In a discussion of the implications of future trends on the profession of leisure and recreation services, consideration is given to possible world developments, both catastrophic and benign. Proposals and suggestions are made for improving leisure services, including the involvement of educators in political action and increased research and…

A 12-point program for improving the teaching profession is offered as a means to improve New York's schools. The recommendations contained in this document call for the state government to establish basic goals, standards, and guidelines for the teaching profession. However, local discretion and control are viewed as important elements in several…

To stress one of this nation's greatest strengths--its ability to form groups or partnerships to solve problems, such as providing quality education to rural America--academic year 1983-84 was proclaimed "National Year of Partnerships in Education." The Intra-Agency Committee on Rural Education, composed of representatives of the 14…

In November 1987, the superintendent of a major urban public school system (Philadelphia) publicized the district's decision to convert junior high schools (grades 7-8-9) into middle schools (grades 5/6-7-8). The superintendent's decision was based on several factors related to grade organizational structure, including (1) the district's already…

In the issue-attention cycle identified by political scientists, the imagination and energy of public leaders progress from alarmed discovery of a problem, to euphoric resource mobilization and a search for solutions, to institutionalization of responses. Next come the harsh realities of expensive answers and slow progress, causing a hasty retreat…

Long range planning allows an indepth analysis, to be updated yearly, of a school to determine the directions in which it needs to start moving based on the assumptions about the present and future success of the school. There is no quick fix or outside consultant that can remedy or plan for any individual school; only those intimately involved…

One of 16 booklets designed for use in an Open University course on the education of handicapped children in the United Kingdom, this document focuses on special education policy efforts in Norway, the United States and Italy. Separate chapters present information on each country, especially detailing each country's attempts to provide for…

The issue of the perceived success of human services program evaluations is the specific focus of this paper. Five areas that affect the potential for producing effective program evaluation form a framework for discussing factors related to perceived success. The areas include inappropriate conceptualization of what an evaluation can accomplish,…

A common theme in the current spate of reports advocating reform of American schools has been the need for attaining the twin goals of "equity" and "excellence." Yet there is widespread disagreement, not only on the relationship of quality and equality, but on the acceptable meanings of these terms as well. James Coleman, (1969) in "The Concept of…

The discipline of discipline is the cornerstone upon which educators should build the other disciplines. Teaching responsibility for one's actions must stand beside the teaching of writing, reading, and arithmetic. Discipline cannot be mastered when stifled with negative reward systems and punishment. This paper describes a comprehensive…

This paper looks at nine states--California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Nebraska, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington--in an effort to find common themes in the processes and outcomes of post-divestiture state telecommunications policies. The possible consequences of current state policies are then discussed, and it is suggested that…

Policy makers use past experience and history to think about current and potential problems and to explain policies and problems to others. Decision makers may be overly influenced by significant personally-experienced events that loom so large in their eyes that details and related relevant information may pale in comparison. Deficiencies in…

A study examined the agenda setting and policy decision-making strategies utilized by independent public television producers to incorporate an independent production service into public broadcasting reauthorization legislation during the 100th Congress (1987-1988). Public policy analysis techniques from a political science perspective and…

The way in which intraorganizational context can influence strategy making is shown by comparing six Canadian universities formulating retrenchment strategies. "Strategy" involves the components of the strategy, the process by which strategy is made, and the context in which strategy is formed. A variety of university contexts are…

This paper summarizes the research and practice associated with the use of new information media and technology with Hispanic populations in the United States, and presents a case for making effective use of communications tools such as the microcomputer and videocassette recorders for improving the educational level and socioeconomic status of…