Indonesia has seen several recent attempts to devolve control over the curriculum to the local level. Rather than catalogue all of the problems encountered in the course of their implementation, the present contribution focuses on a single reform, the Local Content Curriculum (LCC). Analysis of local responses to this reform provides insights into…

Comparing the dynamics of centralisation/decentralisation in Belgium and South Africa has the advantage of revealing discrepancies between the public or official rationale for the (re) distribution of power and the probable or eventual effect of this (re)distribution on educational processes and learning outcomes. It can be seen that local…

The phenomenon of childhood bullying is conceptualized from an evolutionary psychological perspective. In this manuscript, the research literature is examined regarding the role of the relationship between aggression, testosterone, and social status in the development and maintenance of dominance hierarchies, which involve a reciprocal…

The Galbraith article gives us the opportunity to think out loud about the purposes and practices of field activity, and in responding, this article argues that Galbraith is more concerned with the technical application of a method rather than investigating knowledge production. Using Bourdieu's theory of practice enables critical evaluation to be…

This article analyzes South Africa's efforts to promote broader participation in educational decision-making through local school governance structures in which parents serve as majority members. We utilize the "theory of action" framework to understand both government policy and school-level actors' meanings of two dimensions of…

Most commentators think of leadership as individually focused, a preference which reflects historical understandings and usage. With the example of a co-principalship, this article shows how focused leadership is at odds with the reality of distributed work practice. The article reports research at College A, a Catholic all-girls' secondary school…

Free response question (FRQ) #5 in the 2002 Advanced Placement (AP) European history exam read as follows: "In what ways and to what extent did absolutism affect the power and status of the European nobility in the period 1650 to 1750. Use examples from at least 2 countries." This question, which is aimed at encouraging a comparative…

Economic factors that language policy makers must take into account include a recent trend toward financial globalisation. I first argue that, just as an earlier process of global integration ended in retreat, the current integrative process is not inexorable. Were it to intensify, however, it is likely that low-income countries will become more…

In her Des English Memorial Lecture, the author provides some commentary on the changes that have occurred during her career in relation to the field of special education. In the 25 years that she has worked as an educator and been involved in special education in one way or another, there have been very significant and fundamental changes of…

When teaching multicultural education, whether training future teachers or working with students, what is usually excluded is a critical examination of the dominant power structure of whiteness. In this article, the author discusses "The Race Card," a free resource that can provide a tool to allow all players to critically examine how the dominant…

Louise Erdrich's "Love Medicine" presents a troubled and troubling reimagining of life on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. In analyzing the novel, critics have generally ignored its descriptions of economic structures, class stratifications, and work conditions. In this essay, the author argues that these socioeconomic conditions are central to…

The primary objective of this paper is to study the various possible responses to a new theory or perspective, whether this new theory is in science, philosophy, or religion. The response will depend on how one defines authority and truth. A brief discussion on certain aspects of Eastern spirituality is given. I rely on the philosophical aspect of…

The place where we live and work is a reflection of a complex set of economic conditions and social relationships. Very little information is available regarding housing for Minnesota's migrant workers. It is estimated that approximately 20,000 people migrate to Minnesota each summer to work in the production and processing of green peas and sweet…

Comprehensive re-organisation largely swept away single-sex secondary education in the state maintained sector in England and Wales. Literature suggests this occurred with little discussion. Single-sex versus mixed education was debated as part of Wiltshire education committee's re-organisation of the Trowbridge and Salisbury girls' high schools…

This article draws on the sociology of childhood framework in order to examine one primary school girl's account of how the children in her classroom pass notes to each other when they are "not allowed to talk at all". Close examination of the account shows how the girls and boys in this particular classroom co-construct gendered membership…