Summarizes conclusions from a review on the effects of programs intended to prevent early school failure. Examines the effects of birth-to-three programs, preschool, kindergarten, grade retention, class size and instructional aides, nongraded primary programs, one-to-one tutoring, and others. Research on prevention and early intervention indicates…

Offers a philosophical critique of traditionalism, and considers how the educational agenda of its proponents should be assessed within the context of a liberal policy. Education befitting a liberal political morality and respect for children's rights limit the extent to which traditionalist moral education can be tolerated. (SLD)

Rural school improvement requires that state educational policies empower rural educators to attempt innovative programs. After extensive grassroots input, the Alaska Legislature defined seven statewide educational needs relating to poor school performance. A Washington education reform bill allows schools to do anything not expressly forbidden by…

Presents a learning activity calling upon students to choose the best candidate for U.S. President. Requires students to examine the qualifications for the position, brainstorm and discuss additional qualifications, study the backgrounds of potential candidates, choose candidates, and defend choices. Includes references and the backgrounds of…

Cooperation between universities in northern and southern hemispheres in the current economic and geopolitical climate is discussed. The relationship between Canadian universities and the government is chronicled, and mechanisms of international cooperation are analyzed. Certain ethical principles are proposed as a framework for Canadian…

Describes the campaign for tenure for an Asian Pacific American university professor, D. Nakanishi, within a historical context. Includes discussions of Asian Americans' and Pacific Americans' experience of discrimination since the 1900s, civil rights struggles in the 1970s and 1980s, and the history and development of the "Amerasia…

Examines educational policy formation in Sao Paulo, 1989-92, under the leadership of Paulo Freire. Explores theoretical and policy controversies surrounding the diminishing role of the state in Latin America, the impact of social movements on educational policymaking, and the limits and possibilities of democratic-socialist perspectives in…

Predictions are made, based on emerging policy and evidence of trends, about likely changes in the German higher education system including changes in funding sources, scope, and timing; faculty incentives to increase workload; changes in program length and graduates' salary levels; promotion of teaching as an occupation; increased labor market…

Western Europe's demand for quality higher education at lower cost is discussed. It is argued that the criteria for quality are determined by external interests, including governments looking for economic development through an improved labor market. The situations in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom are considered.…

It is argued that, although assessment of colleges and universities can promote discussion and encourage improvement of college instruction, accountability serves only to further chill the regulatory climate without specifying needs or solutions. As currently conceived, accountability cannot receive widespread faculty support because it usurps…

Asserts that the restoration of the People's Republic of China's membership in the United Nations in 1971 signified China' return to the international community. Maintains that significant attention has been devoted to teaching about the United Nations. (CFR)

Reviews "War against the School's Academic Child Abuse," by Siegfried Engelmann, which criticizes the government, textbook publishers, colleges of education, professional organizations, and businesses for playing politics and not acknowledging what schools need to change to benefit students. Relates Engelmann's experience in promoting…

It is argued that, although Canadian universities face serious problems of money, morale, and purpose, their main problem may be that they are ill-equipped for constructive, institutionwide problem solving because of a preoccupation with finances, lack of useful decision-making or decision-implementing structures, and neglect of their own…

Changing views of models of evaluation are considered, with a review of models for program evaluation debated in the 1970s. The evaluation of a police probationer training program illustrates the relationship between the democratic evaluation advocated by B. MacDonald and action research. (SLD)

Describes changing authority relations between the Chinese state and educational organizations, and examines how four secondary schools have adapted. Discusses educational reforms since 1985, teacher and school resource shortages, increased principal responsibilities, and school administrators'"market economy" social exchange…