Ten essays on the use of ethnography in educational assessment are presented. Overview essays include: (1) "Beyond the Status Quo in Ethnographic Educational Evaluation" (David M. Fetterman) and (2) "The Ethnographic Evaluator" (David M. Fetterman). Theoretical papers include: (3) "Theory in Education Evaluation: Or,…

The historical background of and barriers to K-12 school finance reform efforts in Michigan from 1968 to 1989 are reviewed in this report. Factors inhibiting school finance reform are cost of equalization, local control, out-of-formula school districts, and property tax stability. Other factors include de facto unavailability of state personal…

Decentralization efforts in Australia after the publishing of the "Better Schools" report in 1987 are described in this paper. An overview of the implementation process concludes that the transition is halfway completed. However, the process has encountered strong resistance. Authority to determine the means, but not ends, was devolved…

By June 1983, California enacted Senate Bill 813, a sweeping, comprehensive education reform program that contained over 80 education policy and program reforms. The state legislature asked the research team to analyze schools that were effectively responding to reform stimuli and to identify how Senate Bill 813 aided, hindered, or was irrelevant…

This collection of essays addresses various themes related to developmental education in two-year colleges. The collection contains: (1) "Responding to Criticism of Developmental Education," by Arthur M. Cohen, which answers six criticisms commonly leveled against remedial education; (2) "The Politics of Remediation," by Dennis McGrath and Martin…

As one of the more traditional Latin American societies, Colombia's educational policies have been affected by long-standing cultural beliefs including class values and social stratification. This paper examines the educational history of Colombia, provides a thorough background on its educational achievements and difficulties, and discusses…

The dissatisfaction theory of American democracy (Ianneccone and Lutz, 1970, 1978) purports that citizens do not become politically active until a high level of dissatisfaction is present and that superintendent turnover is the end result of a process in which the school board becomes increasingly unresponsive to its community, dissatisfaction…

An eight-chapter resource guide helps high school students become actively involved in the presidential election process. Chapter 1 contains directions for student participation in the 1984 Michigan statewide mock election; these directions are easily adaptable to other state and local mock election projects. Included are sample voter application…

This report discusses diverse economic issues involved in educational reforms aimed at improving economic growth. The focus is on elementary and secondary education in the southeastern United States. After a general overview of the economics of educational reform, section I discusses the issues involved in modeling and estimating the linkages…

This teacher's guide provides student objectives, motivational devices, terms and concepts to know, student activities, evaluation ideas, and suggestions for using an accompanying four-part videotape series. An activity for chapter 1, "Differing World Views," divides the class into groups that list U.S.-Soviet differences in economic…

Using a microanalytic case study approach, school effectiveness/school improvement strategies in a Northeastern urban public school district are examined. Recent research findings have indicated inconclusive and, at times, negative results related to the implementation of such strategies. The 202,469 students enrolled in 257 schools within the…

Designed for use in secondary school social studies classes, this guide provides activities for helping students understand some of the fundamental principles of government as well as its structure, politics, and effects on the individual. Information, articles, and cartoons from the Austin-American Statesman form the basis of the readings, along…

Designed for secondary school social studies teachers, this curriculum outline offers suggestions for teaching about the governance, cost, and sources of fiscal support for public education. Although the outline is specifically designed for use by teachers in Michigan, it can be adapted for use in any state. Arranged into five major sections,…

The report briefly outlines the population characteristics, public employment and political representation status of the Dona Ana, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Otero, and Sierra counties in southern New Mexico for a 10-year period. The three sections of each profile focus on the city government, largest city in that county, and school district…

One of a series of teacher-developed curriculum guides designed to encourage student participation and involvement in important social issues, this secondary level guide helps 7th through 12th grade English and social studies educators teach about the election process. An introductory section suggests practical considerations, means of enlisting…