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The Federal Communications Commission is currently considering modifying or eliminating existing media ownership rules. Children's advocates are concerned that any changes to these rules could negatively affect the already limited amount and types of programming available for children. Children Now conducted the first study to examine the availability and diversity of children programming in an increasingly consolidated media marketplace. Los Angeles was selected as a case study for this research because it is the second largest media market in the country, and two duopolies now exist among its television stations. The study compared the children's programming schedules from 1998, when the market's seven major commercial broadcast television stations were owned by seven different companies, to 2003, after consolidation reduced the number to five. The findings suggest that changes to the current ownership policies will have a serious impact on the availability and diversity of children's programming. Overall, the research shows there are fewer children's series, fewer broadcast hours, and an increase in repurposed (aired on more than one channel) programs in Los Angeles today compared to 5 years ago. (Author)

This study is envisioned as the first part in a two-part study of the evolving state-level governance of community colleges and technical institutes and area vocation schools in those states that originally developed dual systems. The first phase of the study is in two parts: (1) to identify those states that have or have had dual systems of community colleges or systems of area vocational schools that have adult education programs somewhat similar to those offered by community colleges; and (2) to identify whether consideration has been given to merging the systems for those states with such dual systems of community colleges and technical colleges or area vocational schools. A simple questionnaire was sent to each state director for community colleges in July 2001, and responses were received from all 50 states. Highlights of the findings are as follows: (1) 30 states reported that their state had area vocational schools. Seven of those states have either merged their systems, are in the process of merging them, or were considering mergers. (2) 18 states reported that they have or have had a dual system of community and technical colleges. Eight of those states have merged or begun merging the systems, and two of the states are considering changes. (Contains 11 tables.) Research instrument appended. (NB)

Most school consolidations have exercised a plan, but few have followed up with an evaluation. This report provides a history of consolidation in Ohio and a follow-up study of the last school consolidation to take place in Ohio in 1992. The study, conducted in 2000, included a survey of teachers, parents, and students to determine the success of the consolidation and the feelings of those involved 8 years later. When asked in 1992 if the consolidation were good for everyone, 11 of the 13 teachers responding to the survey offered a positive response. The same response was offered 8 years later. Fifty-eight parents (78 percent) surveyed in 1992 expressed satisfaction with the consolidation. The same number were still pleased with the arrangement 8 years later. Also, 60 percent of parents believed their children enjoyed school after the consolidation. Those who responded with written comments were very positive about the consolidation. Additionally, superintendents of the smallest school districts in the state were surveyed to get a sense of what they were thinking about consolidation. They did not appear to be concerned with the issue of consolidation. (Contains 1 table and 23 references.) (WFA)

New technologies have made radical changes in the way work is done. This development has passed by German trade unions anchored traditionally among workers in industrial production and stuck in the old model of the full-time employee with a predictable career and a job for life. Consequently, between 1991-98, about 3 million out of the former 11 million members of German trade unions turned their backs on them. Lack of content, financial losses, and changed general economic conditions has ushered in a consolidation process among trade unions. Several mergers have reduced the 16 unions under the umbrella of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) to 12, but the decline in union membership has continued. The biggest merger of five trade unions to form the United Services Trade Union (ver.di) is imminent. Its champions say ver.di will take account of changed economic and social general conditions in terms of both content and structure and hope it will attract members from the information technology industry, in which unions have so far been unable to gain a foothold. Young trade union officials and members are following the ver.di merger process with skepticism. They see the merger as a chance to renew the unions but question the ability to change the old hierarchies, decision-making structures, and positions. An image campaign is targeting young people and workers in branches of the future to tell them trade unions are the way of the future. (Fifteen Internet links are listed.) (YLB)

In Texas, a financially troubled school district must submit a plan of action to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for improving its financial situation without harming the quality of education delivered. If things get worse, TEA assigns a financial monitor to advise the district on overcoming its financial problems and to determine if further sanctions are necessary. If financial conditions continue to worsen, TEA sends a Master, who has authority to overrule the superintendent and the board. District options for bringing costs under control include reducing personnel; contracting out for transportation, food, and custodial services; increasing efforts to collect taxes or recover delinquent taxes; raising the tax rate; and increasing the average daily attendance, the main factor in determining state aid levels. In extreme cases, the district may opt to divest itself of high school or all secondary grade levels. Nearby wealthy districts can be solicited to purchase weighted average daily attendance or to consolidate tax bases with the struggling district. If there are no wealthy districts nearby, help cannot be solicited. Voluntary consolidation or annexation can be accomplished with approval from voters in both districts. Districts in grave financial condition will be dissolved and ordered to be annexed to an adjoining district. In either consolidation or annexation, the receiving district receives special funds to assist in the handling of the inherited deficit. This paper recounts a small district's journey through this process to forced annexation and gives recommendations to districts in similar circumstances. (TD)

Higher education in the Netherlands is divided into three sectors: traditional universities; schools for higher occupational education, known as "hoger beroepsonderwijs," or HBOs; and the Open University, which offers both university and HBO degrees for students unable or unprepared to attend traditional institutions. The HBO system, having evolved from guild courses in the 19th century, was formally established in 1963. By 1983, there were 348 HBOs, but it had become evident that many of the institutions were too small to have any managerial strength and too restricted in course offerings. Subsequent policy changes mandated that HBOs achieve minimum enrollments of 600 students through institutional mergers, that they operate with increased autonomy, and that they increase efficiency. To determine issues associated with the mergers, related literature was reviewed and three HBOs representing different approaches to the merger process were visited and interviews were conducted with rectors and other high-ranking administrators. Based on the literature and interviews, the three institutions all experienced a certain psychological difficulty adjusting to the mergers, although there were definite advantages to the process, such as increased autonomy regarding the use of resources, personnel policies, and the educational process. In general, all three institutions benefited from the process, suggesting that this type of consolidation might also be beneficial for institutions in the United States. Contains 12 references. (BCY)

Passage in 1989 of Oklahoma's education reform bill, H.B. 1017, provided encouragement and financial rewards for use of consolidation as a reform strategy, but this approach is often met with anxiety and hostility from stakeholders. In an effort to identify strategies that facilitate consolidation, semistructured interviews were conducted with the superintendents of 16 rural Oklahoma school districts that had participated in 8 voluntary consolidations. The superintendents discussed strategies used to enhance the consolidation process for teachers, parents and community, students, support staff, administrators, and board members, as well as strategies that proved unproductive. Thirteen successful strategies were identified. Addressing the number one staff issue--job security--all eight consolidated districts guaranteed the positions of administrators and support staff, while five new districts retained their entire teaching staff. Keeping staff informed and providing employee displacement compensation were other staff strategies. Maintaining all school sites greatly enhanced the consolidation process for students and community members; this was accomplished in six consolidations. Other student and community strategies included community meetings, media releases, focus on the student benefits of consolidation, and joint student-body activities. Administrative issues were addressed through preconsolidation administrative appointments, joint board meetings, extensive planning, and state assistance. Contains 25 references and 16 data tables. (SV)

The Commission on Preservation and Access was established to foster, develop, and support collaboration among libraries and organizations in order to ensure the preservation of published and documentary records and to provide enhanced access to scholarly information. The Council on Library Resources was established to look toward the future on behalf of libraries, address problems experienced by libraries, and identify innovative solutions, by promoting research, organizing conferences, issuing publications, and managing collaborative projects to bring about significant change. The two organizations merged in 1996 and together work to provide equitable and enduring access to information. The annual report describes the following: (1) the organization, support, and administrative merger of the Commission and the Council; (2) digital library projects; (3) the economics of information; (4) the development of leaders for the future; (5) preservation initiatives which involve new partnerships and cooperation from new specialties; (6) the international program to promote preservation awareness around the globe and establish collaborative projects to improve the accessibility of research materials to scholars everywhere; (7) communications and publications that inform, advocate, and facilitate action in support of the organizations' programs; and (8) collaborations of the College Libraries Committee and the Preservation Managers Council. An appendix provides a listing of publications and reports, grants and contracts, committees and task forces, boards and staff, and separate 1996 financial statements for the two organizations, with comparative totals for 1995. (SWC)

Eight papers are presented from the 1995 CAUSE conference track on academic computing and library issues faced by managers of information technology at colleges and universities. The papers include: (1) "Where's the Beef?: Implementation of Discipline-Specific Training on Internet Resources" (Priscilla Hancock and others); (2) "'What I Really Want from the World Wide Web Is....' How Do We Establish Access to Ever Expanding Resources? (Rob Aken and Mary Molinaro), on librarians' role in creating and managing Internet resources; (3) "Library as Perpetual Partner: Providing Information Access and Technology Support" (Benjamin A. Shepherd and others), focusing on developments at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; (4) "Distributed Academic Technologies: Changing the Face of Teaching, Learning and Research" (Rosemary Ruhig Du Mont and others), on the development of an interactive high performance learning environment at Kent State University; (5) "Computing Center/Library Cooperation in the Development of a Major University Service: Northwestern's Electronic Reserve System" (Brian Nielsen and others); (6) "IT Service for Academic Units: Three Perspectives" (James I. Penrod and others), compares the information technology services provided to departments at three universities; (7) "Teaming Up to Promote Effective Teaching, Learning, and Research Using Technology" (Janet de Vry and others), which discusses joint efforts by four units of the University of Delaware to promote faculty utilization of information technology; and (8) "Library and Computing Merger: Clash of Titans or Golden Opportunity" (Sharon M. West and Steven L. Smith), reports on the merger of the library and computing services at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Some papers contain references. (MDM)

This synthesis aims to provide policymakers with a comprehensive overview of issues surrounding the reorganization of small rural school districts. The report draws on research findings and describes examples of various organizational arrangements to address rural education needs. Seven sections examine the following: (1) current social and economic conditions in rural communities and common challenges, including the high percentage of at-risk rural students, leading to renewed interest in district reorganization; (2) research addressing relationships between school size and school effectiveness, curricular offerings, dropout rates, student achievement (especially that of disadvantaged and at-risk students), and financial efficiency; (3) background and history of rural school consolidation; (4) positive and negative effects of school consolidation on schools and communities; (5) arrangements between districts and other organizations that provide alternatives to total school reorganization; (6) information about distance education technology as it relates to district reorganization; and (7) conclusions. The research shows not only that larger schools do not guarantee improved quality or efficiency, but also that small schools are positively associated with achievement and many factors that promote it. Partial reorganization alternatives involve cooperative efforts between districts or between districts and other organizations, thus increasing the size of the population served or of the resource base without the negative effects of total mergers. Distance education provides a means to expand curriculum and facilitate district cooperation. Contains 142 references. (SV)

A recurring issue in the library field is the possible merger of public and school libraries into one joint venture with a single administration. In anticipation of increased emphasis on library consolidation in the future, a brief analysis of North Dakota's current library situation reveals that it is characterized by inconsistent service, scarce funds, and a shortage of options, making merger a possible alternative. This proposal has traditionally been based on the contention that in areas of limited population and resources, the operation of one library is more efficient than two, but this theory has not been proven in practice. Arguments for merger include economic and budgetary savings; increased credibility, strength and effectiveness; a stronger sense of community; and better ability to attract young readers and keep them as patrons. Anti-merger arguments claim that the economic savings tend to be more illusion than reality. This is because school and public libraries have very different audiences and goals that cannot be blended smoothly. In the case of a merger, the lesser partner (usually the public library) diminishes in importance. Population, public interest, goodwill and cooperative attitude of participants, and strength of library staff are determining factors in the viability of consolidation. Mergers are advised to be done with caution, and creative cooperative arrangements are recommended as possible alternatives to the problematic option of consolidation. (MAS)

Examines trade union mergers highlighting merger forms, merger motivation, role played by union officers, and merger waves. Discusses the consequences of mergers on members and union performance and concludes that union merger activity has had little impact. (Contains 74 references.) (JOW)