Fiscal federalism can be an important complement to structural reforms and budget consolidation. Empowering sub national governments, while at the same time making them accountable to local citizens in the uses of tax money, could improve the allocation of public resources and promote catch up of the lagging regions. Italy has launched itself in…

The returns to college are substantial, including increased earnings and public benefits, such as better health and increased involvement in public service and giving. As a result, since the introduction of the Guaranteed Student Loan program in 1965 and the Pell Grant in 1972, the federal government has experimented with using financial aid to…

This publication is part of a series of tools and resources on financing and sustaining youth programming. These tools and resources are intended to help policymakers, program developers, and community leaders develop innovative strategies for implementing, financing, and sustaining effective programs and policies. This guide outlines strategies…

The purpose of this study was to determine how selected career and technical education teachers (CTE) in West Virginia perceived the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. A convenience sample was used to select thirty-seven (N = 37) career and technical education teachers from five Southern West Virginia career and technical schools. The…

In this article, the author examines the link between high-stakes testing policies and classroom instruction. Using data from classroom observations and interviews with teachers, he argues that these policies influence instruction but are mediated by teachers and filtered through their collegial interactions. He shows that teachers link the…

This paper offers observations from an Association of University Administrators (AUA) study visit to Australia at a time of considerable hostility by some Vice-Chancellors towards the radical reforms implemented by John Howard's conservative Government. The team of ten senior managers, led by Ian Creagh of the AHUA/AUA International Committee,…

The purpose of this study is to examine the appointment procedure of the teachers employed in public schools in Turkey. Specifically, this study explores the correlation between the pre-service teachers' Civil Servant Selection Examination (KPSS) performance and their "cognitive ability" represented by Student Selection Examination (OSS)…

In tertiary institutions in Australia, and no doubt elsewhere, there is increasing pressure for accountability. No longer are academics assumed "a priori" to be responsible and capable of self management in teaching and assessing the subjects they run. Procedures are being dictated more from the "top down". Although academics…

This paper provides a critical analysis of New Zealand's Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). The first section sketches the development and implementation of the PBRF. The second section evaluates the scheme, concentrating on three themes: the relationship between privatization, competition and research performance; the standardization of…

This paper argues that the increasing diversity of multicultural Australia is now troubling teacher education due to the under-representation of world English speaking (WES) student teachers of minority immigrant backgrounds. This is now a concern of national significance to education policy-makers and researchers. This paper summarises key…

Based on the significant public investment in expanding degree-granting opportunities for students in colleges, university colleges, and institutes, this paper reports the need for Canadian institutions to work together to find a solution to ensure the recognition and portability of appropriate degrees from non-AUCC (Association of Universities…

The pendulum has been swinging back and forth between traditional and progressive educational approaches for more than 100 years, but we still haven't figured out how to reduce the learning gap. In this first article in a two-part series, Mr. Pogrow suggests fundamental policy changes and argues for finding ways to combine the best of the…

The "Times Higher Education Supplement" of 9 February 2006 briefly reported that the Privy Council, tasked with approving the statutes of universities, was now going to leave their internal arrangements in their own hands. These underlying policy directions need to be set in the context of the important change of emphasis from…

In this article, the authors argue that if pupils are to make educated choices about their roles in Europe, it is important that a European dimension be included within education. These authors see three concepts as integral to a European dimension--identity, cooperation, and integration--and suggest that for the full potential of European…

This paper presents the stories of three mothers with learning difficulties whose children have been involved in care proceedings. Drawing on the example of the legendary interviewer, Studs Terkel, the authors let the mothers describe their experiences of the child protection system in their own words. From out of their intensely personal accounts…