The rural work ethic, a strong sense of community togetherness, and the absence of class distinction help rural schools avoid the politics that often stand in the way of education in larger urban and suburban schools. Factors contributing to successful schools include clear goals, good principals who know how to motivate faculty, faculty who know…

This study sets out to examine fundamental aspects of citizenship education in Swedish schools, based on the theory that, in a democracy with a system of compulsory public education, curricula are the products of political compromise, accommodating the aims of several different groups. From this perspective, the school as an ideological state…

In most developing societies, the state assumes responsibility for control of education. However, in recent years, educational leaders in a number of countries along with policy analysts in the donor community have proposed a number of arrangements for decentralizing education. This paper draws primarily on the experience of Sri Lanka to examine…

An overview is provided of the educational philosophies of Allan Bloom, Lynne V. Cheney, William Bennett, and Ernest Boyer, with special focus on their political underpinnings. The essay begins with an examination of the issues discussed in "The Closing of the American Mind," by Allan Bloom. Concern and disagreement is expressed about:…

This paper addresses three levels of change in political and educational relations. Level one focuses on educational systems' service functions; level two involves adjustments of educational politics; and level three entails conditions of conflicts about education falling within states' general politics. Politicization refers to conflict…

Female researchers conducting field research in educational politics encounter special problems of access, entry, reciprocity, and ethics. Accordingly, this study focuses first on field research methods in policy settings as a general topic, then on problems specific to women in this area. A researcher must be aware of informal coalitions or…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 17 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the symbolic processing of continuity and change using the case of Carl F. H. Henry, (2) rhetorical strategies and image projection in John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, (3) the…

This document examines recent state school reform efforts from two perspectives: the strategies states adopt to improve educational excellence and the influence those strategies have on the functional dimensions of education policy. The paper reports the research findings of a study that examined state reform strategies nationally. The study…

This paper reports on a study designed to investigate the perceptions of conflict and coping by superintendents in Western Pennsylvania. Twenty-eight superintendents (13 former superintendents and 15 currently active superintendents) were interviewed. Triangulation was utilized to determine the credibility of the interview data. Common themes of…

Presentations by students at a colloquium on student research on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the University of Laval's Faculty of Letters, March 18-19, 1988, include: "Une enquete sur la qualite du francais ecrit au Quebec"; "Amenagement linguistique et neologie"; "Analyse syntaxique des 'arrets et retours' en…

This document addresses the complex issues surrounding the production, selection, and use of textbooks in the context of the current educational reform movement. The first section discusses the need for textbook reform, examining the problems associated with their content, presentation, and supplementary materials. The second section discusses the…

This position paper explores the potential of new technology to radically alter both distance education and conventional higher education. It hypothesizes that technological developments could even lead to the demise of the conventional campus-based higher education institution by the year 2000. Instead, people of all ages would be able to study…

A meta-analysis of theoretical debates concerned with the assessment of risk associated with the use of nuclear power as an energy source is presented in this paper. Based on a central premise that risk assessment has a direct impact on national policy decisions and is associated with different perspectives reflective of different social sectors,…

This document consists of two modules. The first studies a variety of multicandidate voting systems, including approval, Borda, and cumulative voting, using a model which takes account of a voter's intensity of preference for candidates. The voter's optimal strategy is investigated for each voting system using decision criteria under uncertainty…

These proceedings contain two presentations as well as recreated dialogue from discussions at a workshop to explore potential areas of collaboration and cooperation between North and Latin America. The first presentation addresses the topic of adult basic education in Latin America. It describes the historical, cultural, and socio-political…