Mission Groups and the New Politics of British Higher Education

This article explores the emergence and impact of the mission groups in British higher education. The central argument is that given the development of a mass and diversified model of higher education it was inevitable that the higher education institutions would form pressure groups, while increased marketisation and growing inter‐institutional competition have helped to sustain their presence. With particular reference to their input into the policy making process, it analyses how they contribute to a new politics of policy‐making and concludes by considering the future of the mission groups in the light of the recent demise of the 1994 Group.     

The U.S. Government Printing Office's initiatives for the Federal Depository Library Program to set the stage for the 21st century

It is estimated that the majority of federal information is born digital. To that end, the U.S. Government Printing Office is transforming into a 21st century electronic information agency. As part of this effort, the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) has been investigating new options for the dissemination of Federal information that incorporate digitization, preservation, electronic metadata, and information retrieval. The FDLP's efforts to find new solutions will improve acquisitions, information access, and collection development for depository libraries. This article describes just a few of the initiatives GPO has undertaken to increase access to electronic U.S. Government information.     

Issues in Setting Motor Performance Standards

Setting motor performance standards has long been a process of interest to physical educators. Theoretical advances in the measurement technology appropriate for standard-setting, however, have occurred only in the last decade. The first portion of this paper is devoted to a discussion of issues in setting standards and a brief review of procedures for standard-setting. In the latter section, gender differences in motor performance are examined and the impact of these differences on standard-setting is considered.     

Separate Model versus Experimenter as Model in Vicarious Concept Attainment

The effects on observational concept learning of the experimenter as his own model, versus the experimenter plus a separate model, versus a nonmodeling (control) procedure, as well as the provision of favorable versus neutral outcome-expectation, and sex of child, were studied across baseline, imitation, and transfer phases in a 3 X 2 X 2 X 3 factorial design, using ninety-six economically-disadvantaged first-graders. Neither expectation nor sex created significant differences, but each modeling group surpassed the controls in imitative concept-attainment and transfer. As expected, learning and transfer were very comparable for the alternative modeling formats. The relevance of the results to the information-transmitting features of modeled displays, and to the use of modeling techniques in practical pedagogy were discussed     

The learning enrichment service (LES): A multi‐optioned approach to programming for gifted secondary school students

The Learning Enrichment Service (LES) is a multi‐optioned, research based model for bettor meeting the needs of gifted secondary school students. It acts as a school‐wide support system for teachers and students in both the regular classroom and specialized programs by screening, training, networking, counselling and exchanging information for enrichment programming.     

Patterns of Provision for Pupils with Behavioural Difficulties in England: A study of government statistics and behaviour support plan data

This paper gives as full an overview of the patterns of provision made in England for disaffected and excluded pupils and those said to have emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) in England as the available data allow. It draws upon government statistics, local education authorities' (LEAs') first 'Behaviour Support Plans' and related literature. The BSPs were intended by the English government, but sometimes failed to give, comprehensive accounts of current local provision and future inter-agency plans. However, when analysed alongside government figures, certain features become clear. While in 1998 local education authorities were attempting to move towards prevention and on-mainstream-school site interventions, the need for off-site special units ('Pupil Referral Units') continued to increase and the numbers of pupils in EBD special schools remained roughly constant. Despite national pressure to move towards the inclusion of all pupils, LEAs continued to find it impossible to educate a small percentage of pupils with behavioural difficulties on mainstream sites.     

AN OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH SPECIAL SCHOOL PROVISION FOR CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

This paper Introduces the work of a University of Birmingham Research Project. An overview Is given of changes and developments in the English EBD field since the last major national investigation carried out by Dawson, Wilson and Evans in the late 1970s. Major pieces of legislation have had an impact while researchers have stressed the Importance of moving away from ‘within‐child’ deficit model thinking. The ‘schools effectiveness’ movement has gathered pace and is reflected in the HMI/Ofsted view of schools for pupils with EBD. The second half of the paper outlines the difficulties encountered in trying to give an accurate picture of numbers of children deemed to have EBD and of numbers of EBD special schools In the maintained, non‐maintained, ‘approved’ and ‘registered’ independent sectors. Finally, figures based on a study of DfE statistics for 1994 are given.