Explores ways in which the current governance structure of U.S. schools detracts from their ability to solve educational problems. Self-managed leadership is proposed as an alternative that does not restrict the problem-solving capabilities of teachers. Implications for teacher and principal behavior are examined. (SLD)

President-elect Bill Clinton's ambitious education program involves development of world-class standards in mathematics, English, and science; increased federal funding for Head Start and Chapter 1 programs; an overhaul of the student loan program, creation of a national apprenticeship program; and radical decentralization of schools. Sidebars…

Examines the interplay of political and educational factors influencing current U.S. and British school reform. The dominant characteristic of educational policymaking in both countries is "hyperpoliticalization." Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act, motivated by conservative political considerations, represents a setback to secondary…

Reinterprets the way that the 1944 Education Act was viewed in Great Britain by detailing the political debate over restructuring schools in Swansea, Wales, after World War II. Examines social and political factors that determined Welsh educational policy and reveals the continuing struggle between providing equal educational opportunities and…

Increasingly, students and states are seeing community colleges as a cheaper, more accessible route to bachelor's degrees, by having four-year students spend two years in a community college or converting community colleges to four-year programs. Debate focuses on availability of appropriate resources, duplication of effort, and dilution of degree…

A discussion of the response of George Mason University (Virginia) to economic decline in 1989-92 looks at four stages in the downturn and examines a variety of planning and policy issues, including management of both unplanned and planned reductions, continued uncertainty, politics of decline, organizational communication and morale,…

A discussion of the difficulties and progress of Indian higher education in the postcolonial era concludes that, although there have been some gains, problems exist in overexpansion, inadequate resources, political influences, and general lack of vigor in the higher education system. Several initiatives are suggested. (MSE)

Some sociopolitical contexts of Alaskan schools undermine Yup'ik Eskimo teachers' classroom use of their cultural knowledge and create barriers to their training. Yup'ik leaders have formed a teacher organization that studies traditional language and culture for classroom use. The article examines how those efforts changed classroom practice,…

Reflects on education in China in light of the changing Communist world. Focuses on the tension among four competing educational goals--economic modernization, education as a universal right, recruitment of elites, and dissemination of ideology--while addressing problems in rural education, literacy education, teacher training, educational…

Difficulties in the development of adult education programs in research-oriented, elite universities are discussed, focusing on the differences in traditional values and objectives of adult and university education. Organizational conditions at the University of Louvain (Belgium) that have proven conducive to a successful adult education program…

Discusses the falling enrollments in sociology departments. Suggests that the decline may be a result of quality of subject matter presentation, an increase in career-oriented students, and the development of social work and criminal justice into departments separate from sociology. Urges sociology departments to strengthen their political…

Discusses European attempts to standardize academic and vocational qualifications. Expresses concern that the internal market threatens the cultural sovereignty of states. Describes the consequences of teacher mobility for the German education system. Concludes that more openness is necessary for the European Community's educational policymaking…

Urges that teachers be allowed to play a more active role in school restructuring. Argues that democratic ideals cannot be taught by a school system that is not run democratically. Insists that proponents of restructuring and educational renewal must see as central the teachers' control over professional affairs. (DK)

Compares areas and levels of political conflict in racially isolated school districts by surveying six superintendents from racially isolated African-American schools and six superintendents from racially isolated white schools. Similar issues arise at every conflict level with small variations among issues between African-American and white…

Interview data from 40 inner-city seventh graders challenge the stereotype that adolescents' peer conflicts (APCs) are senseless, wasteful, and destructive. Rather, these conflicts raise important micropolitical concerns about power, conflict, coalition, and policy. APCs can increase the relevance of education, play an important role in social…