Describes the results of survey of 1,100 grade 5, 8, and 11 students to determine their knowledge of and attitudes toward world affairs. Notes that age, sex, and class were the most important correlates and that children were only marginally more knowledgeable about domestic politics than international affairs. (SB)

The Minnesota Plan offers the kinds of major structural and delivery reforms (many adopted by Minnesota's legislature) that public education must undertake to achieve significant improvement: the restructuring of secondary education, the deregulation of the curriculum and instruction, the redesign of instruction and instructional management, and…

This bibliography's first section lists writings on Blacks in America in the following categories: art, biography, education, history, slavery, literary history and criticism, literature, media, music, population studies, religion, social and political conditions, social thought, and women. The second section is devoted to selected writings on the…

Discusses the history of school desegregation efforts in Chicago from the 1964 Civil Rights Act to the present. Suggests that the concept of "uniform incorporation" of all citizens in society is being replaced by the goal of "egalitarian pluralism" (Pierre van den Berghe's categories) by Chicago's Black and Hispanic leaders.…

Provides a seven-step process for involving school and community members in school board policy revisions that may affect them adversely. Procedure includes setting up a drafting committee among administrators, getting outside help, and forming a policy review committee with representatives of affected constituencies, prior to passage and…

The United States currently spends a good deal more on education per student than most industrialized nations, yet testing shows that achievement has not kept pace with spending. Nevertheless, school administrators continue to press for greater federal spending and claim that reforms cannot be implemented otherwise.

In this chapter, Stefan LoBuglio discusses the politics and practices of educational programs for adults in correctional facilities. To begin, LoBuglio provides an overview of the field of corrections, including various types of facilities and correctional programs, as well as demographic and educational data on the U.S. incarcerated population…

In Chapter Six, Linda Shohet offers a description of the adult literacy and learning system in Canada. In providing a historical overview of the development of the field, Shohet notes key political events that have influenced the funding and development of services for adults. Through her description, the author reveals the complexity and…

Data from a 2002 study indicate that small private colleges have been closing at an alarming rate. These institutions seldom possess the resources that might enable them to respond flexibly to changes in their environment, and rising operating costs and inadequate endowments leave them at a competitive disadvantage compared with public colleges…

Australian policy towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has historically been one of subjugation and acculturation. It wasn't until 1972 that a policy of self-determination for Aboriginal Australians (later to include Torres Strait Islanders) was introduced. The first year that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were…

Located at a meeting place between the West and the East, Hong Kong has been chosen in this comparative investigation to reconfirm a theoretical model of "reciprocal relationship" between mathematics achievement and self-concept using the 8th grade databases from TIMSS and TIMSS-R. During the time between these two projects, Hong Kong…

In the western literature, mathematics achievement and its related student self-concept are important education outcomes reciprocally linked and mutually reinforcing. The reciprocal relation model is examined in this study to assess its generalization in a cross-cultural setting. Hong Kong is the site of choice because of its exposure to…

This book analyzes the lessons that history can teach those who wish to reform the American education system. It traces the evolving role of the federal government in educational research; explores the course of early-childhood education in the 19th and 20th centuries; examines the history of the Follow Through program, which existed from 1967 to…

This thesis examines the history of school consolidation in Randolph County, West Virginia, which includes some of the most rural, mountainous land in the state. West Virginians have built schools, reorganized schools, and made numerous changes to structures over the last 250 years. Some changes had community support; others encountered stormy…

Big school districts promised to hold down costs by centralizing functions under one roof and delivering a greater selection of academic offerings and activities, thus improving education. But they have not delivered. Up to a certain size, consolidation can save costs, but above that size, districts experience "diseconomies of scale,"…