Educational practice and barriers to full participation of Alaska Natives in postsecondary education were examined in an ethnographic study begun in October 1980 by the University of Alaska. Focus was on the institutional placement, organization, and functioning of gatekeeping encounters within the university, primarily the central Fairbanks…

While schools are not called upon to meet all human needs, they have a responsibility to strive toward an institutional life of high quality. Although there are no systematic studies of human alienation, reports on secondary education indicate that much of the secondary program breeds alienation. Theory in sociology and social psychology of…

A General Policy Systems Theory is outlined and its application at a university in regard to governance in the face of retrenchment is described. The way that this model of nonrigorous but holistic research supports the Purpose, Target, Results (PTR) strategy and is in turn more useful than either operations research/management or science/systems…

Decision-making and the models of decision-making that people carry in their minds were assessed. Participants in a public policy decision involving early childhood education were mapped onto four frequently used models of decision making: the rational, the bureaucratic, organizational process (Allison, 1971) and the garbage can or organized…

The way that modern management techniques contained in the Linking Elements Concept can be applied successfully to management in institutions of higher learning is considered. The Linking Elements Concept combines management science, management by objectives (MBO), and the behavioral sciences into an overall framework. The concept proposes that…

The formal and informal administrative structures and channels of authority at Iowa Lakes Community College were investigated through a questionnaire administered to the college's board of directors, central administration, department chairpersons, student services staff, student senate, and faculty. The questionnaire asked respondents to identify…

The major purposes of this study were to describe and explain, and then to generate grounded theory about the administrative organization, processes, and behavior in an innovative senior high school. The school selected for the study was nationally known for leadership in implementing individualized learning programs compatible with the model of…

Budgeting and budget planning in higher education are considered, and the long-standing debate concerning whether budgeting is largely a technical or a political exercise is reviewed in this monograph. The roles of various participants in the budgeting process and the form of their participation, with emphasis on centralization of authority in the…

Twenty-six articles based on social science research and the experience of practicing change agents deal with the elements necessary to understand change processes in educational organizations. These are (1) a comprehensive organizational perspective, that is, an understanding of crucial organizational subsystems and processes involved in…

The model attempts to map all relevant factors onto a single integrated structure and to suggest some of the interaction lines. Based on a hexagonal figure, each side represents a set of factors which may have a bearing on, or be affected by, the bilingual program's operation in a particular situation--psychological, sociological, economic,…

Since the school administrator cannot avoid conflict, it is imperative that he or she be prepared to cope with it when it arises and, if possible, before it develops. More than simple coping with conflict, an administrator needs to know how to channel conflict toward constructive ends. Conflict theory is given primary attention in this paper in…

The concept of "instructional leadership" springs from a desire to relate school administration to instruction, but it does little to suggest what the specific links between the two might be. It obscures the uncertainty and tension that is bound to arise from serious efforts to restructure the schools. (BJV)

Reports on proceedings of the 1986 conventions of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Both conventions focused on the endorsement of the Carnegie report, on the professionalization of teaching, on programs to fight rising dropout rates and teacher shortages, and on the success of union leadership. (IW)

Anything built to last needs a clear plan, a solid foundation, the right tools, and strong structural integrity to withstand threatening elements that arise. Unfortunately, most school reform programs do not meet these basic requirements and crumble as quickly as they appear. To offset such mishaps, this guide empowers the reader to be an…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Group Training in Australia: A Study of Group Training Organisations and Host Employers", and is an added resource for further information. [Full Report available at ED493992.] Support Document 2, titled " Group Training and Host Employers in…