Reviews European Community and Australian language policies. Considers cultural-economic interface in Australia with respect to current interest in teaching Asian languages for trade purposes. Discusses Australia's growing acceptance of languages other than English and its affect on Aboriginal people. Urges the better utilization of the country's…

Discusses Canada's evolving university-industry relationship, reviewing the need for increased industrial funding of universities and for capable graduates. Academic and industrial research overlap; therefore, for Canada to be a competitive industrial country, various vehicles must exist to bring together working scientists and engineers from…

The article traces the history of the social sciences and shows how they developed their modern form in Western universities. It argues that they are undermining rather than supporting democratic order and suggests that universities, with their commitment to truth and freedom of thought, can transform such disciplines into worthwhile entities. (SM)

Describes the 1980s as a lost decade for Latin America, economically, politically, and educationally. Details the role of higher education during the decade of political upheaval. Stresses that, with appropriate funding, higher education in Latin America is on the threshold of improvement. (CFR)

Describes the impact of Marxism-Leninism on higher education in central and eastern Europe after World War II. Contends that the dramatic political changes in recent years call for a profound transformation in higher education. Asserts that, despite numerous difficulties, higher education in these nations has embarked on dramatic improvements.…

Describes a successful adult vocational educational program in the city of Montes Claros, Brazil. Outlines how herdsmen and small farmers are educated to be skilled industrial workers. Discusses the importance of private funding from businesses to the success of the program. (CFR)

Promulgates the position that the overpopulation issue is being coopted for women's health and social status. Questions whether or not raising women's status in itself will have any significant impact on lowering fertility rates. Suggests that the attempt to stabilize populations through empowerment of women is a dangerous mistake in societies…

Reviews the Spanish educational system, focusing on reforms enacted in 1990. Discusses reform movement issues, including quality, curricular control, curricular homogeneity versus diversity, and influence of European context. Describes reform movement aims (i.e., extending basic education and modifying educational levels to improve quality) and…

Examines misconceptions in both Western and Eastern countries about educational systems in postcommunist Eastern Europe. Discusses issues of slow pace of educational reform, change through formal power structures, centralization versus decentralization, role of tradition, macro- and micro-level problems, Western assistance, and the relationship…

Movement into high-technology Information Age demands a new kind of education and new, nonbehaviorist forms of school organization. Increasing social complexity requires schools to ensure that all students learn at high levels, construct their own knowledge, and fully develop their talents. This new model of unstandardized teaching and learning…

Discusses how legal issues impinge upon teacher competency testing, describing key legal provisions (antitrust protection, due process, equal protection, substantial adverse impact, and business necessity), and examining each one's impact on testing and teacher certification. Recommendations to help teacher educators ensure legal, credible, and…

The balance of public-private schooling in Australia is unstable, and public schooling may become primarily a safety net for students not served by private schools. There are unequal exchanges of bright and motivated pupils and influential and articulate parents away from the public schools, a process which fuels its own momentum. Reform proposals…

Presents six papers that offer perspectives on the subject of library school closings. Topics discussed include financial considerations; isolation of library schools within their university communities; unresponsive leadership; political issues; research productivity; the role of distance education; sources of institutional power, including…

Criticizes the educational goals of the conservative reform movement of the 1980s. Addresses the implications of shifting curricular decision making from teachers to state legislators and local administrators. Examines some alternatives that give poorer students access to new technologies and a broader skills base and that contribute to community…

Using a political system theory approach, this case study examined the conflict that developed between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State Department of Public Instruction between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s for control of a teacher education program. Conclusions highlight political and governance ramifications for teacher…