Academic administrators are not generally trusted. Drawing on Plato's "Republic," this article shows that this mistrust is understandable, considering how values are prioritized in academe, how administrators and political life are connected, and how one normal administrative function (implementing others' policies) can presage an openness to…

Concludes that (1) the current infatuation with corporate bigness is void of credible empirical support; (2) disproportionate corporate size and industry concentration are incompatible with and destructive to good economic performance; and (3) structurally oriented antitrust policy must be revitalized to combat the burdens of corporate bigness.…

In the higher education finance debate between the incumbent governor and challenger, the ultimate issue is which candidate has identified the most pressing educational problem. Public school and community college teachers' salaries and phased-out community college tuition are at the controversy's center, dividing the Iowa State Education…

Discusses crises of legitimacy, theory, curricula, and power in the field of communication in the United States. (SR)

Narrates the experiences of one journalism teacher who was criticized by a Japanese student when another student used the word "Jap" in the classroom. Questions the role of instructors in assuring that all language in a classroom is "politically correct." (HB)

Tips for enhancing parent-teacher communications include volunteer, get to know the teacher, make an appointment before seeing the teacher, provide positive feedback, contact the teacher early with problems, suggest PTA-sponsored communications workshops, respect teachers' perspectives, express anger elsewhere, accept positive and negative…

Cross-gender mentoring in the academic professions is explored, taking into account interactional gender politics and power relations as they are encoded in relationships in society at large. The presentation takes the form of a conversation between the authors to attempt to contextualize the theoretical and abstract within the personal and…

In Sweden principals are faced with societal demands requiring school systems to move from rule-oriented management to goal-oriented management. Principals can no longer rely on authority derived from position but must instead cultivate a credibility based on competence. Goal-oriented leadership is practiced on three levels: the political (the…

Too many educators believe good education transcends politics. Political influences abound. The rightist agenda demands an authoritarian, hands-on principal in a decentralized setting regulated by parents, testing, and a Eurocentric curriculum. The leftist agenda demands a consensual, hands-off principal supporting autonomous, antisystem teachers.…

Outlines five broadly conceived concepts of the role of English in the curriculum: cultural heritage, personal growth, cultural analysis, adult needs, and cross-curricular. Relates these five concepts to the history of English and its potential future development. (HB)

Considers the literary achievement of William Shakespeare and specifically why he continues to hold such an honored and sanctified position in the literary canon. Proposes a theoretically informed, politically aware pedagogy by which Shakespeare might be more usefully taught. (HB)

Describes the recent revival of interest in the use of nursery rhymes as tools for the development of early phonic knowledge in children. Traces the historical evolution of nursery rhymes and their origins in the world of carnival. Questions whether such material is proper for teaching surface features of reading. (HB)

Discusses some effective program features, and some of the current issues facing teachers of language minority students, in their attempts to implement an effective literacy program in Texas. (SR)

Studies the relations of discourse and teaching to ideological and cultural production. Argues for the initiation of cultural critique within the research and pedagogical practices of the field of professional writing. Illustrates how such a model of criticism might be developed in professional writing research. (HB)

A Roman Catholic educator ponders his failure to defend a thinking-skills program to angry parents convinced that such "New Age" philosophies would corrupt their children. Many Christian Fundamentalist authors are ultrafundamentalists attempting to assert their world view as dominant. Hated New Age practices include acupressure, YMCA…