In industrialised Western nations generally, and European Union (EU) nations particularly, immigration is an issue of considerable concern and debate. In the EU, however, discussion of immigration has tended to centre on a number of policy issues, from reliance on welfare provision, to labour force participation, to healthcare provision, to…

The paper explores processes of social movement learning within SINTRAEMCALI, a public service trade union in the South West of Colombia, which has successfully prevented a series of attempts by the national government to privatise public utilities. The paper develops the concept of "strategic learning" and applies it to an exploration…

The paper analyses the pedagogical dimension of the process of Participatory Budgeting in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), taking into consideration the local and regional culture as well as the wider political milieu. The question this paper engages with is whether, in this social movement involving around 400,000 people in 2001, there…

The article compares the educational policy trajectories of four societies in the South-west Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Mauritius, Ile de la Reunion and South Africa. The main purpose is to trace the political pathways and differing educational policy trajectories of former colonies of Britain and France. Five metaphors are invoked in this paper to…

Reading First, which has already handed out nearly $5 billion in grants to some 1,700 districts and 5,600 schools, is designed to improve reading instruction in the nation's most disadvantaged schools through the use of research-based methods. However, a report conducted by the investigators for Inspector General John P. Higgins to evaluate…

Psychological well-being and self-esteem were studied for 356 Gaza, Palestinian, Israeli Bedouin Arab, and Israeli Jewish high school students before and after the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Autonomy Agreement. Psychopathology was highest among Gaza youth, who also showed the lowest self-esteem. In spite of changing political conditions,…

Turkey has more than 130 years of experience of elementary teacher education in formal meaning after opening of the first elementary teacher school. During this time period, approximately in every 10 years there were some major changes based on the level of elementary teacher schools such as middle school, high school or higher education…

Since the handover of the sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China in 1997, there have been a series of change, development, and related issues in special education programs for learners with disabilities in Hong Kong. In this paper, we try to describe the background and recent trends, issues, and implications that…

Iraqi refugees are coming to the United States after years of war and internal conflict, and they bring with them an ancient history. This booklet gives an overview of the land, the people, and the history of Iraq, with a description of the circumstances that compel these refugees to leave their native land. The people who live in Iraq represent a…

Action research, which, broadly defined, was one of the activities in which educators following in the footsteps of John Dewey engaged, emerged as a systematic approach for improving educational practice in the two decades following World War II. Action research then passed into relative obscurity. It has recently re-emerged in the educational…

Because of a congruity of developments in the knowledge base concerning tests, external political factors, and legal factors, responsible use of employment tests could be on the verge of widespread acceptability. However, the possibility also exists that tests will once again become the scapegoat for "bad news." This review of the legal…

This book explores why past efforts to reform the human services system have had marginal impact in improving the quality of life for children and families, and offers new directions for future social service reform. Chapter 1 examines the sociopolitical antecedents of service integration that have emerged from the uniquely democratic experience…

Few books have generated as much controversy as the recently published "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life." The tremendous polarization on the issue of the relationship between intelligence quotient (IQ) to race and social class, reinforced by the book, and the potential this book has for undermining…

Local governments play a central role in improving the lives of children and families and in piecing together solutions to other major social, economic, environmental, and political challenges. Some ways to nurture and support systems reform activities in local governments, including those of educational systems, are explored. Systems reform can…

The essays in this collection provide insights into the dilemmas faced by immigrants and ethnic minorities and by school personnel and policy makers. The first part of the book consists of comparative studies of ethnic identity, and the second part focuses on some lessons learned from studies of ethnic identification and equity, with implications…