Shadows student named Sam through classes at suburban high school. Typical high school is characterized by intellectual chaos created by string of utterly independent "subjects." There is virtually no federal-level talk about intellectual coherence for Sam. Curricular mandates (and accompanying assessment systems) place each traditional…

Addresses conflicts concerning the structure of the educational system, ideological fixations, and the relationship between the federal and state governments in Germany. Describes the politics surrounding German educational policy. Suggests that the most recent problem analysis is a useful guideline even though it did not resolve the disputes over…

Outlines tactics and strategies to employ to get a theater program established as an important part of the life of a high school. Discusses getting one's bearings, claiming one's space, working the system, shameless self-promotion, and the first production. (SR)

Discusses the record of magnet schools in increasing and equalizing student opportunity, building educational quality, and improving student learning. (SR)

A discussion of college and university retrenchment based on interviews with 40 faculty and 20 administrators at 2 research universities looks at programs threatened with termination as terrains contested among academic fields, where wide divergences in professional/discipline-based power become evident. Results appeared to have less to do with…

"New Times"--a term recognizing recent qualitative, incremental changes in the world--present an opportunity for community education to become more central to the debate about education, the social order, and social change. The fundamental challenge is forging the politics of cultures into a coherent political culture. (SK)

Self-directed learning should be interpreted as part of a cultural tradition emphasizing individuals' standing against oppression. This involves recognizing that (1) political issues of control and power are at its heart and (2) authentic practice of self-directedness requires certain political conditions (access to resources). (SK)

In the vision of workplace past, work and education combined to improve productivity; in workplace present, workers are deficient and need specialized training. Workplace future must reconceptualize work, addressing race, sex, and class bias and making families and subsistence production, rather than commodity production, the centerpiece. (SK)

A case study of a state university illustrates the overt and covert limitations of study and discussion of gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues on campus. Although the university is committed to the advancement of human understanding, gay, lesbian, and bisexual faculty and students feel their civil rights are threatened, and research pertaining to…

Discusses the decentralization of educational administration in Victoria. Examines the change from central to local selection of principals as a possible example of more democratic structures where greater collaboration and participation have been incorporated into the decision-making process. (53 references) (MLF)

Technology education is not an attractive option for developing countries with overwhelming short-term priorities. Rather than building a technologically literate population or preparing people for postsecondary technical education, these countries need curricula that solve basic economic development and unemployment problems. (SK)

Maintains that helping kids to understand and appreciate other cultures is a fine thing that there should be lots more of, but that it's not addressing the breakdown in teacher-pupil communication that occurs in all too many multiethnic classrooms. (SR)

Despite recent state leadership in educational reform, the national reports have primarily framed issues and priorities. The articles chosen for this special issue demonstrate the interplay of state and local politics of reform with national concerns. This article highlights Florida's contributions to first and second wave reform efforts. (MLH)

The current debate about the content of collegiate general education is more amicable and more productive when waged in terms of alternative answers to fundamental questions than in terms of allocation of turf. As long as differences are merely tolerated, and their causes not explored, political and educational divisions will deepen. (MSE)

Every child should have an equal opportunity to become a symbolic analyst (professional worker) and enjoy the resulting social, political, and economic benefits. To provide an adequate education for everyone, school leaders must bridge the chasm separating educational finance and school programs. Visionary leadership is needed to pursue adequacy…