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Leading Change in Educational Organization

Despite the fact that change is difficult to do well, it is a very vital aspect to organizational growth and survival. Dismissal record of success is one thing that is shared by the different forms of change. In educational organizational setting, change is required in order to bring about high performance and high quality of education. It should be clearly understood that out of the very many companies that implement change for success, only a few of them are able to succeed. This is the reason as to why it is indicated that change is difficult to implement. Educational organization across the whole world are beginning to see the benefits of change and hence are increasingly beginning to use a new and innovative approach that brings about small and large scale systems of change in different schools especially universities (Fullan, 2001, pp.43).

This study addresses the concept of change and its impacts or effects to educational organization settings, management and leading change, counteracts to change, politics, and economics, comprehension of the dynamics of change and their effects on the strategic planning of learning institutions, and other information that is related to leading change in educational organizations. Educational organizations are among the aspects that are experiencing a lot of change in the whole world and hence information concerning how this change should be led and managed is of great importance. There are different ways that are used in bringing about change in educational systems. Many researchers and scholars have stated that bring about change is one thing and leading and managing that change is another aspect. Traditional educational settings need to be changed in order to incorporate the aspect of advanced technology in education (Harris, 2007, pp.316).  

In order to gain a clear understanding of educational change process and its associated impacts on the practices of education, it is very imperative to examine change, leadership theories, behavior, and principles. In this case, change is brought about by leaders and good leaders usually consult the employees before implementing a change as indicated by the participatory leadership theories (Silverman, 2005, pp.23). According to the behavioral theory of leadership, great leaders are usually made but not born. In this case, a leader learns how to be a leader through practicing. Principles of a good leader include; listening, trusting oneself, empowering the subordinates, learning to be resilient, communicating effectively, and learning to take responsibilities. 

In order to clearly understand the concept of change, it is of great importance to define this change. Change can be defined differently according to different situations. As indicated by Werkman (2009, pp.670), change is so all-encompassing in people’s lives to the extent that it almost defeats analysis and description. Generally, change is the aspect of making something looks new or transforming something from the old form to a new one (Harris, 2007, pp.317).

Change occurs over time and hence it is inevitable. This implies that there is not a time when individuals will avoid change; this is an aspect that comes as time goes by. For instance, the increased advancement of technology has brought about a lot of changes in all aspects of life over a very short period of time. Change is not always positive as in some ways it is negative or both. This means that change may come to alter what is already there either negatively or positively or even both. Researches, as indicated by Silverman (2005, pp.23), change is unavoidable and hence it is the role of the affected parties to make sure that this change is well led and managed (Leithwood et al, 1999). Change can be brought about by an individual to the society and it can emanate from the society to an individual. This indicates that a person can change the entire society while on the other hand a society can change the behaviors and thoughts of an individual. It should be noted that for a change to take place or to occur, there must be a cause and effects. In educational settings, technology has caused a lot of changes which have brought about improvement in performance of both students and teachers (Paton & McCalman, 2000).

Until recently, educational management structures and governance have been majorly bureaucratic particularly in their mode of operation which was based on centralized and top-down control. This indicates that the management and leadership of education were from districts to schools to departments to teachers to students (Dubrin, 2004, pp.87). Organizational theories and practices that have been developed and used indicate that effective educational organizations afford tampering and reforming the vertical chains of commands and greater degrees of self management as well as lateral collaborations that are characterized by bureaucratic school management (Jacobson et al, 2005, pp.617). This is a good example that change occurs over time and it is inevitable.

The concept of change does not only occur in the leadership and management of educational organizations but also to the performance of students and teachers. In this respect, the quality of education is changing where students because of improved and advanced technologies are increasingly performing very well at schools. It has become very easy for tutors to teach their students especially with the new internet technology. Organizational change, as stated by Fullan (2001, pp.43), is the process of moving from the present or current operational phase into the next and advanced functional phase. This process is very difficult as there are barriers of change. This indicates that there are some aspects that do not allow change to take place. In educational organizational settings, there are some barriers that hinder change from taking place. These barriers include; inefficient leadership and leadership strategies, ineffective communication with parties involved in change implementation, unclear processes and procedures concerning specific and general goals, lack of involvement of all parties that are concerned or involved in change management, resistance from employees, and improper or ineffective management of resources (Easterby-Smith et al, 2003, pp.23). 

The above described concepts of change have great impact on educational setting in the present or current education operational systems.  It has been indicated that change is inevitable and occurs over time. In this respect, the traditional management of educational organization that was majorly based on bureaucracy has changed in the recent times and schools are given a lot of autonomy to lead themselves (Davies, 2002, pp.43). Taking an example in the aspect of funding education, it is clear that not only, for example, in the United States of America where the state had overall role of financing education but in the whole world. This has changed over time because of a number of political, social and economic factors. On this basis, state governments in many countries of the world contribute only a half of the educational funding while the rest is contributed by other sources (Dessler, 2001, pp.65).

There has been a general trend towards devolved responsibility where schools are now allowed greater scope for self management and the empowerment of teachers allowing them to take professional responsibility for the learning that goes on their classes. It is of importance to note that communities that are served by schools are allowed to take broader opportunities in these schools in order to become more involved in school governance (Chrusciel, 2008, pp.156). This is a change that has occurred over a period of time and has its causes and effects.

Basically, when community members are allowed greater opportunities and involved in governance, there are the ones who are much aware of the situations of the students in these district schools and hence they direct teachers on which student requires much financial and social support (Fullan, 2007, pp.56). These changes in the organization of schools have at times been extensive and varied from systems mandated standards that permit tutors to utilize their professional judgment in determining the particular approach that should be the best for students in meeting the requirements of those standards, to the spread of charter schools which permit a lot of self management at school levels. The concept of change that characterizes it as providing positive and negative results is outlined by these changes that have been implemented in educational organizations (Bush & Middlewood, 2005, pp.28). In this case, outcomes have been disappointing especially where there is lack of management and leadership principles at school level.

A lot of changes have occurred in educational organizations settings in the last two decades and the years ahead will bring about much more changes. Most of these changes have come from developments in the external environment where educational organizations have to thrive and survive in. Sometimes changes occur without warning but experience has showed that is a very rare case hence implying that people ignore signs of change or misinterpret them.  Change is believed to be brought about by an individual to society or society to individuals and therefore in educational institutions good and well experienced managers are required who can implement positive changes (Spiro, 2010, pp.27). Taking an example in Iran, the minister of education has tried a lot in trying to reduce the high populations of students in the country’s universities. In this case, he proposed the introduction of blended education that is a mixture of face to face learning and online learning. This aspect has changed the overall education systems of this country as many students who are incapable of paying the full tuition fees in campuses are able to enroll for online learning programs. This has also relieved teachers from the burden of teaching large groups of students at universities. This is a good example of change that is brought about by an individual to the whole society.

Change is of no meaning if it is not well led and managed. In educational organizational settings, there is a requirement that well informed and experienced personnel should be selected to manage and lead change. For instance, the change that was introduced in Iranian private universities as describe above could be of no meaning if it was not properly managed and led (Rothwell et al, 2009, pp.45). Bringing about changes is one thing and managing is another. The traditional European education system that was adopted by many countries of the world is increasingly changing in extensity and scope. For instance, in the United States of America a lot of reforms are being implemented that are aimed at improving the quality of education. For instance, the No Child Left Behind Act of the year 2001 indicates that all students should be tested before they graduate from high school education to post secondary education. The responsibility and roles of testing students ranges from state to state, school to school, and from teacher to teacher. Students are tested at state level in order to examine their performance. This change has brought about a lot of positives in the education system as students are able to decide their future careers according to their performance in the numerous subjects that are tested (Hickman, 2009, pp.65). On the other hand, there are some problems that are involved in this process which indicate that changes do not only bring about positive aspects but also negative ones. In this case, students who do not want to continue with post secondary education are not helped by this testing at all (Reeves, 2009, pp.56). 

Leading change implies that the change that has been introduced in educational organizations is correctly led in order to bring good yields to the directly and indirectly involved parties. If changing; professionally, organizationally, and personally, were very simple and straightforward process, there could be a lot of visions which are actualized, mission accomplished, and dreams realized (Case, 2005, pp.34). Since change is not a simple aspect to implement and manage, it is required that professionals be used in this aspect. Leading change means that providing relevant resources, engaging all parties involved in the process of implementation of change, and using effective tactics in change implementation (Roueche et al, 2008, pp.31). In the current world, leading and managing change in educational institution setting requires a lot of innovations and inventions. This is because the current world is changing at very high rate and without innovations and inventions educational institutions will lag behind.

The other aspect of change is that it should be learned. This implies that in order to for people to clearly understand changes, they must have plenty of information about the particular changes. This therefore calls for learning of changes. In the current educational institution settings, a lot of changes have been brought about by advancement in technology and hence it’s the role of teachers to train students on the ways of using this technology. For instance, many schools in the world especially in the developed world have moved from the aspect of copying notes in a book to typing notes during classes while using laptops. This is a technological change and which should be taught to students over time (Baldridge & Deal, 1975, pp.76). The best way of managing change in educational organization settings is to train parties involved (teachers, students, and seniors) on the uses of that change. The integration of learning management systems in K-12 has opened a lot of opportunities where teachers, students, and parents are able to communicate and interact online.

It has been indicated by McDonald and Stockley (2010, pp. 37) that, if something cannot be measured in an organization it becomes very difficult to manage it. In this case, changes occurring in educational organization settings need to be measured so that they can be managed. This concept of change has increasingly impacted educational organization as when changes occur they are measure accordingly and when their scopes and intensities are identified, it becomes very easy to manage them (Durrant & Holden, 2005, pp.16). For example, the change that was brought about in Iranian private universities by the minister of education to this country was measurable and hence easily managed.

The numerous changes that have occurred in educational institutions in the whole world have positively and negatively impacted these institutions. This is because a lot of students are enrolling for higher education in different universities of the world as a result of the introduction and implementation of blended learning (Werkman, 2009, pp.25). The quality of education has changed greatly as a result of introduction of new technologies in education sector and increased supply of information from the internet. Changes in educational settings are brought about by political and economic aspects. For instance the blended learning in Iran is as a result of political aspect (Silverman, 2005, pp.58). Additionally, the aspect of many governments from all over the world deciding to fund education partly is a result of economic aspects since educations has become very expensive.

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The negative side of these changes is that education in the whole globe has become very expensive and competitive especially to the international students (Paton & McCalman, 2000, pp.78). Many people are unable to pay their tuition fees while studying in different schools. Learning programs are increasingly changing with the increased technological changes in the whole world. The increase populations in different countries of the world have brought about the increased number of educational organizations. This is explained by the aspect of changes occurring over a period of time since before the last two decades, the number of schools in the whole world were very few as many people were not attending schools. In the current world, education has been defined as the key to economic success of a country and hence there is increased numbers of students at schools (Jacobson et al, 2005, pp.623).  

One of the contradicting aspects that are facing educational organizations in the whole world is lack of leaders and managers to identify and understand their roles. Leaders do not make plans, solve problems, or organize people but they prepare educational organizations for change and assist them cope in their struggle through change (Dubrin, 2004, pp.34). On the other hand managers, plan and budget for changes, organizing people to be prepared for change, do the staffing, control the workforce, and help in solving problems that may be brought about by this change. it should be noted that in educational organizations setting, change managers analyze the situation, motivate the parties involved in change implementations towards acceptance of this change, and set up public relations with the people (Students, teachers, communities, and administrators) who are affected by the change (Easterby-Smith et al, 2003, pp.63). Leadership in change is always of low percentage as compared to management as it was indicated by Davies (2002, 201). 

Effective leadership in change is indicated by actions that create and improve organizational capabilities and management systems which are exhibited through increased interactions with governmental capacities represented by management systems. In leading change in educational organization, leaders should establish a direction, motivate people, and align them in order to be very much prepared in receiving change. It should be noted that changes are mostly rejected by people if they are not made to understand the benefits of this change (Dessler, 2001, pp.26). For instance, blended learning that was introduced in Iran and which is implemented in many other nations of the world could have been rejected by teachers if they were not motivated and aligned to receive it (Chrusciel, 2008, pp.29).

Management on the other hand involves planning, budgeting, organizing, and staffing in order to get prepared for that change. When a certain educational program or course is introduced in a campus in any country, it is the role of the managers to make sure that the project is adequately funded, the sources of funds, the personnel who will be involved in that project like who will be the head of department, which teachers will be teaching this new course and so on, and the responsibilities of each and every member of staff who will be required to take part in that project. If the numbers of tutors or trainers are not enough in undertaking this course, the management is responsible for staffing (Spiro, 2010, pp.45).    

In most modern organization, management of change has become a very crucial aspect in seeking the final component of successfully managing strategy, culture, and process (Fullan, 2007, pp.36). The increased technological innovations and demographic changes that are experienced in educational institutions today require these organizations to change at very high rates. This is because, as revealed by Bush and Middlewood (2005, pp.39), change management is a continuous process where a combination of art and science is used in assuring alignment of an educational organization’s process, strategy, and structures. Researchers have indicated that leaders who are much more satisfying to their subjects are more transformational and less transactional (Spiro, 2010, pp.43). This implies that leaders should bring about changes in educational institutions in order to satisfy their followers. An effective leader recognizes that transformational changes will occur in an interaction among the followers. Educational organizations undertake political, social, economic, and technological changes that are needed in their survival and prosperity in the current environment. Teachers, students, and administrators are being involved in these changes in order to make sure that barriers of change are reduced drastically (Reeves, 2009, pp.19). 

In order to effectively manage and lead change in educational organizations, there must be change agents and representatives in the management of change. Particular educational institutions should select individuals who are very much capable of bringing about change. Transformational change in education sector is very crucial and hence professionals should be used in determining what type of change that should be implemented (Hickman, 2009, pp.66). For instance, a university that intends to introduce blended learning should be able to manage the aspect of online learning by creating and designing a website where online students will be able to get class materials and present their assignments. These are preparations that should not be underestimated when talking about leading change. In the current world which is full of technological innovations, high level of leadership and management qualities are required in ensuring that educational organizations go hand in hand with the prevailing technological advancements (Rothwell et al, 2009, pp.67).

Leading change in educational organizations is ensuring that the change is making sense to those who are affected. This denotes that people outside educational organizations like community members may be affected by the changes that may be implemented (Baldridge & Deal, 1975, pp.19). There has to be some sound personal reasons why other parties like teachers, non teaching staff, local community representatives, and administrators should be engaged in the process of implementing change (Case, 2005, pp.87). For instance, if it is the case of testing students before they graduate to post secondary education, parents and teachers should be engaged in decision making. Leading change imply getting people engaged and involved with it in order to make them engage positively with it (Roueche et al, 2008, pp.67). When people are engaged in a change, there is a high probability of accepting it.

Leaders of change need to communicate and continue communicating direction and purpose of the change. It should be noted that if change is well led and managed it brings about prosperity to the people involved and the entire educational organizations. Educational organizations are involved in training students to be good managers and leaders and hence they need to be in the front line in matters relating to leading and managing change. The fact that change is inevitable should be used as strength in these organizations in making sure that they are at all times ready for changes. Additionally, as learned under the concept of change, changes are either positive, negative or even both and hence it all depends with the leaders and managers of change. In this case, if the leadership and management are good a change will be favorable (Moe & Chubb, 2009, pp.56).

Change, despite its widespread benefits is not a straightforward aspect that is welcomed by all aspects in educational organizations. This implies that there a number of factors that hinder change and it is the role and responsibility of leaders and managers of change to make sure that these barriers or resistances are counteracted. In order to identify the various ways of counteracting resistance to change, it is of great importance to identify the various barriers of change in educational organizations (McDonald & Stockley, 2010, pp.32).

Organizational change usually involves human resources in the process of altering through advancing the way things are conducted in an institution. This process is very tough for both the institution and the involved parties. It should be noted that in the process of implementing change, there can be changes in the transfer of employees, ownership, and processes of an institution (Durrant & Holden, 2005, pp.65). It is the tendency and nature of human beings to resist change and hence the agents of change usually have a very difficult time in making sure that they are able to counteract the resistances of change. Individuals resist change because of the fear that the change will negatively impact them. For instance, teachers may resist the aspect of blended learning fearing that they will be over burdened or they will be required to further their education (Tye & Tye, 1992, 65). In this case, the fear of negative impacts of change makes people and mostly the employees in educational organizations resist change. It should be noted that many people are mostly concerned with their current circumstances as compared to those of the organization and hence they fear that a change implemented would negatively impact their current circumstances (Werkman, 2009, pp.670). In this case, employees fail to recognize the positive impacts the implemented change will have to the entire organization.

In any organization, employees usually form work habits and hence they usually fear that if a change is introduced in that organization, their habits would be negatively impacted. Mostly, it is very hard to break bad habits but they must be in order for an educational organization like a university to develop (Silverman, 2005, pp.45). For instance, lecturers may have formed a habit of skipping some lectures or leaving lectures earlier than the required period of time and hence they fear that a change in the way students are taught may negatively impact their habits (Cummings & Worley, 2008, pp.34). Employee absenteeism and churn are some of the ways in which employees may manifest their resistance to changes. In this respect, lecturers may start absenting themselves from classes in order to communicate to the administration that they are not in support for the proposed change (Paton & McCalman, 2000, pp.25).

Teachers may resist change because of the worries of how their lives and work will be affected by the proposed change. This is fear of the uncertainty which makes teachers, even though they have dissatisfaction with their present jobs, to resist change (Leithwood et al, 1999, pp. 36). The concern over personal loss is another aspect that makes teachers to resist change in educational institutions. Some changes may benefit district schools but some teachers may resist this change because of the cost of change in matters relating to loss of power, salary, quality of work, and prestige. Group resistance is another aspect that needs to be addressed in identifying the barriers of change (Harris, 2007, pp.320). In this case, different groups have different norms, behaviors, and performances that are communicated to the members. If a change does not comply with these behaviors, norms, and performances of these groups, this change will be rejected (Jacobson et al, 2005, pp.630).        

There are a number of ways that resistance to change may be countered and make it easy to implement change. The methods of counteracting resistance to change are not always forceful but educative and convincing where those people who are resisting change are made to understand the benefits of this change and the benefits that they and the whole institution will have when the proposed changes are implemented (Fullan, 2001, pp.65). These ways include; education and communication, participation and involvement, negotiation and agreement, facilitation and support, manipulation and cooptation, and explicit as well as implicit coercion (Wagner, 1998, pp.513).

When school leaders adequately communicate with organization members in order to assist them see the usefulness of the change and the logic behind it. Communication in any organization, as indicated by Dubrin (2004, pp.56), is very essential as it makes all people feel that they are recognized in that organization. Lack of proper communication and education makes people reject or refuse a change without knowing its implications. This is achieved through face to face communication, publications, special reports, or even formal group presentations (Bascia & Hargreaves, 2000, pp.75). By educating and communicating to each other, the leader- member relation is strengthened and characterized by mutual trust. 

Educational institution’s members who are involved in the process of planning and implementing a change are less likely to resist that that as they are the ones who planned and implemented it. As a result of this therefore, as argued by Easterby-Smith et al (2003, pp.19), leaders and managers of change may allow those people oppose change to express their views on the proposed change indicating potential problems and giving suggestions on the modifications. By doing this, resistance to change will be reduced drastically (Lewis, 2011, pp.12).

During the process of implementing change, leaders should manifest facilitative and supportive leadership conducts. This is done by listening to teachers’ ideas, using teachers’ ideas that have merits, and being approachable (Davies, 2002, pp.201). Leaders make the working conditions more pleasant by supporting the organizational members. For instance they may develop the staff by helping them acquire more skills that are crucial in implementing the change especially at difficulty times. Such behaviors are likely to diminish resistance to change (Dessler, 2001, pp.39).

Through provision of incentives for cooperation, leaders are able to neutralize actual or potential resistance. For example when there is a collective bargaining at school between the school board and different employee unions, employees can be given certain concessions in order to provide their support for a new program proposed by the school leaders (Hargreaves et al, 2010, pp.43). These concessions may be things like bonuses, increased union representations in decision making, and increments in salaries. By doing this, the leaders will be reducing the level of resistance of employees to a proposed change (Chrusciel, 2008, pp.150).

In order to make sure that a change will be successful, school leaders chose to be much selective on the people who are supposed to get information, how much information, the accuracy of that information, and when to disseminate the information (Fullan, 2007, pp.17). Additionally, resistance to change may be reduced by giving the leaders of resisting groups the main roles in decision making about the change. This will help in identifying their views and making sure that they propose something which they cannot resist (Bush & Middlewood, 2005, pp.78). It should be noted that the main reason for seeking the advice of resisters is not to arrive at a better decision but to make sure that their endorsement is adequately captured. These two methods are less costly in influencing potential resisters to accept change but they may backfire especially when the resisters know that they are being tricked (Lieberman, 2005, pp.16). In this case therefore, they should be conducted with great care not to bring about more problems. 

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Force or coercion should be used as the last resort when all other ways have failed in making people accept change. It should be noted that some changes require urgent or immediate implementation and hence coercion may be used to force the resistors to accept it (Spiro, 2010, pp.89). This can be done by threatening resistors that they will lose their jobs, their salaries will be frozen, or they will be demoted if they do not comply with the change. Coercion should be used with great care since there are negative effects that are associated with it (Horsford, 2010, pp.43). These effects include; alienation, revenge, frustration, and fear which may result in employees’ turnover, dissatisfaction, and poor performance (Hussey, 2000, pp.17).

As indicated earlier in this study, changes are influenced by political and economic factors. In order to implement changes in educational organizations, leaders require seeking a lot of support from the local authorities, from teachers, students, ministry of education, and even the government. This is because political aspects may be used as a way of resisting change (Hiatt & Creasey, 2003, pp.60). Politicization of changes in educational institutions is a concept that is taking place in many parts of the world. In this case, when leaders want their proposed changes to be accepted by the teachers, students, workers’ unions, and other parties, they introduce certain elements of politics (Morrison, 1998, pp.78). When the political leaders are not happy with the proposed change they may ensure that it is not accepted by the affected parties. This is done by lobbying for resistance or by making sure that the affected parties are made to recognize the negative effects of this change. This, as revealed by Sims and Sims (2004, pp.13) is very destructive and may lead to resistance of this change. Change is brought about by individuals and communicated to individuals and hence the political aspect is introduced in this change (McLaughlin, 1977, pp.56). 

Change is influenced by economic conditions prevailing in a certain educational organization at a certain period of time. In this case, a change proposed by leaders should be within the proposed budgets of managers in order to avoid proposing a very expensive change (Lee et al, 2004, pp.12). As indicated in leading and managing change, it is the work of managers but not leaders to ensure that there are adequate resources to support the proposed change. On this basis, a change that is too expensive will not be accepted by many people despite the fact that it may be very beneficial (Giacquinta, 1973, pp.180). This is because there will be no resources (capital, human, and physical) to support it. It is therefore very imperative for leaders and managers of change to consider the politics and economics of change before they implement them.

Dynamism is a concept of change and it is characterized with it. Change is dynamic meaning that it keeps on changing with changes in economics, politics, and technologies among other aspects. In this case, aspects in educational organizations change from the past situation through the current to the future. These changes that are characterized with change drastically influence the educational organizations (Pugh, 1974, pp.67). According to Moe and Chubb (2009, pp.34), over a period of time education in higher institutions has gone under a large number of changes. For instance, in the past higher education in both private and public educational institutions was characterized by face to face learning (Sunaina & George, 2005, pp.56).

            This aspect has changed drastically in the present situations where many campuses especially private campuses in the developed and developing world have introduced blended learning that encompasses both traditional face to face learning and online learning (Clarke et al, 2000). This is an aspect of dynamism of change that is experienced in the whole world. It should be noted that the aspect of dynamism of change has helped a lot the educational institutions in introducing and implementing a change (Brickell, 1962, pp.84). This is because that type of change that is implemented today may change in the future. When implementing change for instance introducing online learning, campuses usually take into consideration the future aspects of this change. In this case, the leaders and managers of change consider what will be the future changes that will be brought about by the proposed change (Jellison, 2006, pp.45).  

Leaders of change should understand the dynamics of change as they are normal outcomes in order to avoid over reacting to the conducts of teachers or workers’ unions. People in most cases feel ill and awkward as well as self conscious when a change is introduced. In this case, when teachers or other employees in educational organizations are required to do things differently, their habitual ways are disrupted (Pugh, 1974, pp.56). As they try to eliminate the old responses and learn the new change, they tend to feel awkward or uncomfortable. Despite the fact that the new changes will bring about positive results both to the employees and the educational institutions in general, employees tend to concentrate mostly on what they will lose rather than the profits or benefits that will be accrued (Moe, T. and Chubb, 2009, pp.34). This indicates that people focus mainly on what they will have to give up when they accept the change. When change leaders in these institutions are very much aware of these dynamics, they will be in a position to deal with employees in the appropriate way (Sunaina & George, 2005, pp.56). It is therefore of great importance for the leaders to acknowledge the loss of the old ways and should not be frustrated with irrational or tentative responses to change.

In most cases, people affected by a change usually feel alone even though everyone else is undergoing through the same change process. This is because each and every individual wants to feel that their situations are special and unique (Brickell, 1962, pp.83). This results in the aspect of isolation for the people who are undergoing the change. In this respect, change leaders should be gentle and proactive in making sure they show the employees that their situations are understood (Clarke et al, 2000). The magnitude of change is a very essential aspect to put into consideration because people are usually unable to handle too much change within a very short time period. Employees in educational organizations will only be able to undergo small changes per certain period of time in order to remain functional (Jellison, 2006, pp.89). It is true that some changes are beyond the control of employees or the parties that are affected by these changes and hence it becomes more advantageous if changes are not piled upon changes. 

When any type of change in introduced, there are its supporters and those people who have difficulties in adapting.This indicates that people are at diverse levels of readiness for change. Those people who resist changes initially they come to accept them afterwards (Pugh, 1974, pp.67). In this case, those people who are more ready for changes are in a better position of influencing others to accept them. This can be done through open discussions that are allowed in educational institutions (Moe & Chubb, 2009, pp.34).

change is a concept that occurs over a period of time and from time to time. Not all people in an organization are ready for this change and hence it can be resisted by some people. It is therefore the role of change leaders to make sure that all people are incorporated in the process of adapting change. The managers of change in educational institutions should ensure that there are enough resources for the implementation of a new change. It is very essential for leaders to understand the views of all people in order to avoid much resistance to change. 

 

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Question by Grattan C: Main Research Question:How can Design Education enable a design thinker to operate in the contemporary world?
Main Research Question:
How can Design Education enable a design thinker to operate in the contemporary world, and not so much on any particular discipline? The practical application of design.

Sub Problems:
1.The human brain. How do we think? How do we learn? What exactly is education? How does information play a role in my knowledge? How do I construct a mental model? How does consilence play a role in learning?
2.Ideas. Where do they come from? Is design a matter of problem solving or is it more than this?
3.How does the environment in which we learn play a role in education? How does mental and physical space play a role in both education and everyday life? In what context do we learn, and in what context does design take place, are these different?
4.Why is creativity so important in learning? How can other aspects of design play a role in the teaching thereof? How can education maintain inspiration?
5.Sustainability. What does this mean on an educational level?
6.Past models of education versus current models. What are these? What processes are involved in the fuzzy front end of design, and why is it just that…the “fuzzy” front end?
7.What exactly is technology and how does it play a role in education? What is intellectual technology? What is the difference? Where does all this fit into education?
8.Synthesis, integration, multi-disciplinary. Why are these key words in design education? The jump between education and the real world? How can the system help students deal with this?

Best answer:

Answer by Maria
Suggestion: Don’t even wait for the answer to this short question.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

This note lists eleven scholarships to complete a college/university education. Before submitting an application for a scholarship, it is a good strategy to study the website announcing the scholarship and to read all available statements of successful applicants. This practice ensures your statement of purpose is consonant with the mission of the scholarship.

Listed are scholarship announcements to transfer to a four-year institution, to obtain professional development in real estate, to prepare for entry into automotive industry, to become a scientist, and to aid abused women to complete an education to support themselves.

1. THE GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

In 2012, one thousand scholarships (1000) will be awarded to talented low-income minority students. Each scholarship is a good-through-graduation award that can be used at the applicant’s college or university of choice. The scholarship provides personal and professional development as well as academic support through their college career to all its recipients.

Application deadline: January 11, 2012

More information: http://www.gmsp.org/

2. THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS RENEWABLE SCHOLARSHIPS

The University of Kansas announces a new class of scholarships termed affordability scholarships. These scholarships are renewable through graduation. They are awarded and renewed based solely on the applicant’s academic performance.

Application deadline:

            New freshmen: November 1, 2011

            Transfers: February 1, 2012

More information: http://admissions.ku.edu/apply/apps/

                                http://affordability.ku.edu/cs/scholarships.shtml

3. THE COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND STEM PROGRAM

The College of Southern Maryland has funds to support 102 academically talented, financially needy students to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs. Recipients will receive awards up to 00.00 per academic year for tuition, fees, and books. The program provides individual advising, tutorial support, mentorship by a field related specialist and the potential for summer employment. The program is funded through 2015.

Application deadline: May 15, 2011

                                    However application will be accepted until all awards are made.

More information: http://www.csmd.edu/istem/scholarship_stem.html

Sandy Poinsett, Professor Division Math Physics, and Engineering 301 934-7808  sandrap@csmd.edu

4. THE JACK KENT COOKE FOUNDATION UNDERGRADUATE TRANSFERS SCHOLARSHIPS

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provides awards up to ,000.00 per academic year for a community college student to transfer to a four-year college or institution to earn a bachelor degree. The Foundation has 50 scholarships to award per year. Only applicants nominated by the faculty member approved by the Foundation may compete for these scholarships. See the Foundation website to learn whether a faculty members from you school is approved to nominate you. If not, the website explains how a faculty member at your school may be selected in order to nominate you.

Application deadline: Not available at printing. See website below.

More information: http://www.jkcf.org/scholarships/undergraduate-transfer-scholarships/how-to-apply/

5.THE EDWARD T. CONROY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Applicants must be a resident of the State of Maryland and must attend a Maryland postsecondary institution. The award may not exceed 00.00 for the academic year 2011-2012. Eligible candidates for these scholarships include sons and daughters of a member of the U.S Armed Forces who died as a result of service or service members who suffered a 100% permanent service connected disability. Veterans who suffered at least 25% service disability with no further federal educational benefit, Vietnam conflict POW/MIA or their sons and daughters or sons, daughters and surviving spouses of Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attack victims are also eligible. See website for the complete list of eligibility conditions.

Application deadline:July 15, 2011

                                         Late applications will be considered until funds are exhausted.

More Information:http://www.howardcc.edu/admissions/pay/scholarship_programs/Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program

6. THE JOANNE HOLBROOK PATTON MILITARY SPOUSE SCHOLARSHIP

Applicants must be spouses of Uniformed Military Service Personnel seeking a GED, ESL, vocational training, professional certification, undergraduate or graduate degree online or in class, whether full or part-time.

Application deadline:. Applications accepted online only. The application period was not available at printing.  Last period December 1, 2010 – January 31,2011.

More Information: http://www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/military-spouse-scholarships/scholarship-instructions.html

7. THE JEANETTE RANKIN WOMEN SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The Jeanette Rankin Women Scholarship Fund awards 80 scholarships to low income women 35 years and older who are in an undergraduate or vocational training program with a vision of their use of the funds to better their community, family, and themselves.

Application deadline:For application forms, go to the website after November 1.

More Information:http://www.rankinfoundation.org/students/applications

8, TALBOTS WOMEN’S SCHOLARSHIP FUND

For women enrolled or planning to enroll in a full or part-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school, the Talbots Scholarship Fund cannot be overlooked.  Last year, ten recipients awarded ,000.00 scholarships and one awarded a ,000.00 scholarship.

Application deadline:Not available at printing. Check the website.

More Information: http://www.talbots.com/online/landing/landingPage.jsp?landingPage=scholarship&_requestid=18880

9. THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE EDUCATION TRUST

Offers awards, scholarships and grants to qualified individuals for education or work in the field of real estate appraisal.For eligibility requirements and the scholarships offered as well as the deadlines for applications visit the following website:

More Information:http://www.aiedtrust.org/pages.asp?id=5

10. BUICK ACHIEVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

General Motors Foundation has pledge 4.5 million dollars to award students who are first time college students for 2011.  Although the deadline for applications has past for academic 2011, be mindful of these lucrative awards for 2012 academic year.  Recipients will be selected on academic achievement and financial need. Visit the website below for eligible majors and for the application deadlines .

http://www.buickachievers.com/questions_and_answers#majors

More Information: http://www.buickachievers.com/guidelines

11. TRANSITION AND COMMUNICATION CONSORTION ON LEARNING & DISORDERS

In March 2011, TACCLD offered five 00 scholarships to high seniors with Learning Disabilities who planned to pursue post-secondary education. Although the deadline for application for the 2011-12  academic yearhas passed, in the fall visit their site for the deadline for next year.

More Information: http://www.taccld.org/

If this list does not provide information helpful to your pursuit of a higher education, consult a reference librarian for a demonstration of search skills that cover to your educational interest.

Best wishes in your pursuit of a higher education.

Question by Kevin: How do athletic scholarships work at the college level? Is there a certain dollar amount for each sport?
The reason I ask is for hockey of course. If a university added CCHA program would the scholarship for hockey take away from other sports? (i.e. football)

How are scholarships distributed generally within an athletics program at a Division I school? How many scholarships could hockey commandeer at a Division I school?

Best answer:

Answer by Like I’m Telling You Who I A
NCAA rules limit the number of hockey scholarships to 16 a year per team (all divisions). A team can offer anywhere from 0 (Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Yale, Cornell, and Dartmouth) to the full 16 (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin).

Under NCAA rules, scholarships are permitted to pay tuition, books and room and board ONLY. No extra money for food allowances, incidentals, is permitted. Since the cost of tuition, books and room and board varies from school to school (and within schools depending on whether student is in-state, out of state, out of cuntry, etc) there is no set dollar amount.

Schools generally only add programs when there is enough money to pay for them. In your example, the major television networks pay enough money to the NCAA for football coverage to keep their endowment funds full, and a football scholarship will never be displaced by a hockey scholarship (not even at Minnesota).

Theoretically, at any one time, a Division I school can have 64 players under a hockey scholarship (252 for football, 44 for basketball, etc).

Some things to consider
– most Hockey East/ECAC schools require you to meet academic requirements prior to being offered an athletic scholarship
– Ivy League universities don’t offer athletic scholarships, they do offer academic scholarships to brainy athletes (the average entering marks and SAT scores are 21% higher at Ivy League schools than other Div 1 schools for hockey….47% higher for football)
– the University of Minnesota ONLY offers hockey scholarships to Minnesota residents, and only allows try-outs to American citizens (the last Canadian to play for the University of Minnesota hockey team was in 1963 – I can’t confirm this, but that is what the school claimed in some recent literature)
– competition for hockey scholarships is fierce, it is the only NCAA team sport in Division I that has an average GPA over 3.00. Over the last 15 years, the average entering GPA for hockey players (scholarship and non-scholarship) has varied between 3.28 (1996) and 3.61 (2002). Over the same time period, the highest average entering GPA in football has been 2.89 and in basketball 2.85

What do you think? Answer below!

  Criminals have been dealt with in different ways by different countries all across the world for the past few centries.No matter where it started thieves murders or betrayers were punished there was always a jail to house these criminals. The United States has a Correction System which some contries have not input a correction system into thier criminal justice system. With today’s society, there needs to be a place where individuals who commit a crime serve their time and hopefully can learn from their experiance and better themselves.

  The United States has two types of institutions private and government ran institutions. The privately ran institutes are paid from the states government and commonly a lower cost to the state. , these facilities can choose who comes in as an inmate or employee which is a down side to this. The state ran facilities are a little more expensive, they have to except inmates no matter what and are able to hire the most qualified for the job. They will need some type of security no matter how the facilities are ran.

 We are going to compare institiutions from here in the United States with institutions all around Austrailia. In Southern Australia there is the facility called Yatala Labour Prison, this is considered a correction facility due to the large capacity. There is another one called Port Lincoln, this one is alot smaller than Yatala and is geared to smaller yet more productive reasoning.

  The warden was in total control in the autocratic styleWhich was the control over all of the employees and inmates. The prisoners had no rights with the autocratic style along with no court authority and the warden had no authority to answer if one where to complain.On the bureacratic side the inmates were more important and with this style the inmates would have self-government known as the Mutual Welfare League.

 Australia is an independent country so all of its territories are different,all the different territories do not have to have the same criminal jsutice system. The united states is the samein a way. Not all of our states our the same and we ar independent., We however in all our states have the same ammendments that must be followed and is enforced by our government However, the different states can elaborate on those different laws.

 The purpose and the role of privatization is to have a private company control and lower costs for the state. by granting private security companies the license to run a state owned prison, costs can be controlled better than if the state was to continue to supervise it.

 I believe privatization of the prisons would help lower the prison population increase. privately ran prisons have the choice to be meticulous on which individules come to the prison., they are first highly selective of the individules that are brought to ther prisons. Second, anyone with a known healh issue or posses a security risk will not be allowed and sent to another prison.

 The Yatala prison population size can accommodate up to 468 prisoners in cell blocks all together. It has men and women. it can accommodate protectee’s and it si a public facility. As more of a rehabilitaion facility Port Lincoln can accommodate up to 90 prisoners.

  There are five security levels in the state prison systems the prisons are classified; Open-security facilities, Minimum-security prisons, Medium-security prisons, Close-high-security prisons, and Maximum-security prisons. Open-security facilities do not have armed guard or fences to keep them in the facility. These are commonly known as half way houses or any type of community-based facility. If an inmate walks away from these facilities, they are considered an escape risk and when caught up to they are sent to a maximum-security facility where they can serve the rest of their sentence (Foster, 2006).

 Security facilities all over Australia range in security depending on what they are being used for. The security levels of the Yatala facility is a high, medium and low security. It covers all the areas because of the location and the capacity. The Port Lincoln facility is a low to medium facility. It men only and is a farm based facility.

  Gangs are said to be a group of young people who spend time together and may engage in delinquent behavior, a group of people who work together for intent to commit crimes, or even just a group of people who get together and share the same interests in life. I am sure that life in the Australian jails is just as hard as they are here in the states; especially if there are facilities that house protectee’s.

 According to the U.S. Constitution (1979). The purpose and function of Title 42 Section 1983 is that every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer’s judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. For the purposes of this section, any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia (Madison, 2006).

 The Port Lincoln facility produces food crops for the local businesses and raises farm cattle as well. It also has a wood working shop for the medium prisoners, they produce the benches for the parks a recreational and birdhouses. They have even gone as far as help rebuilding the levies in the local areas. At the Yatala Facility is more geared towards serving the time and releasing. According to the Department of Corrective Services, Offenders are encouraged to participate in a wide range of educational and vocational training programs that are available throughout the State while they are in custody. Programs are managed by the Education and Vocational Training Unit and are aimed at securing employment for offenders upon release (Government of Western Australia, 2008).

 Under s21(1) of the Parole Act an inmate released from imprisonment prior to the expiration of his sentence as a result of remission (including earned remission) the term of which exceeds sixty days, shall be subject to mandatory supervision. Mandatory supervision may be suspended and revoked in the same way as parole.

 Intermediate sanctions can benefit both the prisons and the criminals themselves. Intermediate sanctions can benefit the prisons by lowering the criminal count inside the jails and prisons. This allows the prisons to have a more controlled environment and have a sufficient amount of corrections officers vs. inmates. It will also help the criminal by not enclosing them in a prison cell. They also provide counseling for a number of psychological problems, such as depression and anger management. It also provides a way for drug abusers to get some help while they serve their time. These things are very beneficial to the criminal and may even help them get ahead in life.

 The two benefits of the community corrections is one, they provide Substance Abuse Treatment/Counseling and they offer job placement assistance. The Residential Re-entry Center provides free drug testing and rehabilitation for the specific needs of each individual in the program. These inmates in this program have to find a job within 15 days of the initial move. The good thing about this is the people that work there will help them find a job.

 Australia is no different; they place their parolees on constant supervision. Community corrections comprise of a variety of non-custodial programs. They teach them while they are in jail on how to reconnect with the outside so they are not repeat offenders.

 It seems that there are many countries that are starting to implement our ways into their criminal justice system. Many countries just simply do not have the space or the funds to build the correctional institutes like the ones that we have. Nevertheless, we do have to give them credit of how hard they are trying to clean up their country and take action against those who have done wrong. No matter how hard we work whether it is the US or any other country we will always have to put someone in the correction institute at some point in time.

 References

 Australian Institute of Criminology . (2008). South Australian correctional facilities. Retrieved December 8,2009, from Australian Institute of Criminology: http://www.aic.gov.au/research/corrections/facilities/sa.html

 Government of Western Australia. (2008). Prisoner Rehabilitation and Education. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from Department of Corrective Services : http://www.correctiveservices.wa.gov.au/R/rehabilitationandeducation.aspx?uid=5169- 7496-9170-5376

 Madison, J. (2006, 1 2). Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.uscode.house.gov: http://uscode.house.gov/uscode- cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t41t42+2873+0++() AND (%2 842) ADJ USC):CITE AND (USC w/10 ( 1983)):CITE

 Siegel, L. J. (2006). Criminology. Thomas Wadsworth.

 South Australian Government . (1998). Prison and Prisoner Management. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Department of Justice Correctional Services: http://www.corrections.sa.gov.au/prisons/yatala_labour_prison.htm

Question by Gizelle Marie C: What is better to take in college medicine or criminology?
My cousin have a problem to choose between medicine and criminology. Both of them is his favorite. What should he take?

Best answer:

Answer by Bev B
Take a look at what’s on tv these days – doctors solving crimes, forensic police – why not combine both?

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!