The impact of collective bargaining in selected areas of institutional decision making at Illinois community colleges was studied. The study institutions were public community colleges that had comprehensive academic programs and were campus-based. Questionnaire responses were received from 645 teaching faculty. Findings include the following: the…

The role of faculty in institutional governance during a period of change is discussed. The focus is the adaptation of 21 liberal arts colleges to fiscal and enrollment pressures of the 1970s, based on a Carnegie Council study of a total sample of 86 liberal arts colleges. The 21 institutions are further investigated, based on site visits,…

To improve secondary school organization, operation, and outcomes, a research report presents major results from 13 studies of leadership, decision-making, and change conducted by Project on the Administration and Organization for Instruction staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in cooperation with over 100 schools. National and statewide…

A series of study lessons are presented for Catholic school board members who formulate policies for Catholic educational programs. The format is designed around 15 to 20 minutes of group study built into the regular board meeting agenda. Each lesson is designed as an independent unit on a single topic or skill, and each is divided into three…

This report is the fifth in a series on cultivating excellence in education for the purpose of training and retraining school leaders of the 1990s. The role of school administrators, and especially building principals; the characteristic administrative functions; the step-by-step procedures for implementation; and the advantages and possible…

The report documents the extent to which special education teachers took advantage of a program which provided substitute teachers for their classes in order to free them to attend Evaluation, Appraisal and Review (EAR) committee meetings held to review individualized education programs and placement decisions for individual students. Funds to…

In 1981, at the suggestion of the college president, Metro Community College (MCC) instituted a College Advisory System (CAS) to replace its cumbersome structure of 17 standing committees and numerous ad hoc committees. CAS is a voluntary, action-oriented, entirely open system, allowing for input from all sectors of the college community. It is…

Three crucial factors which have inhibited past school improvement efforts are analyzed in this paper. These factors include: (1) promising more than can be delivered; (2) failing to effectively deal with the reality of limited resources; and (3) failing to recognize and initiate opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing. The paper…

In response to the increased emphasis on parent involvement in schools, the Parent Involvement in Education Project (PIEP) conducted a comprehensive six-year study of the attitudes and current practices of teacher educators, teachers, principals, parents, and school administrators in a six state region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New…

In order to build more effective partnerships between home/community and the public school, the Parent Involvement in Education Project (PIEP) conducted a comprehensive six-year study of the various aspects of parent involvement in education from the perspective of key stakeholder groups. This executive summary of the final report represents a…

The Saint Clair County Teachers' Institute (Evanston, Illinois) plans and implements a 1-day inservice for 3,000 teachers (grades K-12) each year. The committee in charge of planning and implementing the inservice is composed of two co-chairpersons (each an administrator from a local school district), representatives from the regional…

Managerial styles and the concommitant relationships between managers and other employees can have a significant impact on many aspects of the work situation. In a study of the environments within two automotive supply organizations similar in size and technology but different in formal managerial styles (participative management and modified…

In British Columbia the responsibility for non-degree, continuing professional education of teachers is vested in the Ministry of Education, three universities, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation, and the schools. Demography necessitates coordinated planning. Multi-agency planning committees are established to improve communication, assess…

The way that "open meeting laws" are working in the governance of U.S. higher education is discussed, based on a study of sunshine laws of 50 states and a survey of case law and attorneys' opinions. In-depth interviews were also conducted with individuals from six states identified as representing a range of openness. From most open to…

This paper describes a survey conducted in 1982 by the Rosemount, Minnesota, school district as a model for other districts wishing to obtain reliable information about their communities at low cost. The paper outlines the following information: (1) the objectives of the survey; (2) the district's constraints and resources; (3) preliminary…