The shape and purpose of teacher education is affected by what happens in schools, and what happens in schools is largely the result of the shape and purpose of four message systems: curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and discipline. Seven social issues are important in bringing about significant changes to the message systems of schools. They…

The tenure of a typical superintendent is less than 4 years. What should a prospective superintendent know about conducting a job search? This book examines the superintendency from a personal viewpoint and provides in-depth guidance on career strategies and family considerations. Chapter 1 describes the history of the superintendency and the…

A Michigan State University policy analysis class explored migrant education in Michigan through literature reviews and interviews with policymakers, teachers, and migrant children and their families. They identified four areas that need attention. First, people who understand the learning needs of migrant students should be recruited as teachers.…

Setting high academic standards and achieving against them is an important educational objective. Academic standards should originate within the student's community; be used to measure student achievement and school performance; be shared and understood by all members of the community; and be both explicit and comprehensible to lay people. The…

This volume seeks to examine the potential for building relationships among foreign language, bilingual, and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs with the goal of fostering bilingualism. Part one of the volume examines the sociopolitical contexts for language partnerships, includes the following articles: "Language Planning and Policy…

This report, drawing on a wide variety of public opinion data, is the first to compare public perceptions of K-12 and higher education. Differences in perceptions are discussed in seven categories: (1) knowledge of the systems; (2) perceptions of their quality; (3) assignment of responsibility between students and the institutions; (4) who pays…

This collection of papers brings together scholarship on language, education, and society from all parts of the world, situating issues of minorities and bilingual education in broader perspectives of human rights, power, and the ecology of language. Part 1, "Language: Its Diversity, its Study, and Our Understandings of It," includes…

Private and personal literacy practices of reading and writing, which have typically been regarded as less important than the more visible and public literacies used by men, are important in the lives of women because they aid the development and empowerment of the self. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six women of diverse socioeconomic…

In June 2001, the International Institute for Educational Planning convened a policy forum on the organization, functioning, and effectiveness of national ministries of education. This book presents eight key papers from that forum. The forum discussed how differences in organizational structures and mechanisms affect adjustability and…

This collection of articles discusses the realities of Professional Development Schools (PDS) from the perspectives of school teachers, college faculty, college administrators, and other educational administrators. The articles focus on the five dimensions of PDS work (institutionalization, equity, standards and quality, inquiry, and financing).…

This 17th annual report presents information on current trends and issues informally discussed by the directors of six National Council of Teachers of English commissions. Commission on Composition (Richard Gebhardt, director) discussed the role of writing in literacy; interactions of race, class, language, and learning; teaching grammar;…

This is the second in an annual series of reports that summarize financing trends affecting higher education. The report notes that state appropriations to higher education reached $56.7 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2000, an increase of 7 percent over FY 1999, and the largest ever appropriated by states for higher education. The 1999 legislative…

Essays on political issues in multicultural and bilingual education include: "Cultural Recognition and Civil Discourse in Democracy" (Carlos J. Ovando, Peter McLaren); "The Political Life of Language Metaphors in Writings About Diversity in Education" (Sharon Pugh, Ovando, Nicole Schonemann); "Contesting Whiteness:…

The collection of articles in this volume provides a review of research and scholarly work in the field of education that has been undertaken in Australia during the past 30 years. Part 1, "Background Perspectives," includes (1) "Social Context of Education" (Kevin Majoribanks); (2) "Politics of Education" (Grant…

This book presents ideas for beginning secondary teachers who want to excel during their first year of teaching. The eight chapters focus on: (1) "Before the First Days of School" (e.g., classroom design, school policies, important people to know, dressing for success, special education students, school records, and emergency procedures); (2) "The…