Appraises five major (nonchampioning) forces pressuring public education: the expanding role of business interests; uneven performance of education's own pressure groups; changing role of cultural conservatism; influence of new-breed information providers; and effects of shifting labels and definitions of political loyalty on needy schools. (MLH)

A description of the development of a teacher education program at Northwest Indian College (Washington) illustrates how mainstream economic pressures and political forces support White institutional hegemony and constrict Native educational self-determination. Native developers of programs promoting local language and identity must negotiate…

New Zealand's Education Review Office and England's Office for Standards in Education attempt to construct school failure as the clear responsibility of schools in order to gain ideological power as agents of accountability. These "politics of blame" are contested in both settings by an alternative "contextual" claim involving…

Canadian teacher unions must become more relevant, both towards their membership ("internal relevance") and towards society at large ("external relevance"). Issues of internal relevance are membership, responsiveness, teacher voice, leadership development, and the changing nature of teacher work. Issues of external relevance…

Surveys parents, students, teachers, and administrators in one Ohio school district about Senate Bill 55, which prohibits promoting to fifth grade any fourth grade student who fails the fourth grade proficiency test. Argues that legislators determined what is best for students without educators' input, and that the public still has a lot to learn…

Argues that literacy is not a stand-alone mental ability but is inextricably connected to "identity work." Discusses the new kinds of workers and workplaces arising in the new capitalism. Examines discourse practices of middle school teenagers from different socioeconomic classes. Argues that the ways they use distinctive social languages have…

Presents the responses of six of the leaders in developmental education to questions about the future of the field. Their responses point to three main trends: mainstreaming the developmental courses into college-level, graduation-credit programs; removal of developmental education from four-year institutions; and increased professionalism of…

Investigates the relationship between transfer rates and conditions that are beyond an institution's control. Finds that the percentage of students under age 25 and the percent of adults with a high school degree are positively associated with transfer, while expenditures per FTE, the percentage of males enrolled, and population density are…

Discusses trend of "takeovers" of low-performing big-city school districts by skilled outsiders and argues that success depends on how schools are overseen rather than who oversees them. Describes optimum district environment for success and argues structure and accountability ultimately more important than person in charge. (KSB)

Examined how teachers were impacted by California's Proposition 227, highlighting changes in teaching styles and beliefs about the proposition and its effectiveness. Teachers had to change their teaching strategies to accommodate the new curriculum. They were not sufficiently trained for immediate implementation of English-only education. Teaching…

The development of a new Indigenous Nations Studies program at the University of Kansas is described. Success depended on a critical mass of Indigenous and non-Indigenous faculty and students that had a sense of political and social justice and understood the need for institutional change. The biggest challenge was countering the entrenched…

Reports that the dual enrollment program at Santa Monica College (SMC) in California aims to serve underrepresented student populations, particularly in light of the dismantling of affirmative action programs in California. The overall goal of the program is to increase the pool of students qualifying for competitive colleges and universities. (NB)

The emergence of postsecondary educational institutions in the Canadian North reflects a growing multidisciplinary and international cooperation and a change in attitudes toward the North. The ability to study in their home regions has increased Northern students' postsecondary attendance; substantial courses in Northern themes are available; and…

In the shadow of a Manhattan housing project, Public School 33 is coming back to life. A new principal has brought a wave of optimism, test scores are way up, and middle-class families who used to avoid the school are enrolling their children. In Brooklyn, teenagers who might have dropped out of school are getting diplomas through a special…

This article comments on leadership within mainstream literature on school effectiveness/improvement, where it is almost always considered to be a factor of change. The article argues that systemic school improvement, particularly for disadvantaged children, is inextricably linked to wider social, economic and political conditions--in South…