Describes the challenges facing the Hungarian educational system in the post-Communist era. Focuses on the issue of increased community and teacher participation in educational decision making. Presents the relationship of this issue to economic and political reorganization in the context of changing societal structures and individual…

Discusses the status and prospects of the government's stated policy promoting institutional autonomy in Russian higher education. Institutional operations are currently fraught with serious problems. At least three areas are in jeopardy: institutional financial sustainability, decentralized government control, and internal balance of power. (22…

Examines models, characteristics, and challenges of quality assurance in higher education in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, Finland, Italy, and Spain. Notes a common move toward institutional autonomy and output oriented steering, and the absence of accreditation procedures comparable to those in Anglo-Saxon countries. Finds…

While higher education is generally a high priority in boosting economic development, public budgets to sustain expansion of higher education systems remain limited around the globe. This fiscal stress creates an impetus for governments to develop various strategies to meet the growing demand--from both students and society--for higher education…

Contemporary debates about academic freedom and institutional autonomy in South Africa's "liberal" universities began in the 1950s, stimulated by the policies and legislation for racial segregation. While the form that these debates had taken has differed from university to university, the University of Cape Town stands as a good case…

Germany ranks in the bottom fourth in spending on higher education in a comparison among Western industrial countries. Germany's status as a place for higher education is imperiled. There is a danger that in the near future, the very best and most promising of the upcoming generations will increasingly choose only professionally relevant training…

Parents' expectations and demands of schools have traditionally exposed school-level educators to a major difficulty of maintaining a proper balance between parental involvement and intervention with schools. The following study explores how the increase in schools' authority following the introduction of School-Based Management (SBM) in schools…

As higher education has grown and state funding has been constrained, the financial sustainability of institutions of higher education (HE) has become an issue for policy makers and for those who govern and manage these institutions. The challenge for governments is to ensure that increasingly autonomous institutions respond to public interest…

This collection brings together many of the world's leading sociologists of education to explore and address key issues and concerns within the discipline. The thirty-seven newly commissioned chapters draw upon theory and research to provide new accounts of contemporary educational processes, global trends, and changing and enduring forms of…

This book argues that the educational mission should center on developing in students a respect for evidence and on supporting their capacity and desire to continue learning. The premise of this mission is based on John Dewey's notion that the most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. The book inquires into…

A charter school is an autonomous educational entity operating under a contract negotiated between the organizers who manage the school (teachers, parents, or others from the public or private sector) and the sponsors who oversee the provisions of the charter (local school boards, state education boards, or some other public authority). The…

This report contains findings of a study conducted by the Little Hoover Commission, which investigated ways to support and expand opportunities for charter schools in California. Over 100 charter schools were in operation in California as of March 1996. Data were based on visits to 26 charter schools in the state. The report concludes that: (1)…

The decade 1980-90 saw a spate of educational reconstruction occurring simultaneously in many countries. This book argues that the school restructuring of the past 10 years has been called the "education-reform movement," but that term is somewhat misleading. The current reform efforts seem to aim primarily at the control and governance of both…

This report on the public perception of higher education is based on a review of 30 recent public opinion polls. The review found: (1) higher education enjoys a reservoir of goodwill; (2) a college degree is seen as an essential credential for success; (3) the public is broadly committed to equity, but as an income issue and not gender- or…

The Pennsylvania Charter School Act (H.B. 1834), now under consideration in the Pennsylvania State legislature, allows charter schools to be approved by local school boards or school district voters. Based on the draft legislation and the experience of states with similar statutes, this paper identifies the extent of charter operators'…