Here Francis Beckett, formerly Education Correspondent of the New Statesman and long-time member of the Labour Party "Comprehensive Futures" group set up to further the cause of non-selective schools for all children reflects on the prospects for radical state education in New Labour's third term. He argues that with Andrew Adonis made a…

New construction springs up like hope in Afghanistan's capital: rampant, haphazard, and, too often, quick to deteriorate in Kabul's harsh climate. But one closely watched building project has come to symbolize so much--the renovation of the bombed-out, abandoned women's dormitories at Kabul University. When completed, they will house two thousand…

The U.S. Department of Education gave more than $5.7 million in bonuses to its employees, including a student-aid official who got $71,250. In the 2003 calendar year, more than 75 percent of the department's employees received bonuses, with political appointees among the recipients. Each year, the department gives some employees cash awards on top…

The author forthrightly declares in this book of essays on school reform that teachers are no more saintly than anyone else, that poor schools should be closed and lousy teachers should be fired, that philanthropy may sometimes do more harm than good, that teaching experience is not essential to being a school principal, that schools should be…

Managing migration has become a priority for policy makers both in developed and developing countries. Large immigration or emigration flows relative to domestic population's impact on almost all aspects of an economy and society: family structures, community life, educational and health systems, labour markets, security systems, governance and…

Achieving full compliance with the accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation poses major challenges for most of the nation's states. Structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with ranking representatives from a number of so-called high-readiness states: California, Florida, New York, South Carolina,…

Like many urban reform strategies, mayoral leadership in education has both proponents and skeptics. On the one hand, proponents argue that mayor-led initiatives have the potential to transform low-performing schools and to hold schools and students accountable to systemwide standards. On the other hand, skeptics see mayoral involvement as…

Corruption is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Forms of corruption are multiple. Measuring corruption is necessary not only for getting ideas about the scale and scope of the problem, but for making simple comparisons between the countries and conducting comparative analysis of corruption. While the total impact of corruption is indeed…

This paper describes why freedom of information (FOI) is important to scientists, the restrictions which the Official Secrets Act of 1951 places upon release of information by public officials in New Zealand, reasons for covert official resistance to FOI as suggested by information science literature, and how changes in the economic management of…

The use of polling is partly responsible for a change in the relationship between government and public opinion. There is a range of public opinion from little or no concern to very intense concern about an issue. Polls translate personal beliefs into collective public opinions, often losing the strong feelings at the one end and the moderate…

Reported is a summary of interviews with Illinois majors in 130 middle-sized towns concerning their attitudes toward environmental issues. Most mayors did not consider environmental quality to be a serious issue for their towns. (JP)

The appointment of David Mathews, a 39-year-old Southerner and respected educator, as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare is reviewed with reference to his position on various issues and substantial hope and confidence among educational leaders that he will "deliver education from the bureaucratic doldrums." (JT)

Part of a continuing series on freedom of information issues, this report reviews the handling of the papers of presidents of the United States after they have left office and alludes briefly to access to papers of other public officials. It specifically discusses the issue of access to the records of President Richard Nixon and discusses some of…

The article discusses the deportation proceedings and the roles of the Immigration Judge and the Trial Attorney. (NQ)