This book examines the phenomenon of "political correctness" in higher education and argues that it is a powerful conspiracy theory created by conservatives and the media who have manipulated resentment against leftist radicals into a backlash against a fictional monster, political correctness. The first chapter describes in detail the…

The teaching and politics of cultural difference and identity are explored in these essays, which examine the possibilities of living with cultural differences through new ethical and pedagogical frameworks. The following chapters are included: (1) "Introduction. The Politics of Biculturalism: Culture and Difference in the Formation of…

Authors of color share their thoughts on diversity, difference, pluralism, privilege, and ethnicity in essays that are meant to speak to the attempt by white scholars to reserve to themselves the power to define these terms. Each writer represented in this collection is attempting to validate a marginalized perspective and its corollary arguments…

This book focuses on race at work in the British educational system, a concern that is pertinent because education occupies a pivotal role in contemporary race politics. The study on which it is based blends school-based research with a critical reading of policy and theory. The experiences of teachers in real schools show that schools can…

Two dangers to linguistic and cultural pluralism are examined: (1) that the growing power of the major national languages threatens the very existence of less commonly spoken languages, and (2) that the spread of English as a universal lingua franca threatens even the major national languages. Much attention is given to the first issue, but less…

Barriers to progress in educational reform exist inside and outside the education system. Some arise where new practices encounter traditional expectations and boundaries, but others go much deeper than education, such as poverty, racism, local political conflicts, and human resistance to change. The following five categories of barriers are…

This textbook is designed to increase political knowledge and sophistication about the U.S. political system. The volume consisting of five units tries to capture the vitality and drama of politics through the use of cases that describe the political activities of typical citizens and political leaders. Simulations, games, political attitude…

This synthesis includes various conceptions and definitions of multicultural education and outlines the implications of these definitions for practice. Definitions of multicultural education vary widely, with some relying on the cultural characteristics of diverse groups, and some emphasizing social, political, and economic factors. Most have in…

It is argued that both economic concerns and political factors can be synthesized within a new framework to improve city policymaking. This approach is based on a systematic empirical study of policymaking in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) and Baltimore (Maryland) in the 1970s and early 1980s. Numerous government documents and extensive interviews with…

This collection of nine articles presents case studies of educational reform and change in 10 nations, focusing on the changing role of government involvement in higher education. The articles are: (1) "University-State Relations in Britain: Paradigm of Autonomy" (Peter Scott); (2) "Changing Conceptions of State-University…

The Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP) epitomizes the principle on which measurement-driven reform is based, "You get what you assess." This policy study examines the ideologies and intentions of groups instrumental in the creation and implementation of a performance-based assessment reform. The study was conducted by interviewing…

Test misuse is neither isolated nor recent. It is a problem that cannot be easily solved. While test misuse may be reduced or managed, it cannot be eliminated. Test misuse has cut across America's social, economic, and political institutions, including schools. The most flagrant abuse of a test is what happens to the results of the Scholastic…

A study investigated children's attitudes, information sources, and interest toward the 1992 presidential election. Focus groups were conducted one week before the 1992 presidential election with 13 fourth- and fifth-grade elementary school children. Results indicated several themes: (1) overall, the children's knowledge of abstract concepts like…

The ethical and educational dimensions of the quest for multicultural and bilingual education are explored, introducing the variety and complexity of these problems and ways of thinking about them. The application of liberal, democratic, and communitarian theories of political morality is discussed as examples of alternative approaches to these…

This book presents a comparative analysis of racial attitudes within formal schooling of both Britain and its former dominions and colonies. It provides essays that examine racism, education, and imperialism, and focuses on the function of education, curriculum, and textbooks in shaping imperial images of dominance and deference. The following…