This volume records the proceedings of a symposium in which scholars and practitioners from a variety of fields assessed present and future trends in the politics of education. It links relevant past events to significant trends in educational governance and policy-making and contributes to an understanding of the influences and demands that will shape educational policy analysis in future research, teaching, and practice of educational administration. The contributors seek to narrow the gap between research and practice, while also creating a bridge connecting the preoccupations of educators and political analysts with those of professionals in other disciplines. In a similar way, they consider problems that span all sectors of education--elementary, secondary, and postsecondary. Central to all the chapters is the assumption that, in spite of conflicts and concerns brought on by fluctuations in the economy and the instability of needs for educational services, change is likely to be of an incremental nature. Implicit in all chapters and explicit in the final ones is the need for renewed attention to the preservice and inservice preparation of educational administrators. (Author/JM)