Reviews the development of community colleges in Missouri into a more integrated system since the first college was established in 1915. Emphasizes four events: enabling legislation in 1961, a shift in state oversight to postsecondary education in 1974, a 1990 change away from funding based on credit hours, and a decision to hire full time…

Offers notes and anecdotes concerning an article on the "New York Times Book Review," marginally useful research, Denis Diderot and politics, peer review of journal articles, loss of valuable literary criticism manuscripts, social sciences education, great mathematician Paul Erdos, quality of political judgment, and creation education.…

Traces the development and decline of communism and radical politics in Sheridan County, Montana, 1918-34. Examines conflicts that split the community into conservative and radical camps (primarily townspeople and farmers, respectively); the school and school board as defenders of conservative morality; intrusions of politics into children's…

Discusses how the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 denies noncitizens public assistance, defines "qualified aliens", and points out the inequities of the Act. Examines how this legislation affects several federal programs administered by state agencies, such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for…

This paper argues that British initial teacher training should address primary teaching methods directly so preservice students can appreciate the limitations of much popular debate about teaching styles, understand the historical backdrop against which the current situation has emerged, and appreciate the realities underpinning the context in…

In 1993-94, Ohio implemented an interdistrict open-enrollment policy, allowing student transfers only to adjacent districts. Districts can be open or closed, but cannot prevent transfers. A 1994 survey found that open districts were small, rural, racially homogeneous districts with declining enrollment. Closed districts were suburban, with…

Unless the higher education community itself, primarily students and faculty, responds immediately and forcefully to the issue of underfunding and widespread retrenchment, higher education as we know it will cease to exist. Problems include shrinking state financial and political support and absence of a compelling national security need.…

Depicts the hostile social, political, and economic environment in which racial and linguistic minorities now live. Demonstrates how educators can become advocates for reform. Educators must be willing to reconfigure public education, redefine their relationship to the community, create radical curricula, and make explicit their moral and social…

This article argues that the common legislative response to rising cost of higher education, asking faculty to take on additional teaching responsibilities, is both inconsistent with maximum-work-week law and short sighted, since it does not account for the preparation needed to teach effectively and deprives the next generation of quality…

Policymakers in many states are critical of college faculty salaries based on their ill-informed perceptions of faculty workload and perquisites, seldom acknowledging the real reason for rising costs in higher education, its rapid expansion. Faculty and administrators must work together to devise persuasive answers to hostile inquiries by critics…

Adoption of the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1992 formalized a significant shift in federal financial aid policy from grants to loans. A case study of the federal policy-making process and the effects of incremental and fragmented decision making, this legislation illustrates how shifts in the power of actors and constraints in the…

Merrimack (New Hampshire) is only one school system in the headlines over the twin issues of what schools should teach about homosexuality and what support they should offer gay and lesbian youth. Sidebars highlight school districts that have received media attention because of their policies on homosexuality and offer suggestions for boards…

The Texas legislature is pursuing a bill requiring regular post-tenure performance reviews for college faculty, intended to weed out lazy or incompetent professors. Many faculty express concern about the bureaucratic aspects of such a move, and about its effectiveness. Some observers find currently-required annual reviews for pay raises to be…

Responds to the first paper in this journal issue that discusses using dialog about how to conduct studies and organize projects to help enhance educational quality in various settings. This article agrees with issues the paper raises that are crucial to reform efforts but highlights areas that need more detailed discussion between researchers and…

Presents a response to the article that responded to the author's original paper on dialog regarding the politics of educational research, policy, and practice, explaining that new analyses will soon be available on the research-dialog/dissemination-policy-practice cycles occurring within an educational improvement project in several developing…