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The article presents a case study of planning in the U.S. higher education that used a variety of planning approaches to a new academic program. It suggests that a significant change effort in an institution may well require the use of various approaches to planning. It describes the university administrators' knowledge of strengths and weaknesses for several planning approaches.

Purpose: To examine tobacco farmers’ attitudes toward tobacco control, public health, and tobacco manufacturers in order to determine the extent to which rapidly changing economic conditions have influenced North Carolina tobacco farmer attitudes in ways that may provide tobacco control advocates with new opportunities to promote tobacco control policies in tobacco-dependent US communities. Methods: We used data from a longitudinal sample of North Carolina tobacco farmers across 5 waves of data collection (1997-2005) (baseline N = 749 farmers). Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine changes in attitudes toward tobacco control and tobacco manufacturers, controlling for economic dependence on tobacco, and demographic factors. Results: Over the study period there was reduction in tobacco farmers’ perceptions of threat from tobacco control initiatives. Conclusions: These changes in attitude may signal an opportunity for successful tobacco control activity in traditionally tobacco-dependent states and rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the implications of the 2008 revised Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards adopted by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) for school leaders in the U.S. According to the authors, the study of the relations between the 2008 ISLLC Standards and educaltional planning is cursory and subjective. Unlike the 1996 ISLLC standards, the 2008 standards have no specific educational planning model. A brief description of the 2008 ISLLC educational standards are provided, along with a list of functions for each standard.

Assisting tobacco farmers to transition to non-tobacco alternatives is a key element of comprehensive tobacco control's end-game strategy and specifically required by the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC). We examine the historical relationship between tobacco manufacturers and tobacco farmers in the United States, where the duration of the relationship has been longest and use information obtained to inform possible end-game strategies for tobacco control advocates working with tobacco farmers in developing countries. Tobacco Documents obtained under the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) provide evidence of conflicts between tobacco manufacturers and tobacco farmers. Findings support WHO FCTC articles aimed at helping developing country tobacco farmers adversely affected by tobacco control efforts and highlight difficulties in discouraging tobacco cultivation as long as it remains relatively profitable. We conclude that successful end-game strategies should take a long-term approach aimed at building alliances with tobacco farmers and at creating mechanisms for tobacco farmer investment in local infrastructure.Journal of Public Health Policy (2008) 29, 406–423. doi:10.1057/jphp.2008.37 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates a knowledge base available to inform the professional judgments and actions of school leaders in the U.S. as they attempt to meet improvement challenges. Organizational improvement process used by school leaders in recognizing the need for and deal with change and improvement in their schools; Knowledge bases associated with the core of the process; Roles of knowledge bases during the basic phases of the process.

Discusses the background, status, and potential for recognition of a basic right to education in the United States and the issues related to equitable opportunities for accessing that right. Importance of establishing a right to education; Possibility of judicial modification for inequities of education.

Recycling is generally recognized as a key component of strategies to achieve improved resource efficiency and reduce the environmental burden associated with resource use. However, to maximize the net benefits offered by recycling, one must understand the system-wide effects of substituting primary materials with recycled materials and how those effects vary under alternative strategies. Consequential life cycle assessment (cLCA) approaches to evaluate the impact of increasing use of recycled materials require identification of grades and sources of scrap materials used at the margin. Various grades of recycled materials differ in their substitution possibilities and supply limits. However, most studies of cLCA for material recycling overlook these aspects and typically assume a fixed set of marginal activities. This study develops a model to describe the resource consumption behaviors of material producers and the resulting cascade of material flows for the case of the United States (US) pulp and paper industry. We observe that grades and sources of scrap materials used at the margin dynamically change so as the resulting environmental impact when demand for recycled containerboard products increases. The results show that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings effect of using recycled materials can be considerably larger when marginal recovered fiber comes from additional recovery from landfill rather than being diverted from the export market. Also, the results show that the behavior of international trade partners for recovered paper may offset GHG emission savings from the domestic replacement of virgin pulpwood with recovered paper. Most importantly, such behaviors are dependent on grades used at the margin. The developed model and results can help inform the US pulp and paper industry, policymakers, and other stakeholders about the system-wide effects of increasing use of recovered paper. • We develop a model to describe resource consumption behaviors of the US pulp and paper producers and resulting fiber flows. • This study suggests the importance of identifying the grade and source of scrap used at the margin in the recycling industry. • CLCA based on static marginal technologies may not correctly quantify the system-wide effect of material recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]