The research reported in this volume covers a range of topics dealing with shifting and declining enrollments and their impact on the financing, organization, and management of schools. The papers have been sorted into three groups. Section 1 discusses the demographic background to changing enrollment patterns. Section 2 presents the view from the…

Ten major policy questions related to postsecondary education in Michigan are discussed. These include: the authority issue (who should be Michigan's planning and coordinating agent in matters of higher education); role and mission of the different sectors of Michigan's higher educational commmunity; declining enrollment effects; cost-benefit…

Nine chapters and an introduction discuss the issues surrounding school closures and declining enrollment and suggest practical solutions. Each chapter examines a particular facet of the problem, presents brief case studies of successful experiences, and mentions sources for further information. The topics covered include: (1) demographic changes…

This document summarizes the proceedings of a workshop on school building utilization in the 49 school districts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area (Minnesota). Included are the keynote address of Minnesota Governor Al H. Quie; statistical information on the use, location, and condition of the educational facilities of the region during fiscal…

The persons, groups, and agencies that share in the control of a public college/university or system are identified, and issues facing higher education and approaches to the problem of control are considered. The following higher education components are examined: the institution and its board of trustees, faculty bodies and student bodies,…

Some historical developments concerning public higher education, the fiscal outlook, and enrollment trends are considered. Although historically state-supported universities were autonomous, the decade following World War II brought greater state involvement. Increasingly, political rather than educational considerations governed decisions…

The use of many public school facilities now closed due to declining enrollment could generate substantial savings for new federal construction projects. Responses to a questionnaire sent to all 50 states by the General Accounting Office (GAO) show that there were 2,493 vacant schools in 19 of the 23 responding states at the beginning of the…

This report is intended to help state governors, legislators, and educators as they address the problems related to funding education. It is based on the idea that policy-makers can profit from the learning experiences of other states. The first and longest section of the booklet consists of a three-part overview. The first part of the overview…

In response to declining enrollment, the school board and administration of the East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District (New York) undertook a comprehensive effort to examine conditions and plan for the future. Following an initial data-gathering phase, a citizens task force was appointed in 1977 to study the problem and make recommendations.…

School districts that survive declining enrollments will be the ones who recognize that the problem exists and build their programs and plans to meet the problem. It is necessary to know community demography and develop farsighted, actuarily sound projections of the effects. As money is basic to the problem, it is necessary to know the fiscal…

The current downward enrollment trend in postsecondary institutions is assessed in terms of its meaning for institutions, students, and taxpayers. An agenda is proposed for the review and an estimate is provided of the number of students who are qualified for postsecondary education but who fail to receive it because they lack the funds. It is…

This study provides a review of the nature and success of programs dealing with excess teacher supply. The causes and effects of teacher redundancy are discussed, and methods of supply and demand planning are examined. Strategies to deal with inservice retraining and programs that present career alternatives are reviewed. Among the solutions…

Declining enrollment and lower teacher turnover have forced many school districts to reduce the number of professional personnel employed. State legislatures, the courts, and local collective negotiations have been the principal scenes of legal activity concerning reduction in force (RIF). In this monograph, both technical legal information and…

Enrollment projections have indicated a large decline during the 1980's in the number of high school graduates, the traditional population enrolling in colleges and universities as freshmen. As competition for the available students increases it is suggested that smaller junior colleges like Potomac State College of West Virginia University may…

This chapter of "The Best of the Best of ERIC," Volume 2, contains 14 summaries of documents and journal articles on reduction in force, all of which are indexed in either "Resources in Education" or "Current Index to Journals in Education." The materials included deal with various aspects of this topic, such as the…