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The Best Job in the Country: Urban School Superintendent
Our challenge is to find qualified people who want to lead urban school systems. Experience is why we hire people in companies — not degrees or other prima-facie evidence of…
In Defense of the Bureaucrat
Today we refer to those running government programs as public servants to contravene the negative connotations associated with bureaucrats. I understand this inclination. What better way to depict those…
The Advent of the Street Level Bureaucrat in the Classroom — New Challenges for Graduate Urban Management Education
On the whole, these are not the MPA students of the past seeking those coveted administrative generalist positions in the City/County Managers office. For the most part, and certainly with…
Can Supreme Court Decisions Be Wrong?
In my mind, no amount of footnotes, detailed recitation of facts or legal analysis can make a decision like the one in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller…
Back to Flat?
This blog discusses the current opportunities and dangers in a global economic context affecting national, state, and local economic development. …
New Age Teaching “Urges” Meeting in the Middle
I believe successful teaching today is enhanced by our ability to use a two-way street of learning expectations voiced by both the student and the teacher. Teachers should take…
Autumn for the Public Administrator: Evaluation, Service and Reform
For public service, autumn is another season of work and attention. It is another opportunity to slow down and lessen the distance between ourselves and the public we serve. In…
Putting Plans into Action
One of the challenges we face in public administration is putting our plans into action. Most planning projects begin with great enthusiasm. Much time and effort are then devoted to…
Diversity in the Workplace: Are there Lessons to Learn from the University of Illinois Springfield?
What I found after a quick glance at the University of Illinois Springfield senior leadership team was quite fascinating! The representation of the senior leadership team defies prevailing record of…
Confirmation Bias: Decision Traps in Public Service
Confirmation bias—the tendency to find evidence for one's existing views and to discount contradictory evidence—shows up in arguments about the safety of vaccination, gun control, climate change, the death penalty,…
Cost-Benefit Analysis or Cost-Value Analysis?
Costs can be immediately quantified and calculated. In the project management world, costing methods are mature and robust. Determining the benefits of a project is still evolving as reflected in…
September 21, 2018No CommentRead More