Reform of New Zealand schools has been ongoing since 1988, when the Task Force to Review Education Administration recommended devolution of managerial control, within national guidelines, for each of the country's 2,700 state school boards of trustees with a majority of elected parents' representatives. Reforms instituted since 1989 across all…

This article suggests that it is important to examine how constructivism-in-practice can flourish or flounder according to a variety of influences, noting the importance of outlining the challenges teachers face in understanding and implementing constructivism in classrooms. The article characterizes four major challenges faced by teachers in…

This paper investigates how various technologies have constructed the reasoning of teaching and schooling in contemporary Japan. The paper contends that (1) the construction of the teacher and the student in Japan involves a complexity of power relations; (2) schooling is not simply controlled by the government through its sovereign power, but is…

This monograph critiques professional development schools (PDSs) and their role in the renewal of urban schools. Chapter 1 clarifies what is meant by the PDS model and describes the central goals of PDS initiatives. Chapter 2 critically assesses the value of PDSs to school renewal and the preparation of teachers for effective work in diverse urban…

This issue features articles and activities that concern the history of the presidential election process in the United States, with a special focus on Iowa's role in that process. The following features are included: "Lights, Camera, Action!"; "Presidential Whoopla"; "From Tree Stumps to Living Rooms"; "Wild…

This paper examines the influence of authenticity, teaming, and participation on faculty trust. Researchers mailed 437 public middle school teachers a survey which used an authenticity measure, a trust measure (trust in principals, colleagues, and organizations), a teacher involvement in decision making measure, and a question on daily grade level…

This booklet presents the text of a lecture by Linda S. Wilson, president of Radcliffe College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) on the role of higher education as well as the responses, questions and discussion that followed. The lecture is preceded by a preface and an introduction by Morton W. Weir, chancellor of the University of Illinois at…

Findings from a case-method study that explored educational administration students' perceptions of two administrative theories--micropolitical analysis and traditional social systems approach--are presented in this paper. Methodology involved presentation of a case to educational administration students who participated in group discussion and…

This book offers a critique of intellectuals in U.S. colleges and universities and the consequent decline in the quality of higher education and suggests solutions. Chapter 1, "Two Intellectual Classes," defines the professional intellectuals; writers and editors who work for the mass media, large publishing houses and think tanks; and…

This volume provides analysis of key issues in higher education during the 1980s and considers some of the political and social features of public life that affected higher education during the decade. The issues are presented in seven chapters, the first of which offers an overview of higher education in the 1980s covering political and public…

This book contains papers presented at a conference focused on the subject of funding for higher education and providing comparative perspectives on, and case studies of, educational financing from around the world. After an introduction by Ernest L. Boyer, the papers and their authors are as follows: "The Costs of Higher Education: Worldwide…

The current conceptualization of what is appropriate in early childhood education is overly narrow in its interpretation of the role of the teacher, and with respect to variations in cultural and developmental diversity. Based on this observation, this book discusses various issues surrounding diversity, inclusion, and appropriate early…

This paper describes the state of public education in Illinois in 1994. Over the last 3 years, the state has tried to improve its educational system, but continues to fall short of its goal. Attempts to produce economic efficiencies come at the expense of educational programs in rural communities while decentralization efforts in Chicago try to…

A collection of articles on adult literacy education includes essays, letters, poetry, interviews, research reports, and discussions of issues in literacy and adult basic education in both developing and developed countries. The first section contains brief articles about programs and initiatives in developing countries, including Madagascar,…

This biography chronicles the life and career of Annie Webb Blanton (1870-1945), who was the first woman state superintendent of public instruction in Texas. She was elected to this post in 1918, 2 years before women were allowed to vote in general elections. Like many other young women during the 19th century, Blanton began her teaching career as…