Examines some evidence about public understanding of education policy, compares it to similar understandings of other public policy fields, and discusses some of the steps that may be taken to deal with the prevailing levels of understanding. (Author)

Article examined the question of whether we as a society will be better off in the long run if our colleges are run by experts, by people who work full-time as toilers in the educational vineyard, or by laymen who devote part-time efforts to their trusteeship. (Author/RK)

Summarizes the organizational process and political bargaining models of policy change, and considers the rational decision-making model as an alternative. Models are interrelated with each other to show how each reveals a dimension of the politics of school decentralization. (Author/AM)

Deals with some problems in the operation of a school in a white middle-class Chicago community and the attempt by a segment of the community to influence the direction of their school. (Author/JM)

A critical review of the widespread acceptance of accountability, pointing out that accountability is plagued by difficulties with measuring learning, with lack of research evidence to show that it benefits students, and with few plans for formally evaluating these models on a pilot basis before plunging ahead. (Author/JM)

Examines the sociopolitical circumstances surrounding the formulation, passage in Congress, and presidential veto of the Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1971 (S.1512). Argues that policy is often influenced by several issues that motivate political action; in the case of child care legislation, children are only one factor among many.…

Examines superintendents' attitudes toward community participation at the advisory and control levels in four areas of educational policy-making. (Author)

Written school board policies can demonstrate that boards welcome ideas from the people, that there are proper procedures for getting a hearing on complaints, and that staff and curriculum will be protected from pressure. The sample school board policies, administrative rules, and information statements in this kit are intended to facilitate the…

Guidelines are presented which emphasize that schools can best contribute to a pluralistic democracy by supporting each cultural group represented within them as well as introducing students to a range of cultures other than their own, including and extending beyond those represented by the school population. Special stress is placed on creating…

Relates historical and contemporary developments in secondary schools to the issue of social change. Notes that some positive signs include a determination among urban leaders that urban education be a first-class education for all students regardless of race or class. (Author/AM)

The author argues that direct citizen participation cannot influence educational policy or restore the power of lay boards in public education. Asserting that more can be accomplished by a technically trained organization working within the bureaucracy, he cites the accomplishments of the Education Clearinghouse, a nonprofit group of…

If participation does not include an openness to the issues that are of real concern to the community and an opportunity to influence policy relating to those issues, it becomes an empty public relations gesture fostering apathy, disinterest, resistance, or counter-organization. (MB)

Asserts that community control is not an all-or-nothing situation, but that centralization can co-exist with decentralization. Argues for states to have the responsibility for insuring desegregation and equitable funding and for communities to have control of personnel, curriculum and budget priorities. (Author/AM)

This study sought to provide an empirical base for a theoretical and public policy analysis of the decentralization movement in urban education. This research includes an analysis of a large number of cities for which comparative demographic and political data could be found or developed as well as a manageable number of case studies.…

Few parents receive any education for that exacting role. Yet, the author argues, there is a need and a demand, to which adult educators should respond as a matter of urgency. (Author/SSH)