The ideal of a world where bilingualism or multilingualism is a normal and accepted feature is promoted in a commissioned report for International Literacy Year. It is noted that many minority groups are forced into bilingualism as a necessity for survival, but that those skills are rarely seen as an advantage and often seen as a cause of…

The history of and issues involved in the implementation of a tax appraisal program in West Virginia are highlighted in this paper, with a focus on taxation litigation since 1975. Efforts of the state legislature to implement a uniform tax system since the 1982 "Recht Decision," which found the state school funding system to be…

This essay outlines the history of social studies and the continuing push and pull of political favoritism that has marked its path since the second quarter of the century. Seen variously as too liberal, too progressive, even un-American, social studies is perhaps too sophisticated a concept for narrowly trained teachers and administrators. The…

Recent changes in and issues related to political authority and educational policy, specifically, decentralization and school responsibility, are examined in this paper. The following concerns are discussed: new administrative structures for states and municipalities; allocation of block grants; political and professional control of goals,…

The teachers' guide to the "Intermediate Pashto" textbook (FL 019 797) contains notes for the teacher on each of the fourteen units and sub-sections of the textbook. Unit and section headings are in English and Pashto; virtually all text is in Pashto. (MSE)

Impressionistic evidence and the literature suggest that questions of objectives are of little importance in most curriculum discussions; rather, people set forth their own goals and then move on to questions of content and materials--a practice that could be called the politics of curriculum development. The context of the case study reported…

Those aspects of the French educational policy pertinent to the controlled choice issue in the United States are examined in this paper. A purpose is to overcome both the theoretical and empirical weaknesses of the controlled choice literature. First, arguments for the regulation of choice policies are related to the "neo-pluralistic"…

This study was conducted in 1979-80 to obtain baseline opinions of members of the Wisconsin Legislature about vocational education. Sixty-six of the 132 legislators responded to 84 questions regarding the need for, financing of, quality of, and methods of delivering secondary and postsecondary vocational education in the state. The responses were…

School finance reform will still be a major issue in the 1980s, in both state legislatures and the courts. Reform efforts have concentrated on four issues: differences in expenditure per pupil across districts within a state, links between expenditure disparities and district property wealth, services for special needs students, and unique…

The New Zealand Curriculum Stocktake, undertaken between 2000 and 2003, signalled a more coherent and fluid approach to curriculum processes, and support for school-based decision-making around curriculum design and implementation. The subsequent "Curriculum Marautanga Project" (Ministry of Education, 2004) promised a "reframing,…

Upon the occasion of the University of Heidelberg (the oldest higher education institution in the Federal Republic of Germany) celebration of its 600th anniversary in 1986, this historical overview and current review of higher education in the Federal Republic looks at a wide range of topics. Contents include: "The Historical Growth of Higher…

Impressions of Atlantic City can be used as an interesting case study for a discussion of the notion of a learning society and its survival in a policy-driven system like Sweden's and a market-influenced context such as Atlantic City. It would be interesting to draw a map of the different learning support systems that are available in various…

Although the United States leads the world in spending for education, the quality of education is under attack from all quarters. On college campuses, the perceived necessity to maintain enrollment levels, and a post-60's reluctance to be selective in admissions contributed to waning academic standards. Economic interests have become the dominant…

The study examined the origins of higher education student assessment policy in Virginia, the current attitudes regarding assessment, and the implications and apparent directions of assessment policy in Virginia. The primary data sources were interviews with public officials and various document sources such as State Council of Higher Education…

An overview is provided of the issues, procedures, and prevailing judicial rationale for faculty tenure decisions in the state of Washington. All legal cases decided in Washington and cases from other jurisdictions that have had an impact on Washington law are summarized in this digest. Each case summary consists of an introduction of issues…