This study examined the ways in which for-profit comprehensive management educational management organizations (EMOs) operating charter schools respond to the need to balance school autonomy and flexibility with the fact that centralized operations require consistency, coordination, and legal constraints. The study focused on the perspective of…

Suggests that the possibilities available to autonomy- oriented educators may be quite limited and fall far short of what they think them to be, discussing independence and autonomy, knowledge and autonomy, weak and strong autonomy, and autonomy and education, and concluding that the anti-perfectionist liberal policy is not committed to the…

In this statement by the 1986 teacher of the tear of Kirkwood, Missouri, it is maintained that there is no more important characteristic for teachers to possess than autonomy. It is recommended that politicians, parents, teacher educators, and educational consultants create the conditions and climate necessary for teachers to act autonomously. (DG)

This introduction to three papers presented at a one-day conference on scholarship, research, and teaching notes the complexity of issues facing higher education, the difficulty of relating decision making at the national level to what actually happens in the lecture room or laboratory, and the centrality of curiosity and commitment to both…

Interviews official representatives of 58 nations to investigate their "inclination to control" the press. Finds the region most inclined to control the press is the Middle East, whereas regions least inclined are Western Europe and North America. (RS)

Explores the relationship between school business officials' perceived job satisfaction and specific categories of job variables (demographics, rewards, functions, and interpersonal relationships). Results show that school business officials are a conventional group dominated by well-paid White males content with their work and committed to their…

Presents a model of teaching as a professional activity. Examines features in the Scottish educational scene that threaten the model: the explicit attack on teacher education, centralist curriculum development, the persistence of restricted professionalism, and the managerialist trend in education. (Author/SV)

Effective school managers need to establish a mutually acceptable mix of teacher autonomy and administrative control. Three types of autonomy distribution (strategic, administrative, and operational) are discussed, along with four strategies to foster professionalism (professional development activities, mentoring, dual career ladders, and project…

As one survey shows, although collegiality within academic departments determined secondary teachers' innovation norms, conceptions of students, sense of subject area, and enthusiasm, teacher commitment and pride are primarily products of district-level influences. Teacher autonomy without strong district professional community, with its…

Documents the process and the results of restructuring the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. The goal is to inform other colleges and universities of these experiences, so that they can anticipate the issues that will arise during the restructuring process. Describes the implementation plan and discusses major questions posed…

School reformers have advocated many changes in roles and relationships that would blur the boundaries between teaching, teacher education, and research. Substantial supports must be built into the system, if people who work in boundary-blurring roles are going to make positive contributions to these very different educational enterprises. (MLH)

Outlines the process by which the government of Alberta (Canada) has compelled educational institutions to accept the introduction of a performance-based funding mechanism in spite of the substantial loss of autonomy the new process entails. Implications of the change are explored, and reasons for it are suggested. (Author/SLD)

This paper describes a study of the extent of teacher-educators' engagement in research and their attitudes and beliefs towards academic autonomy and accountability, in relation to research. The findings from a survey questionnaire and a set of unstructured interviews indicate that at most 25% of faculty at the college are involved in research. It…

This article considers the transmission of knowledge in higher education. It takes the metaphor of the music industry that pre-selects the music people can buy. The sales potential is the leading principle in the selection process. Often the small producer is excluded because his or her music is not of commercial interest. The end-customer does…

The different ways of creating space for teaching writing and for test preparation as well the tension a teacher undergoes of implementing a writing workshop approach within a school context focused on high-test scores are described. The findings suggest maintaining teacher autonomy and surviving the high demands imposed upon teachers.