Paper presented at the Fifteenth Duke University Conference on Teaching the Social Studies.

A condensation of a paper presented at a Phi Delta Kappa-Temple University Symposiu.

Reviews literature on child abuse, wife beating, and incest, and examines social and psychological explanations of these problems. Argues that family violence must be considered in the context of power relations and sex and age inequalities. Suggests that research on family violence requires both qualitative, theoretical analysis and empirical…

Discusses the politics of marital therapy, using behavioral marital therapy as an illustrative model. Views marital therapy as inherently political with therapists continuously adopting political postures unknowingly. Inadvertent consequences of this insensitivity to the political context of their work are to reinforce traditional values, many…

The relationship between power and knowledge is discussed, as it concerns the professoriate in higher education. Power and knowledge, it is argued, can vary independently. Although economic power influences faculty, they still possess considerable autonomy to shape education and to develop humanistic capacities of students. (PP)

Despite the overall commitment of universities to change, the people within them are conservative about organizational change. It is important to discuss all changes so those involved feel like participants, perhaps by bringing decision making to a lower administrative level. The objective is to enhance excellence. (MSE)

A comparative study of policies and practices for accountability in French and English schools is presented. Growth of central government influence and teacher autonomy are common elements. However, the constraints on teachers (formal in France and informal in England) do not necessarily cause more freedom or accountability in England. (MSE)

Two models of instructional innovation seeking to explain why some innovations are successful are synthesized and illustrated in the course evaluation system at the University of Birmingham. Success factors include cooperation among faculty in different areas, openness of evaluation, "ownership" of innovations, leadership, and authority…

Analyzes the Mexican case through four hypotheses: decision makers are not rational; decisions are determined by economic rationality; policies reproduce ideology and/or culture; and policies and plans maintain decision makers' power. Concludes Mexican schools are not consciously organized to reproduce the dominant ideology, but they contribute to…

Describes the People's Republic of China system of enrollment in the post-Mao period, and analyzes the effects these new admission policies have had on social background distribution of Chinese university students, the changing patterns of authority, and the effects of the enrollment policy on admission of women. (Author/AH)

The current trend of school desegregation emphasizes racial balance over equality of educational opportunity. The policy of racial balance is a hoax which pits working-class Blacks and Whites against each other without improving the quality of education for either group; this dispersal policy depresses the power, privilege, and prestige of Blacks.…

Discusses the definition of a theoretical position on the termination of the intergenerational hierarchical boundary. Describes a therapeutic methodology for securing and completing a renegotiation of the power structures between the two generations. Implies that this therapeutic procedure has applicability to the resolution of behavioral…

Responses from teachers, subject coordinators and school administrators in 23 Queensland state high schools were analyzed to ascertain the perceived importance of subject coordinators to teacher satisfaction, teacher dissatisfaction, and the learning of students in classrooms. (Author/MLW)

Racism is seen as the major force blocking Black access to most American sports and to "thinking" and authority roles in accessible sports. The overwhelming majority of Black youths seeking sports stardom are destined to be shuttled back into the Black community as noncontributors or undercontributors. (MLW)

A study reveals that influence is shared between department chairpersons and various interest groups, primarily within the university itself. Faculty are perceived by department chairpersons as the major group with whom influence is shared. Department chairpersons' misconceptions concerning university functioning need to be identified. (Author/MLW)