Of 35 prominent Chief Executive Officers (CEO's) from 10 Canadian provinces participating in this study, 31 were interviewed by telephone and 4 in writing. The vast majority of CEO's (82 percent) agreed that they work in an increasingly political environment. Many CEO's perform a "screening function" between community groups and the…

Farming-dependent counties are some of the most economically distressed parts of nonmetropolitan America because their inability to diversify economically has left them vulnerable to changes in natural resource markets, commodity prices, and farm conditions. The Midwest has been hit hardest. The greatest proportion of highly leveraged farms is in…

This report presents findings of a 1985 national study of the local school board. Information was gathered from case studies in nine major metropolitan areas, questionnaires administered to over 200 school board chairpersons, and literature on board governance. Chapter 1 offers an overview and questionnaire results. Chapter 2 summarizes major…

Dynamics in the education policy arena suggest that, despite two generations of researchers extolling democratic leadership styles and consensus building over autocratic techniques, wide participation in policymaking and the broadest possible consensus are not always productive: American society has not yet agreed on what schools should…

This report analyzes the effect of public participation and the use of third party neutrals on recommendations for reorganization of a large Ontario school system. To reexamine the system, expand programs, and consolidate schools, the board of education commissioned an advisory council in 1984 to obtain community input before making…

This study of the importance of second language and international studies in Illinois in relation to the interests of the state covers the following topics: the importance of second language and international studies, characteristics of effective programs in second language and international studies, the status of those studies in Illinois, and…

Critical aspects of crisis management in U.S. higher education and the historical development of the education system over the last 100 years are reviewed. It is proposed that crisis strategies in higher education have largely revolved around the use of a stratification strategy and the establishment of ideological hegemony. Historical periods…

This publication is intended to assist economic decision makers in designing strategies for maximizing the economic development contributions of entrepreneurship and small business in Illinois. The challenges and opportunities for economic development through enhancement of entrepreneurial activity in the State are discussed. Various successful…

This policy paper explores the nature and significance of human capital development. Its intended audience includes policymakers, students and researchers, and citizens who bear the ultimate responsibility for public policy. An introductory section defines human capital broadly to include all productive capacities acquired at some cost and…

Wage rates and earnings give misleading signals to public and private policymakers as to the benefits of certain kinds of education and training investments. These misleading signals result from the fact that (1) workers and employers prefer employment contracts that either do not recognize or only partially recognize differences in productivity…

The underrepresentation of Mexican Americans in Texas higher education is a major challenge facing the state's leaders. In Texas the growing Mexican American population will constitute the majority of the labor force in 20 to 30 years. The only way to insure a healthy and productive economy for Texas in the future is to invest now in the education…

Although rural America and rural education have a traditional heritage of diversity, collectively rural schools share several unique features. Most rural school districts are small, they are sparsely populated, they are likely to be isolated from any major urban center, and they are both an extension and a reflection of the community they serve.…

This essay presents an overview of the past 25 years of collective bargaining in American public education. Drawing distinctions between compensation and noncompensation issues, the essay addresses the issue of striking a balance between the interests of organized teachers and the educational interests of their communities, and it incorporates…

This report investigates how administrative complexity in funding and personnel of American public school districts varies depending on local, state, and federal funding environments. The analyses are based on a data set integrated from several national data sources describing school districts in the 1970s. As hypothesized in the study, dependence…

This paper reports the results of a statewide survey of elementary school principals by the Illinois State Board of Education to obtain information on the status of early childhood education in Illinois public and nonpublic schools. Such information has important implications for principals developing policies and programs, for determining the…