This book explores the necessity for building strong relationships among administrators, teachers, parents, and the community by applying what the book calls the five essentials of organizational excellence. The five essentials are planning strategically; benchmarking for excellence; leading collaboratively; engaging the community; and governing…

This paper presents a policy framework for the implementation of goals for special education in Michigan. The first part of the paper is a memorandum that recommends the policy framework. Attachment A presents goals for providing a support system to students with disabilities to foster their progress in the general curriculum. Goals include: (1)…

Research was conducted in 2000-01 on the long-term impacts of the 200 projects funded by Australia's Framing the Future in 1999 and of the 250 conducted in 2000. Two main research methodologies (case study investigations and a survey) were used for the study. Case study investigations were conducted with the Deaf Education Network in Sydney; South…

This overview of West Virginia's 16 public colleges and universities focuses on higher education's response to six statutory goals: (1) better preparing students to enter college; (2) improving access to higher education; (3) preparing students to compete in a global economy; (4) focusing resources in areas which offer students the greatest…

This book identifies and discusses key issues for the future of American higher education. An introductory chapter focuses on the nine contributions by higher education recommended in Clark Kerr's 1981 Carnegie Council Report. The following 10 chapters focus on specific issues in the following areas: (1) changing demographics; (2) minority access…

Increasingly, foundations are choosing to engage in public policy debates as a way of leveraging their investments and increasing their impact in advancing improvements community-wide, statewide or nationally. For foundations, influencing public policy decisions can happen in different ways: funding policy research and dissemination, building…

Describes the process and timeline of a "cultural audit" of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, to determine ethnic and minority group distribution among students, faculty, and staff. Lessons learned include the needs for absolute administrative support, a committee representative of stakeholders, adequate time for…

A support group formed by three deans of social work schools and sustained over a seven-year period of change for each institution helped each dean address issues in organizational change. Agenda topics included tenure and promotion, selecting senior administrators, dealing with faculty conflict, managing budgets, responding to student concerns,…

This document is the result of two years of intensive, dedicated work by a remarkable team of nearly two dozen researchers. It takes the first steps on a long overdue journey to fully understanding the realities and promise of ESL program service in community colleges across the nation. The report offers an in-depth look into several community…

This resource guide describes the North Dakota University System and provides information about the programs and costs of higher education in the North Dakota system. An introduction describes the institutions in the system: two doctoral universities, one master's degree-granting university, three universities that offer bachelor's degrees and…

This module is designed to introduce educational leaders to an organizational assessment tool called a "culture audit." Literature on organizational cultural competence suggests that culture audits are a valuable tool for determining how well school policies, programs, and practices respond to the needs of diverse groups and prepare…

The author examines the evolution of the current Australian demographic and its implications for the delivery of public library services. The "baby boomers", the generation born between 1946 and 1961, are the next cohort to be seriously in need of housebound services, and the characteristics and likely needs of this group are considered…

The Commonwealth of Virginia overcame an environment of each institution for itself to craft an accountability process oriented around state needs.

The strategic plan for the James White Library of Andrews University uses the phrase "beyond walls," rather than the catchphrase "library without walls," to acknowledge that printed matter is here to stay but that the paradigm in which it operates is open to innovation and exploration. The fundamental changes taking place in…

This publication describes a powerful system for managing students' learning and enhancing the quality of programs in British colleges of further education. The system described is for full-time students because that is the clearest way of exemplifying the practical form such a system would take. It discusses these basic principles: students need…