With the growing politicization of education, the increasing number of educational reports and commissions, the growing interdependence of nations and their economic systems, this paper explores which factors normally shape education systems. Specifically, it identifies the extraneous and international forces shaping the intellectual agenda and…

As a last resort to catalyze change in its innercity schools, Memphis City School District (Tennessee) designated seven schools as school-based decision-making (SBDM) sites in April 1989. In the same month, Memphis State University researchers were appointed official observers/researchers of SBDM implementation. Not to be confused with…

This book of 16 author-contributed chapters examines issues of the media and public institutions of higher education including: the media ranking of universities and their contribution to low expectations of universities; the disjunction between massive support for college and university sports events and the intellectual and presumed academic…

This book provides a group of articles concerning the equity and efficiency of prepaid college tuition plans. Chapters: (1) introduce the subject; (2) examine the competing financial theories at play in this field; (3) present a study of the Michigan Education Trust's decision to expand its subscriber base by offering a monthly payment option; (4)…

Kentucky has a long history of educational problems and of reform efforts that failed because of state neglect. These problems, which deeply affect rural economic development and are closely tied to patterns of unequal development, have become more troublesome as world markets have changed. The roots of these problems are planted in the state's…

This book focuses, from a British perspective, on the dilemma facing educational systems in culturally diverse societies: too much allowance for diversity can lead to fragmentation and loss of control; too little can lead to alienation, unrest, and loss of control. The book's first part draws on the author's research in educational policy in…

This paper explores the ways diverse elementary school students may be taught to understand and respond constructively to social and interpersonal conflict, by studying the implemented curriculum in one public elementary classroom. In this urban Canadian classroom, well over half of the 33 students were recent immigrants with diverse language and…

The 14 papers in this collection examine how a globalizing political economy affects the way universities are governed, discussing practices such as managerialism, accountability, and privatization which represent a shift toward business values and a market agenda. Part 1 gives a theoretical overview of the globalization agenda. Part 2 gives three…

This 16th annual report presents information on current trends and issues informally discussed by the directors of six National Council of Teachers of English commissions. Issues discussed included the following: (1) Commission on Composition (Rick Gerhardt, director): the role of writing in literacy; computers and writing instruction;…

In an effort to assess community college teachers' level of acceptance of and willingness to implement administrative directives, a survey instrument and personal data sheet were delivered to 130 public community college teachers in Mississippi. A modified Zones of Indifference instrument was used to assess respondents' attitudes towards 71…

Although empowerment is a necessary change in improving education, the typical school system is not organized or governed in a way that encourages significant change. Educational systems need to be restructured to achieve decentralization in order for organizations to be ready for changes like empowerment. The current structure encourages…

The purpose of this paper, the initial report of an ongoing study, is threefold. One is to present and demonstrate the use of the sociology of translation as a methodological framework for the study of power within the higher education policy arena. The second is to define the boundaries and shape of that arena, and the third is to define the…

In the literature since the 1970's, the notion that education should serve as a social leveler has given way to the image of the educational institution as a business-like enterprise. This change in the perceived role of higher education has been accompanied by increased pressure on institutions to provide measurements of educational outcomes. For…

In July 1991, 20 superintendents, who are members of the Urban Superintendents' Network, a coalition of educational leaders sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), participated in a special panel presentation and roundtable discussion entitled "Turnover in the Urban Superintendency:…

This paper examines Margaret Haley's speech to the 1904 National Education Association (NEA) annual meeting on her views about teacher unions. Haley viewed organized labor as public school's partner in democratizing United States society. The first section outlined her political views on the relationship between democracy and education, noting…