Discusses the growing influence of the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) over initial and continuing teacher education in the United Kingdom since its inception in 1994, focusing on the TTA's 1996 agenda, the new National Curriculum for Teacher Training, continuing professional development, and educational research. Criticizes the agency's increasing…

Polish legislation concerning higher education since 1990 has focused on increasing institutional autonomy, but brought with it an unrealistic reliance on market mechanisms for positive change. This has resulted in a non-integrated system and inadequate public policy for science and higher education. It is the institutions themselves that have…

Evaluates the relative importance of educational, economic, and cultural factors in supporting the emergence and stability of democracy. Data from over 100 countries on long-term changes in democracy, 1965-80 and 1980-88, support an institutional perspective that emphasizes the impact of elite higher education (as opposed to mass education and…

Deals with the vulnerable position of nursery education in 1990s Britain, given the changing nature of the family in society and particularly in view of nursery education's weakly articulated justification in the face of government intervention in education. Discusses current standards of evaluation (OFSTED inspections) and achievement and the…

Examines changes in the foreign policy of Portugal from their transition to democracy to more recent years. Maintains that emerging democracies go through a period of change where nationalist cultural and political ideas give way to more internationalist concerns. Reviews the major players, actions, and political theories that have dominated…

This article explores the meaning of inclusion within the context of socio-economic factors, political forces, and management of education in England and Wales. The impact of the "New Right" and the marketing of education are discussed, along with the influence of New Labour, teachers, and advocacy groups. (Contains references.) (CR)

Traces the history of the Bill of Rights. Delineates the early arguments proposed for and against the Bill of Rights. Discusses the recent Ronald Reagan-Edwin Meese attack on the applicability of the Bill of Rights. Identifies seven items that every student should know about the Bill of Rights. (RW)

Examines Israel's 1953 State Education Law, the product of a religious and political compromise, that was responsible for unifying schools into a national system. Gives the historical perspective of this system that is comprised of five types of schools: four Jewish, one Arabian. Examines how the schools reflect Israel's religious and political…

Political factors that school superintendents perceive as related to decision making were studied using a random sample of 172 superintendents from 11 southeastern states. The results show that the greatest political influences were local and state sources within the organizational structure of the school districts. (SLD)

The University of Houston's master's degree program in social work with concentration in political social work is described. The debates surrounding political social work education, which is a social-change-oriented curriculum, the importance of political actors and context in development of the program, and the nature of the program's integrated…

Describes and interprets some events associated with the demographic and economic restructuring that has occurred in Flushing (New York). The introduction of Asian capital and enterprise has revitalized a previously ailing economy and sluggish housing market. Conflicts associated with this process are explored. (SLD)

Reports on a staff development project for in-service teachers from former East German states. Describes the project's background, previous in-service teacher education, and the project's organization. Concludes that economic difficulties and the rise of neo-Nazism makes it imperative for German teachers to develop democratic values. (CFR)

Reinterprets the way that the 1944 Education Act was viewed in Great Britain by detailing the political debate over restructuring schools in Swansea, Wales, after World War II. Examines social and political factors that determined Welsh educational policy and reveals the continuing struggle between providing equal educational opportunities and…

This article discusses reading and writing as (1) cognitive processes influenced by social and cultural contexts; (2) sociocognitive processes; (3) a social relationship between authors and readers; and (4) social and cultural activities. Pedagogy and politics in the whole language classroom are also discussed. (JDD)

Discussed are some of the relevant social, technological, and economic issues involved with environmental problems in third world countries. The role of developed nations in political and economic development in the third world is addressed. (CW)