The National Education Goals, Goals 2000, were signed into law by President Clinton in 1994. From 1989 to 1994 the goals existed in a symbolic context with minimal funding to support them. An unpredictable series of events sustained the National Education Goals through a period of potential obscurity to enactment. The goals appear to be unique in…

This report describes four schools (two elementary, one middle, and one senior high) whose administration and faculty made longterm commitments to curricular and organizational change to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Data sources included observation of meetings; conversations with staff members; and informal interviews with…

This paper presents data from two in-depth studies to illustrate the importance of community involvement and staff development for improving schools. The first case study describes how community political action in a school district in southwestern Ohio spurred school reform. In "Riverside," a pseudonym, the black community sought to…

This paper examines the role of the school board as a player in school "restructuring." Defining restructuring as the transformation of schools into equitable learning environments, this paper examines whether school boards have a leadership role in restructuring. Data were derived from a literature review, a questionnaire of individual board…

This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the influences that shaped an Ohio governor's education reform proposals from a vantage point inside the governor's office, during the late 1980s. Data were obtained through document analysis (of the period from fall 1987 to January 1989), interviews with the governor, and a literature…

This paper examines the transformed governance structures of four schools engaged in systemic restructuring efforts and looks at how those transformations have affected principals' roles by reshaping the micropolitical environment of the school. Principals' roles have changed as: (1) decision-making jurisdictions are redrawn; (2) power dynamics…

This book examines the ideas of two radical heroes of adult education: Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) and Paulo Freire (1921-1997). The book is organized into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces both men and their influences on adult education. Chapter 2 examines Gramsci's educative concept of politics, focusing on his concepts of hegemony and the…

This report presents findings of an 18-month study to find out how state political and education leaders gauge the performance of citizen boards of trustees and to assess the overall condition of academic governance. The study included interviews with more than 250 state officials and education leaders, site visits to seven states, and an…

This paper deals with the political role and the political self-definition of researchers in the field of comparative education in East and West Germany in the post World War II period. The study addresses some of the general assumptions made about comparative education bridging the gap between cultures but asserts that none of these assumptions…

The central purpose of this book is to challenge current social constructions of poverty, reading education, and the putative relationship between the two. It explores how official and popular representations of poverty are bound to specific historical, social, and economic conditions of their own production. The book offers four stances of…

This document brief examines the role of state education agencies in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in supporting school-community collaborations. The findings are based on site visits and interviews conducted in 1996-97 with state-education-agency staff, as well as staff representing other state agencies that address the needs…

Feature articles contained in the four issues of volume 6 of this periodical for families who practice home schooling concern the response of the United States Senate to political pressure from home schoolers; a "declaration of war" on religious freedom by conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court; the likelihood that the Congress will pass a…

Intended to be used by groups of young people under the supervision of adults, this workbook is for young people who want to learn about public affairs and to become involved in their communities. There are exercises that may be completed independently by each person, and exercises that may be used by the entire group. The guide can be used by…

Issues in school choice are examined in this paper, with a focus on the link between the political philosophy of Education 2000 and the likely civic, economic, and religious consequences for the United States. The first part briefly identifies selected attributes of the conservative and liberal philosophies regarding capitalism, democracy,…

After a brief introduction to the historical background of the peace education movement in Australia, this paper surveys major events concerning peace education in Australia in the 1980s. Peace education efforts in Australia have experienced successes as well as setbacks, and that the fate of such efforts often is at least in part, related to…