factors such as school governance, local control, and school finance played major roles in determining program outcomes. The importance of political influences in reform efforts is…

In a study of student response to feedback, data were collected by two questionnaires reflecting the actual feedback and wider attitudes. Results suggest that feedback procedures and their rationale must be made more explicit, and that techniques for producing permanent change must be explored. (Contains 23 references.) (Author/LB)

The approach used at the University of Maryland at College Park to address the problem of shrinking resources is described. The institution's strategic restructuring involved assessment of existing revenue generation and resource use and development of alternatives. Thorough self-assessment and clearly articulated priorities are seen as essential.…

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is a controversial management award program seen variously as a catalyst for organizational transformation and as a destructive influence. The core values of the program, award criteria, concerns about its impact, and implications for education are examined. (MSE)

Broad proposals for reform of higher education in Hungary are outlined. It is argued that the change needed is so great that neither higher education nor government can accomplish it independently; instead, limited and controlled conflicts between the interest of higher education and those of society must precipitate action. (MSE)

A collection of anecdotes and ideas about tenure includes such topics as competition, faculty dismissal, job security, use of part-time faculty, governance, and the role of higher education. It ends with a call for a major task force effort to address the problem comprehensively. (MSE)

Evaluates the effect of budget cuts on undergraduate library services to secondary users. Topics discussed include the reasons for the public's increased use of academic libraries; how academic libraries are responding to such demands; and strategies for implementing new service and access policies. A brief bibliography and a sample library policy…

Compares time-block scheduling efforts at two Pennsylvania high schools. The small-town school chose a semester-block system; the small rural school chose a trimester arrangement. Despite setbacks arising from changing leadership in one school and changing programs (mastery learning) in the other, the intensive time scheduling projects will…

In moving Syracuse University (New York) administrative computing applications from mainframe to a client/server environment, challenges have come not from technological transition but from changes in the ways both information systems are organized and clients work. Cultural initiatives were necessary, including organizational restructuring,…

Technology offers colleges and universities opportunities to introduce administrative changes for increased productivity, improved service, and cost containment. Communication and education strategies that can help reduce resistance to positive change are illustrated in a simple slide presentation given by the registrar's office at the University…

Changes that could enhance the lives of individuals with mental retardation are considered, including understanding what it is like to be limited by a diagnosis rather than experiencing individual choice, rethinking roles of service providers, and changing regulations and funding mechanisms to promote individual support facilitation. (SW)

Children First, which is Nottinghamshire, England's policy to increase mainstreaming of children with special educational needs, has been implemented by planning for cooperative rather than competitive change and providing resources for change. The policy has helped maintain the profile of these children at a time when they were at risk of being…