Implementation of a centralized student advising service implemented at Emporia State University that provides intrusive advising appears to have improved student persistence by 8 percent, suggesting that the strategy might be useful in other institutions. (MSE)

The college personnel administrator is becoming an increasingly important management advisor to both non-academic and academic officials. The evolution from the traditional personnel office to a fully recognized centralized human resource department is discussed. (MLW)

Describes a centralized and standardized training program developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to train newly hired claims examiners. Topics addressed include site selection; technology used in training; curricula development; training the trainers; and trainee reactions. (LRW)

Drawing on selected literature about education in seven east Asian countries that have shown remarkable economic development since World War II, this paper considers how the nature of the curriculum might have contributed to these nations' economic growth. The systems are highly centralized, with a curriculum component promoting national goals.…

Establishment of a Scottish Parliament in 1999 will pose questions about its relationship to local authorities and their role in education. Possible scenarios are discussed in which Parliament pursues centralization or decentralization in education policy. Recent reforms to local government structures may allow local councils to become partners of…

The European Commission supports critical inquiry for developing knowledge-based flexible skills. However, in Greece the highly centralized education system dictates curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment decisions. Teachers are unable to have meaningful involvement in educational policy making. (SK)

The 19th-century emergence of a centralized, state-controlled school system helped stabilize government and legitimize a state model during a revolutionary period in French history. The centralized model assisted national integration goals by fabricating a symbolic public space. This ambitious political construction may be coming apart. (Contains…

Attempts to establish a distinction among echelons comprising Israel's centralized educational system by exploring their role perceptions of stress, tension, ambiguity, risk, and exposure to criticism. Findings indicate that echelons are characterized by their perceptions of risk and exposure to criticism, but not by their perceptions of role…

In Iran, community mosques have been decentralized institutions of local power. Mosque leadership was influential in the overthrow of the Shah. However, the resulting Islamic Republic dominated and used mosques as agents of social control. (SK)

Based on a survey of rural school districts in Western China, this essay explores the effects of fiscal centralisation on the relationship between local governance and school district management, most particularly on how managerial power is distributed in the rural education sector. The essay also examines some of the possible effects that changes…

A study of centralized school media processing centers in Indiana and Florida indicated that a coordinated national effort, such as the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication project, could eliminate the repetitive and costly operation of such centers. (Author/PF)

Community College of the Air Force, established at Randolf Air Force Base, Texas, is an accredited institution which acts as a centralized "broker" to keep track of student progress through a program of technical education oriented specifically to the professional preparation of noncommissioned officers by combining Air Force and…

In this paper the authors extend an earlier study that developed images of what schools are like as social entities. That study found that elementary schools correspond to the rational bureaucratic image, whereas secondary schools are more loosely coupled systems. The study was limited by a small sample. In this paper the research was extended to…

Describes how the City of Springfield, Massachusetts, has physically connected, with a public pedestrian mall, two diverse and isolated neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have common facilities to house and accommodate centralized community services; and broad programs for educational, cultural, and social activities. (Author/DN)

Questions the rationale for and possible consequences of political decentralization of New York City. Suggests that the disadvantages--reduced level of professionalism, increased expense in multiple government operation, "stabilization" of residential segregation, necessity for budget negotiations because of public disclosure of tax…