A Colorado school district has adopted Total Quality Management (TQM) to improve quality and reduce costs. The basic components that drive continuous improvement in TQM are focusing on responding to customer needs, basing decisions on data, and allowing everyone to participate in the process. (MLF)

The effectiveness and efficiency of stimulus fading, stimulus shaping, time delay, and a feedback only procedure were compared in teaching three adults with moderate developmental delays sight words. Results showed no clear advantage for any one procedure. The benefit of conducting a preliminary evaluation of instructional procedures during…

Some states are passing laws encouraging wider use of high school advanced placement courses and testing for college credit, with others offering less extensive support. Academic quality, competitiveness, and fiscal efficiency are objectives. Critics cite fairness questions and concerns about the appropriateness of skills tested by the equivalency…

The process of reauthorization of college student financial aid legislation may be instrumental in reducing the burden and complexity of the financial aid application and need analysis process through simplification. Exempting some students, permitting more to use simplified need analysis, and streamlining reapplication are steps in the right…

A national survey found that 91 percent of colleges and universities have a participative governance body including faculty, and that faculty and administrative leaders find them effective and useful. However, respondents felt participants were not sufficiently rewarded, budgets were inadequate, the most able faculty were not attracted, and the…

Procedures that could be used to assess progress in instructional programs designed to enhance cognitive skills are reviewed, discussing measures of the following parameters: (1) knowledge acquisition, organization, and structure; (2) problem representation; (3) mental models; (4) metacognitive skills; (5) automaticity of performance; and (6)…

Examines senior managers' and subject teachers' perceptions of department heads' participation in policy development and leadership in 24 British secondary schools. Readiness to embrace newer approaches matters. Schools that value and develop their subject leaders, often through reformed structures, generally have subject staff who feel well led.…

The complexity of principals' work may be characterized according to three dilemmas: accountability, autonomy, and efficiency. Narrative vignettes of 74 Australian principals revealed that principals were fair and inclusive. When faced with restructuring dilemmas, however, they favored strong over shared leadership, efficiency over collaboration,…

Examines differences among 29 developed nations in educational differentiation and sorting of students for specialized curricula. Compares countries with differentiated and nondifferentiated education systems with respect to costs per pupil and the scores of students in grades 7-8 on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).…

Discussion of problems facing Russian higher education during a transitional period addresses such issues as enrollment, employment in higher education, the need to increase efficiency, and application of information technology to teaching, learning, and research. It is argued that, although preserving some elements of traditional higher education…

Legislators, politicians, and business leaders should heed research demonstrating the effectiveness of smaller schools, which often have an enhanced learning ambience. Opportunities to participate and develop life skills are much greater in smaller schools. Small schools have fewer disruptions, promote belonging, and can enhance academic…

This article argues that college pricing policies can be developed to encourage more efficient use of college facilities and reduce the need for capital and operating funding from state or private sources. A survey of 403 students at 1 institution indicates that students would be responsive to discounts in ways that would make such discounts…

Discusses Canadian provinces' business-oriented control of local educational systems (via mission setting, consolidation, performance measures, nonunion workforce); elimination of denominational school systems; abolishment or amalgamation of school boards; Canada's huge educational debt; early teacher retirement; alternate solutions to educational…

Energy performance contracting allows schools to pay for needed new energy equipment and modernization improvements with savings from reduced utility and maintenance costs. Improved energy efficiency reduces demand for burning fossil fuels, which reduces air pollution, leading to improved learning environments and budgets (through improved average…

Over the past four decades higher education institutions have faced increasing complexity related to governance (Berdahl, 1991; Birnbaum, 1988; Kezar, 2000; Leslie & Fretwell, 1996). In particular, institutions now face even greater competing priorities and demands to engage the community, business, and industry; to solve social problems and…