Advocates of school choice reform in education believe that when parents are granted the right to choose their child's school, they will act rationally, in a goal-oriented fashion, to maximize their educational utility by finding the "best" school for their children. The current qualitative study aims to examine these basic assumptions…

Right now every college and university in Kyrgyzstan faces the urgent question of whether to join the Bologna Process. Opinions in the republic are split down the middle: (1) some rectors categorically reject joining; and (2) others would like to convert to the credit technology of instruction and have already started to take active, practical…

The American Public University System (APUS) is currently attracting more than eight hundred new undergraduate students every month, the majority of whom are required to take "Foundations of Online Learning" as their first course. That first course plays a critical role in the academic career of new students and may have a direct bearing…

As interest in expanding the number of high quality charter schools available to parents and students has grown, policy makers have increased their focus on identifying and providing support to new charter programs that have the potential to improve student outcomes and satisfy parent and student needs. Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education…

Despite their common goal, reformers promoting school choice and those seeking ways to improve schools through more effective principal leadership have remained for the most part disconnected. This paper presents findings of a study that examined differences in teachers' ratings of effective principal leadership in magnet and nonmagnet schools in…

This document provides a summary of school-reform actions taken by each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico as of February 12, 1996. Reform refers to four broad categories--school choice, services that are contracted out to private entities, deregulation or decentralization (for example, charter schools), and accountability through strong academic…

In 1970, the City University of New York (CUNY) instituted a controversial open-admissions policy, which permitted the enrollment of large numbers of students in need of basic skills instruction. In 1990, a study was conducted to compare the 1989 freshman cohort at New York City Technical College with the first open-admissions cohort entering the…

Ninety-nine parents of students with special needs who participated in Minnesota's 1990-91 open enrollment program responded to a survey item which asked for their comments on their child's participation in the program. Twelve broad topics were identified within the content of these responses: teacher/administration attitudes,…

The extent to which gifted and talented students participated in Minnesota's Open Enrollment Option was investigated via a survey of 26 gifted students who transferred to nonresident schools and comparison of results with those of a survey of 60 students without special needs. Results indicated that academic and educational concerns were some of…

The Parental Choice in Education Initiative was defeated by California voters in a statewide special election in November 1993. The stated purpose of the initiative was to enable parents to choose their children's schools. This document summarizes the provisions of the initiative, analyzes its policy and fiscal impact, and reviews supporting and…

This paper reviews the theoretical basis for educational voucher proposals, the various types of vouchers proposed, and the experience that has been had with voucher systems so far. The paper looks first at the claims made by voucher supporters that vouchers will redistribute political and economic power and simplify the administration of…

The essays in this collection provide contrasting points of view on a number of community college issues that have become more pressing during periods of economic constraint. The volume contains: (1) "Part-Time Faculty: The Value of the Resource," by William R. C. Munsey; (2) "Part-Time Faculty, Full-Time Problems," by David Hartleb and William…

In 1981, a study was conducted at three rural community colleges in Maryland to determine whether there was a difference between the college grade point averages (GPAs) of first-time, full-time students who applied early for admissions and the GPAs of students who applied late. The study analyzed applications and GPA data for a total of 700…

Information on Australia's Deakin University, incorporated in 1975 to absorb the Gordon Institute of Technology and the State College of Victoria, Geelong, is presented. Attention is directed to educational heritage, transition for students, schools and courses, enrollments, location, temporary sites, buildings, student facilities and…

There is a need for a common educational core to satisfy the requirements for reproducing a democratic society. Although historically the common schools were couched in the rhetoric of a common educational experience, democratic localism tended to undermine the commonality through a large number of antidemocratic practices. However, recent decades…