Examines the policies regarding history curriculum of the seven major confessional schools in Lebanon. Using textual analysis of history books, reviews of policies, and interviews with students, educational decision makers, and history teachers, the paper argues that confessional schools have propagated their own line of discourse for history…

Considers relations between the official pedagogy of the writing program that the author administers and his administrative practices, to come to terms with the hidden curriculum of his situation. Argues for a shift from thinking about administration as masterful organization and implementation to conceiving of it as relational and receptive, a…

Discusses evaluation of higher education in Brazil, including the Institutional Evaluation Program of the Brazilian Universities (PAIUB) and its replacement by a National Examination of Study Diplomas. Describes background, early initiatives regarding quality, and the new governmental approach to quality evaluation (including the new political…

Examines the applicability of two alternative theories of small-town politics to a case of Mexican American political mobilization in Woodburn, Oregon, where Mexican Americans comprised half the population. Discusses Mexican American attempts to promote a housing project for migrant workers and to pressure the school board to reflect Mexican…

Reviews three new books about the current political battle over bilingual education, focusing on: bilingual education theory and the importance of transformative pedagogy; political analysis of bilingual education and key issues in indigenous language loss; and politics of multiculturalism. Discusses the maturation of bilingual education since…

In a recent survey by Public Agenda, 853 randomly selected public school superintendents and 909 randomly selected public school principals cite politics and bureaucracy as their biggest obstacles. Two thirds or more say they need more autonomy to reward outstanding teachers and remove ineffective teachers. (MLF)

Draws on Canadian, U.S., and British policy documents and personal experience to examine how countries and their subjurisdictions are learning from each other about the nature of policy change and reform in education. Concludes that "mutual learning" does not necessarily describe such policy movements; analogies to diseases and epidemics…

Suggests that political apathy among young people is the result of not having the conceptual tools necessary to comprehend present issues. Argues that to grasp many issues, students need to be mathematically literate, which many are not. Suggests that instructors should expose students to comparative numbers more often. (DSK)

Examines the relationship between National College Entrance Examinations and political centralism in China's higher education, presenting a history of this system and describing its purposes, characteristics, influence on K-12 education, strengths and limitations, and future. Recognizes how this system serves the political needs of commoners and…

Assertions of crises in public education commonly appear as descriptions of unease, suggestive of proposed remedies. In fact, many remedies actually existed first; their advocates sought particular circumstances they could transform into an alleged crisis. Examples include the "reading wars," bond elections for new buildings, and state standards…

Explains that in order to write a book on the Progressive Era that can compete with the plethora of books already on this topic, the author combined two common strategies used when approaching his book: (1) examining the politics of the period; and (2) analyzing the people and their experiences with social change. (CMK)

Discusses promises of and problems with participatory school reforms, reviewing recent research on site-based councils; examining patterns of site-based councils that include parents and councils that consist of teachers and principals, noting discrepancies between participatory promises and actual practices, and making recommendations for…

Presents a tribute to Dan Davidson, American Department of Foreign Language's (ADFL) 1997 honoree as an outstanding educator, focusing on Davidson's work to expand Russian studies nationwide and forge ties between U.S. Russianists and Russia itself over the past decades, beginning with the post-Sputnik era. Davidson was able to go beyond the Iron…

Describes the experiences of 20 Hispanic bilingual teachers in California following passage of Proposition 227. Teachers reported that Proposition 227 had created chaos, confusion, and academic setbacks for students and had intensified animosity between bilingual and nonbilingual advocates. Teachers exhibited resistance to the new measures. They…

The Nordic tradition of folkeoplysning (Denmark, Norway) or folkbildning (Sweden) is a form of adult education--"people's enlightenment"--linked to the emergence of democracy. Differing social, political, and cultural emphases attached to "folk"/"people" in various European languages have implications for the role of…