Describes the key features of "third way" politics. Examines "third way" economic, social, and political values and objectives related to New Labor government post-compulsory-school education policies and initiatives, particularly New Deal Welfare to Work and the University for Industry. (Contains 68 references.) (PKP)

New local education authorities created by Scottish governmental reorganization have reduced, or started charging fees for, instrumental music instruction. This action's unpopularity may lead to central government intervention and loss of local control over one area of educational responsibility. An alternative would be for local authorities to…

Examines similarities between English and U.S. school-choice policies, and considers explanations of any convergences: broader social changes versus policy exchanges. Discusses the utility of concepts such as postmodernism and post-Fordism, neoliberal policy networks within and between the two countries, and evidence of the use of overseas…

Presents four initiatives to make Canadian teacher unions more customer-centered and competitive: (1) make union membership optional; (2) sell union services to members and nonmembers; (3) lobby for school-level concerns and conduct controversial political lobbying through arms-length organizations; and (4) take more supportive stances toward…

Examines assessment policy in Arizona over a decade, using interview, observation, and archival data. Policy shifted from basic skills and standardized testing to progressive reform by performance testing to high-stakes standardized testing using state standards. The Arizona Student Assessment Program is described, discussing the Academic Summit…

Reform efforts require principals to build alliances with the community, legislators, and media. The U.S. Department of Education's New High Schools employ a common set of improvement strategies: innovative instruction, integrated technology, tailored professional development, community service, work-based learning, and strong community…

Focus groups and interviews with 37 teachers and 4 principals examined their roles and experiences in Papahana Kaiapuni, a K-12 program taught entirely in Hawaiian. Teachers integrated Hawaiian culture into the curriculum and viewed the program as a model of school reform for Native Hawaiians. The program transformed many teachers' views of…

In this article, the author tells the story of one school and how the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has been affecting its teachers and the educational opportunities and outcomes of its students. Roosevelt High School, located in North Portland, Oregon, has the most ethnically diverse student population in what is the largest school district in…

Over the past four decades higher education institutions have faced increasing complexity related to governance (Berdahl, 1991; Birnbaum, 1988; Kezar, 2000; Leslie & Fretwell, 1996). In particular, institutions now face even greater competing priorities and demands to engage the community, business, and industry; to solve social problems and…

Education in Britain increasingly appears to serve a very narrow notion of pedagogy, partly reflecting the "conditions of domination" generated by the rise of the new managerialism in the delivery of public services. In the name of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, social progress is increasingly seen to lie in achieving continual…

School diversity in the UK is not a new phenomenon. However, recent reforms to "modernise" the secondary school system towards greater diversity of provision, primarily in England, needs to be explored in more detail. The article begins by proposing three phases in the development of state-funded school diversity and provision between…

State and local officials are slowly untangling complicated webs of accountability, testing, and graduation policies, hoping to give thousands of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina a better handle on their academic standing. While officials in Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama offered some guidance to such students, school leaders in…

On May 23, 2001, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives had rejected a proposal to fund a pilot school voucher program that would have provided a token voucher of $1,500 to students in five schools nationwide. Less than three years later, President George W. Bush delivered a far different message to voucher supporters--a declaration of…

On the night of December 4, 2004, a Texas Southern University (TSU) student named Ashley Sloan was gunned down near campus, struck in the temple by a bullet after leaving a party with her friends. The murder prompted an outpouring of accusations concerning poor campus security. For many Houstonians, the shooting raised old fears of the…

The publication of the new curriculum and subject guidelines for the National Certificate (Vocational) marks an important development in policy by the Department of Education. To implement this new National Certificate (Vocational), the teaching staff at FET colleges should not only be familiar with the new curriculum and its pedagogic demands,…