The Ford Foundation developed the Collaborating for Education Reform Initiative, providing grants to collaboratives in urban settings to improve the quality of teaching. Eight sites signed on, and the RAND Corporation assessed their progress. The authors found that, while none had met final goals, the collaboratives had varying degrees of success and some offered promise. By adopting such techniques as clear communication of expectations and involvement of school staff, collaboratives stand a better chance of success.

Of Progress Toward GoalsThe Alianza; Promote Quality in Teaching and Learning; Promote Policies That Lead to Quality in Teaching and Learning; Ask for More; Promote Quality in Teaching and Learning; Promote Policies That Lead to Quality in Teaching and Learning; Become a Voice for Collaboration; Austin Interfaith; Promote Quality in Teaching and Learning; Promote Policies That Lead to Quality in Teaching and Learning; Become a Voice in the Community; DC VOICE; Promote Policies That Lead to Quality in Teaching and Learning; Become a Voice for the Community; Grow Your Own

Presents a sector-wide review of cost-containment initiatives in higher education in the United States, concentrating on three areas: (1) collaboration--involving shared resources (including human resources), joint purchasing agreements, and opportunities for personal and professional contacts between institutions; (2) technological innovation--ranging from machines that automate to equipment that enables massive information processing, teleconferencing, and distance education; and (3) outsourcing--contracting with an outside vendor to provide a service; often done with support services in the past, but now being considered for core services as well. Since cost cutting is a reality, institutions could benefit from learning from others' experiences. For this reason, more comprehensive and standardized data collection would be in everyone's best interest.

Published annually since 1985, the Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic. The Handbook focuses on a comprehensive set of central areas of study in higher education that encompasses the salient dimensions of scholarly and policy inquiries undertaken in the international higher education community. Each annual volume contains chapters on such diverse topics as research on college students and faculty, organization and administration, curriculum and instruction, policy, diversity issues, economics and finance, history and philosophy, community colleges, advances in research methodology and more. The series is fortunate to have attracted annual contributions from distinguished scholars throughout the world.