Based on an in-depth case study, this book reveals how politicians, as policy makers, conceptualise, develop and initiate large-scale education system reform and why it matters for whole system school improvement. Governments all over the world are spending increasing time, money and effort on improving school systems but the evidence suggests…

Passing property tax issues is an increasing challenge for many school districts. This article examines 21 school levy strategies identified through a literature review associated with successful school levy campaigns. These strategies were then used as a framework to evaluate one district's attempts to pass a school bond levy. Whereas the study…

A policy sociology approach is taken to examine the connections between neo-liberalism, post-secondary provincial education (PSE) policy in Canada and the impact of those policies. Our thesis regarding the broad political economy of PSE is that over the last two decades the adoption of this ideology has been a major cause of some dramatic changes…

State educational accountability models are in transition. Whether modifying the present accountability system to comply with existing state and federal requirements or anticipating new ones--such as the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Race to the Top competition--recording the experiences of state education agencies (SEAs) that are currently…

Global student mobility is one of the fastest growing phenomena in higher education in the twenty-first century. Over three million students are currently mobile, crossing geographic, cultural, digital, and educational borders in the pursuit of an international education--a movement that has significant consequences for higher education…

Traditionally, violent acts against children in Japan were considered private, isolated incidents largely outside the reach of government policy and legal action. Increasingly, however, public perception in Japan, mainly driven by the mass media, has shifted away from such complacency. A few well-publicized attacks on children have forced Mombusho…

Experiences of a Michigan school district provide a case study for examining the political, economic, and community-relations issues embedded in a decision to privatize. Support can be achieved only if all parties feel they were given adequate attention during deliberations on the issue. (MLF)

A case study of an anonymous but real-life district swamped in a conflict that involves a succession of superintendents, an entrenched school board secretary, a teacher who was fired and later elected board president, and several board members recalled. Three school leaders offer their advice. (MLF)

This study examines the results of decremental state budgeting on Minnesota elementary and secondary education during the 1981-83 biennium, a period of sudden fiscal crisis. Using the fiscal reports of various departments of Minnesota State government and interviews with state officials, the author narrates the sequence of revenue shortfalls and…

This Handbook brings together theoretical and empirical research on purposes, policies and practices of teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) over the last twenty years. It provides a unique collection of regional writing from key professionals in different regions of the world, featuring: (1) A review of current CPD literature; (2)…

A sex education program in Kentucky's Jefferson County schools, although mandated by the state, was challenged by a small group of parents and virtually disappeared. Later, helped by newspaper articles and recognized organizations, the program is gradually being reinstated. (MLF)

Despite their eroding fiscal positions, state governments are responsible for establishing budget policy for both public elementary/secondary and higher education. As a Utah case study shows, the current political structure creates pressures for both competition and cooperation in optimizing scarce resources. This study advocates limited…

This case study examines the development and implementation of secondary education policy in Ontario as defined in "Ontario Schools: Intermediate and Senior Divisions (OSIS)--1984." Data were gathered for the period from 1980 when the Secondary Education Review Project (SERP) was initiated, to 1984 when the policy outlined in OSIS was to…

This paper considers some of the current knowledge about our understanding of and provision for early childhood internationally. It looks at its relative importance, offers a short overview of research and terminology, outlines a global perspective (the big picture) and provides a brief summary of the current South Australian policy and position.…

This paper examines the politics of special education finance reform in three states (Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont) that have enacted substantial legislative change within the past 5 years. These case studies were extracted from presentations made by the three state directors of special education at a 1994 conference. Each case study includes…