Several years after the passage of NCLB, there are persistently low-performing schools in every state that face increasingly strong consequences for failing to improve student achievement sufficiently. Schools failing to make AYP for five consecutive years must engage in restructuring to improve student learning. Districts have several options for…

This paper outlines the issues relating to teacher education and teacher supply in Malawi. Malawi has a severe shortage of teachers. Over the years, particularly since EFA the student numbers has gone up yet the teacher supply has not followed the increased student numbers. This paper outlines the broader picture as a basis for further…

This collection of six case studies is a by-product of a European-focused study that sought to understand the policies focused on children from birth to age 3, whether directly affecting the children or reaching them indirectly through their parents. The study examined the social infrastructure in which the specific "under-3" policies…

To inform policymakers as they deliberate over the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization, this guide reviews what states have done with the flexibility afforded them by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The first section examines how states have shaped their welfare reform strategies…

This paper examines the discourse on Aboriginal higher education in Australia from the 1960s through the 1990s through an analysis of educational reports and government policy documents on tertiary education. Early in this period, the focus was on education as "welfare," but the emphasis shifted towards equity in higher education policy during the…

This documents consists of two monographs, first published in 1973 and 1975, which examine the purpose and functions of institutional policy in dealing with the problems and issues affecting higher education. Their focus is conceptual, and the discussion looks to the philosophical, historical, and sociocultural underpinnings of institutional…

This paper provides an early analysis of child care subsidies under welfare reform. The paper reviews the literature on child care subsidies and discusses the potential for such subsidies to be an effective part of the effort to make low-income families economically self-sufficient. The paper then uses data from the National Survey of America's…

The history of comparative higher education for purposes of policy analysis is chronicled from its origins in comparative political science and public administration. Methodology is discussed, and some recent studies are examined. It is concluded that comparative higher education has not gone far beyond the descriptive stage, and must take…

This article examines major issues in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act noting key features of the last (1992) reauthorization and current issues such as the rising cost of college, college outcomes assessment, eligibility of students in remedial courses for federal student financial aid, accreditation, and the future of the student…

The No Child Left Behind Act reflects a decision by Congress that federal money not be squandered searching for local solutions, but that scientifically based research be utilized to ensure that every student meets academic standards. The school improvement process requires that local stakeholders cooperatively plan an improvement process, and…

Describes a study of the location of decision-making authority in state community colleges at the college or governance board level. Examines differences in authority for academic, personnel, and administrative matters. Suggests that decision-making authority generally rested at the local level, although personnel decisions were more likely to be…

Analyzes public interest in early childhood care and education (ECCE) policy. Chronicles federal policy in this area from the mid-1960s to the present, with particular attention to changes in the amount of funding and its allocation. Argues that ECCE policy is inadequately funded, fragmented, and internally inconsistent, and provides alternative…

Highlights a comparison of a 30-year legacy of urban policy making with 25 years of policy making on environmental problems to demonstrate how weak policy development has been in dealing with the urban crisis. Several principles designed to guide future urban policies are discussed. (GR)

During the 18 years of the last Conservative government, a stratified British higher education yielded to dramatic expansion, increased participation, and elimination of the "binary line." The economic imperative offers only a partial explanation for Conservatives' rapid and astonishing changes of policy. Contains 54 references. (MLH)

Discusses universal service policies in the European Union. Topics include information access; the demise of the public service model; the effects of competition on universal service; financing; national implementation of member states; programs for schools and libraries; and pertinent Web sites on European universal service policy. (LRW)