The author discusses "the big picture" of higher education, which pertains to the perpetuation of decreasing civil discourse and increasing challenges in higher education. These may be attributed to several factors including decreased funding, increased mental health crises, heavier workloads, and systemic inequities. Even though major…

Educational equity for undocumented immigrants has become a widely discussed issue in both the political and public realm of Tennessee. This presentation focuses on the ways in which undocumented immigrant youth in Tennessee confront and challenge educational inequities, particularly that of affordable access to higher education. This presentation…

In December 2014, the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren (CFDS) was formed to make sweeping educational reform recommendations regarding the provision and governance of public education in Detroit. Spearheaded by community organizations, labor unions, and business interests representing an array of stakeholders in the Detroit area,…

The article is a transcript of a talk given by the author at a University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education symposium. He argues that the role of the state has changed quite dramatically since the 1960s. From the postwar period through the 1970s, there was an emphasis on expanding the state, and an emphasis on growing more…

This keynote address presents three key elements to arts education and educational reform. These are: partnerships, compassion, and imagination. There is a symbiotic relationship, or partnership, between schools and businesses, political offices, cultural institutions, and other community organizations. These partners, having a stake in public…

The impact of the Progressive Movement of 1890-1935 on social, political, economic, and educational developments is reviewed, especially as it relates to parents of handicapped children. The paper notes how parents of the handicapped have evolved from being suspected of causing their child's handicap to becoming partners with professionals in…

Comprehensive school-reform programs under way in many states have better chances of success if they are linked to supportive external organizations. This paper describes activities of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, an independent, privately funded organization--a collection of volunteer activists that uses citizen leadership to…

During the early 1990s, the concept of "full-service schools" has gained momentum in educational and social reform movements as an effective vehicle for providing integrated, comprehensive, and intensive services to at-risk children, youth, and families. The essential feature of full-service schools is to provide a system that connects…

On September 10, 1996, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) announced that public consultation on education reform would begin on September 16. Just prior to the first hearing, the government circulated a document entitled "Structuring the Education System: A Public Consultation Paper for Educational Change in Newfoundland and…

In North Carolina, legislation giving health insurance to children of modest-income working families was won because a broad coalition of over 100 organizations got the attention of lawmakers. Because all children benefitted, rural children benefited, but a few groups pushing for health insurance for just rural children would not have gotten their…

Access to quality education is a problem for all rural children in Peru, but especially for rural girls, who complete primary school at far lower rates than other Peruvian children. In 1998, USAID launched the Girls' Education Activity (GEA) in Peru, also known as New Horizons for Girls' Education, which aims to increase girls' completion of…

PTAs in the northwest are regaining momentum and membership by becoming involved in advocating for education reform, seeking funding, promoting child safety, seeking equity, addressing discrimination, providing school enrichment programs, establishing site-based management councils, involving parents in educational decision making, addressing…

This collection of speeches focuses on arts advocacy from perspectives ranging from arts education to the role of government and business in the arts. The book contains an introduction by Milton Rhodes and includes eight speeches: (1) "To Answer the Hunger Within" (Thomas H. Kean); (2) "It is the Dark We Have to Fear" (Edward Albee); (3) "Making…