A comparative study of policies and practices for accountability in French and English schools is presented. Growth of central government influence and teacher autonomy are common elements. However, the constraints on teachers (formal in France and informal in England) do not necessarily cause more freedom or accountability in England. (MSE)

Two models of instructional innovation seeking to explain why some innovations are successful are synthesized and illustrated in the course evaluation system at the University of Birmingham. Success factors include cooperation among faculty in different areas, openness of evaluation, "ownership" of innovations, leadership, and authority…

Analyzes the Mexican case through four hypotheses: decision makers are not rational; decisions are determined by economic rationality; policies reproduce ideology and/or culture; and policies and plans maintain decision makers' power. Concludes Mexican schools are not consciously organized to reproduce the dominant ideology, but they contribute to…

Describes the People's Republic of China system of enrollment in the post-Mao period, and analyzes the effects these new admission policies have had on social background distribution of Chinese university students, the changing patterns of authority, and the effects of the enrollment policy on admission of women. (Author/AH)

The current trend of school desegregation emphasizes racial balance over equality of educational opportunity. The policy of racial balance is a hoax which pits working-class Blacks and Whites against each other without improving the quality of education for either group; this dispersal policy depresses the power, privilege, and prestige of Blacks.…

Discusses the definition of a theoretical position on the termination of the intergenerational hierarchical boundary. Describes a therapeutic methodology for securing and completing a renegotiation of the power structures between the two generations. Implies that this therapeutic procedure has applicability to the resolution of behavioral…

Responses from teachers, subject coordinators and school administrators in 23 Queensland state high schools were analyzed to ascertain the perceived importance of subject coordinators to teacher satisfaction, teacher dissatisfaction, and the learning of students in classrooms. (Author/MLW)

Racism is seen as the major force blocking Black access to most American sports and to "thinking" and authority roles in accessible sports. The overwhelming majority of Black youths seeking sports stardom are destined to be shuttled back into the Black community as noncontributors or undercontributors. (MLW)

A study reveals that influence is shared between department chairpersons and various interest groups, primarily within the university itself. Faculty are perceived by department chairpersons as the major group with whom influence is shared. Department chairpersons' misconceptions concerning university functioning need to be identified. (Author/MLW)

Correspondence theories imply that the social relations of education correspond to the social relations of dominance and subordination in the economic sphere. One limitation of the criticisms of this principle is that they are restricted to the relationship between school and work and do not investigate the link between education and the wider…

Presents an example of what can happen when a teacher is deprived of all decision-making powers with respect to her job, and is required to adhere blindly to restrictions of prescribed programs imposed from outside. Denial of autonomy leads to decline in the teacher's interest and a consequent loss to students. (Author)

Working through professional organizations and individually, school counselors can set legislative priorities and establish themselves as social and political agents for change. Counselor involvement in politics and legislative action at local, state, and federal level is timely and relevant. Involvement is critical in areas of role funding and…

This article discusses the social and educational conditions that have supported the development of teacher centers, using a perspective from social anthropology, Malinowski's "functional" theory of institutions. Teacher centers are seen as a reflection of growing teacher power in a climate of shifting authority structures. (SJL)

A 1979 reputational survey, duplicating a 1977 study, sought to identify the most influential educational decision makers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Both studies found that a top policy maker is likely to be a white male noneducator from certain policy-making or policy-impacting institutions. (Author/SJL)

The slow evolution toward "unbundling" education, or making it readily available without the traditional class and campus structures, has begun. The ultimate stage is granting of degree credit based on examinations only, with no requirements to buy any instruction. Intermediate steps in the process take a variety of innovative forms. (MSE)