Discusses student support systems in distance education based on experiences at the Open University (United Kingdom). Topics addressed include distance education versus traditional education; changes in the learning process; management theory; student support as a service industry; course production; resource allocation; and decision-making…

Gwent Education Authority (Wales) evaluated its policies, procedures, administration, and financial arrangements for students with special educational needs. The evaluation found a lack of a clear policy statement on pupils with special educational needs, inconsistencies in criteria for starting formal assessments of special educational needs, and…

Discusses multicultural education, school choice, educational reform, curriculum development, and teacher education. If the curriculum represents the past truthfully, issues of multiculturalism and inclusion of all racial groups need not be raised because a valid curriculum represents them adequately. Race explains nothing in education other than…

The relationship between school board members and school business officials has become increasingly important. They must collaborate to keep schools functioning efficiently and children constantly learning. If business managers are technocrats and number crunchers, boards must make a judgment about those numbers and decide how funds should be…

Examines shifts in federal student aid and research and development policies over two decades, and argues that policy changes have converged on public research universities, making them exemplars of Reagan economics marked by privatization, deregulation, and commercialization. Patterns of institutional resource allocation to departments are…

Provides synopses of eleven recent articles on school improvement. Addresses specific topics such as: teacher assessment, early childhood education curriculum, principals' leadership effectiveness, student self-esteem, the impact of school climate and the teacher on student achievement, the communication skills of educators, first-year teachers,…

Examines evidence from voucher programs in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) and Cleveland (Ohio) to show that voucher programs do not deliver what they promise. In both cities the programs have favored relatively advantaged students, leaving the most disadvantaged in the public school system with even fewer resources than the system had before. (SLD)

Examines the consequences of Vermont's effort to equalize school funding so that no district could spend more on its children than another district, exploring the ways in which this approach has lessened education for many, rather than improving education for the disadvantaged. Emphasizes strong public opinion about property taxes and school…

The value-added statement (VAS), relatively unknown in the United States, is used in financial reports by many European companies. Saint Bonaventure University (New York) has adapted a VAS to make it appropriate for not-for-profit universities by identifying stakeholder groups (students, faculty, administrators/support personnel, creditors, the…

A small, well-regarded Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program that finances innovations in higher education has resisted a push by Congress to influence which institutions should receive grants. Its new round of awards includes only one of 11 institutions suggested by Congress. (MSE)

Examines the current interest in consortia among colleges and universities, and describes Five Colleges, Inc., one of the oldest consortiums in the United States. The advantages, challenges, and factors in such collaborative relationships are discussed, with some attention given to financial issues. (MSE)

Discusses the success of Chicago's Tri-Parish Program in hiring a Director of Religious Education. Describes the development of a comprehensive catechetical plan for the three parish communities by placing a strong emphasis on the training of local catechetical leaders. (VWC)

The pattern of federal funding allocated through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was examined for all New York State public schools. The program is widely distributed, with a majority of all schools receiving Title I funding. Some poor schools, especially in urban areas, may be unable to qualify because of this spreading out…

A new model for financing Spanish universities is examined, looking first at the changing context of higher education in Spain and then at the structure and objectives of the model. Salient features include increased institutional autonomy, standardization of service quality, linking of costs to constituencies, implicit and explicit incentives for…

Analysis of trends in state funding for public higher education and for prisoner education finds that in the period 1977 to 1995, funding for correctional higher education increased, on average, twice as much as did support for public colleges. The trend is seen to hurt both minority students and the larger society. Data on funding changes in each…