A case study of the evaluation of urban policy in Northern Ireland showed how two forms of policy evaluation--instrumental, which is concerned with performance measures and efficiency, and interpretive, which is concerned with power relationships--can be reconciled using community audits and participatory action research. (SK)

Provides: background information regarding external pressures on schools and teacher preparation programs; a survey study of preservice and practicing teachers' knowledge regarding effective reading instructional methods; and the resulting changes in the teaching of reading courses. (SG)

Investigates the reading of policy documents by Dutch legislators. Considers reading-to-assess processes using methods that address the limitations of previous studies. Analyzes the reading-to-assess processes of the legislators to extend existing models and theories of reading in professional contexts. Indicates that the legislators read…

Looks at two representative examples of the impact of multiculturalism on higher education in order to get a concrete sense of how different perspectives can affect understanding of the multicultural transformation of the college curriculum in general and English studies in particular. Notes that the emphasis on educational access should be on…

Describes the results of a study intended to test a specific hypothesis and a research question related to the theoretical development of the candidate image construct in political communication. Tests the long-standing assumption that there is a dichotomy between candidate issue positions and candidate persona impressions ("images").…

Asserts that accountability in charter schools is largely a political issue and not a technical, instrumental question as the rhetoric suggests. Drawing on Texas student performance data and interviews with key state policymakers, the paper concludes that viewing accountability in charter schools as a technical issue ignores the larger political…

The whole language movement evolved partly from a larger political context. Anti-whole language arguments were responses to increased student and teacher empowerment threatening traditional hierarchies and certain characterizations of whole language. By calling whole language a point on the pendular cycle, critics mounted an aggressive campaign in…

Educators who focus on control pay more attention to curriculum and depositing knowledge than learning processes. A focus on freedom shifts the locus of control but depends on rationality and autonomy, which isolate and dehumanize. A focus on balance enables a holistic, inclusive approach that acknowledges interpersonal connections. (Contains 55…

Analyzes the events of July 23, 1993, when Carol Moseley-Braun was involved in two rhetorical events in the United States Senate dealing with racial issues and the rhetorical culture of the Senate. Concludes that the reactions are as telling as the actions, revealing a United States Senate fundamentally unprepared for such a subject and such a…

In "Corporate School Takeovers," the National Education Association expresses indignation over profit making by private companies providing services to schools. Argues that profits are a way of recognizing costs that exist in all school settings. The seeking of profits is no more selfish than the seeking of higher salaries, promotions,…

One way universities have served society since the Middle Ages is by providing an environment giving students and faculty freedom to explore new ideas without fear of retribution. Properly used, conflict can be the catalyst for advancing wisdom. However, the university is at risk when rational discourse is replaced by conflict as the means of…

Argues briefly that national standards can improve achievement and equality of opportunity, provide a coordinating function, and provide consumer protection. (SR)

Outlines opposition to national standards and argues that the federal government should concentrate on producing greater equity in funding and in compensatory education, rather than on national standards and assessment. (SR)

Places the national standards movement in context of the larger political current, including the excellence reform movement. Argues that the political winds have shifted to the far right in educational reform. (SR)

Discusses four basic issues regarding cultural change in education: (1) whether the need for reform is real; (2) whether public education is important; (3) whether schooling can be improved; and (4) whether solutions are easy. (SR)