"Risk Society and School Educational Policy" explores the impact of risk society on policy in the US, UK and Australia through both practical and theoretical perspectives. The book develops an in-depth understanding of risk society itself, and guides the reader in applying this knowledge to the problem of how this impacts policy and…

Provides sociological analysis of recent documents on social education in Scotland. Argues that sociological theory underpinning prescriptions for social education takes no account of social inequalities and social conflict in both education and society. Explores contradictions between social education and meritocratic individualism. Discusses…

Examines the state of educational policy analysis, discussing the field's history, conceptual approaches to policy, areas of policy that have been studied, and methodological issues. Concludes with speculation on the future of policy research. (MCG)

Defines symbolic racism theory and social dominance theory. Compares the two theories and how they affect racial policy attitudes such as busing, affirmative action, and welfare. Explains that the study reanalyses data previously collected. Discusses symbolic racism as a legitimizing myth. Reports that social dominance theory was more consistent…

Reports on a study that questions whether private enterprise can maintain quality while reducing costs of providing social welfare services. Reviews three aspects of privatization: (1) competitive markets; (2) rationality; and (3) cost reduction. Concludes by questioning a central claim of economic theory: that free markets and private firms are…

This volume examines conceptual frameworks and models that flow from scholars' definitions and operationalizations of social class: status attainment theory, human capital theory, the financial nexus model, Bourdieuian theory, and critical race theory. Since students often have multiple social locations that affect their educational process, the…

This volume represents the results of an effort to reconsider school desegregation research from a "situational" perspective--one that recognizes macro and micro processes, objective and subjective forces, and proximal and distal influences. Part I is an introduction, "The Desegregation Situation," written by Jeffrey Prager,…

In the period since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act Blacks have continued to experience severe disadvantages relative to Whites in such areas as family stability, unemployment rates, average income, poverty rates, and dependence on government transfer payment programs. From the diverse statistical indicators of relative status two sharply…

This paper describes an ethnographic study of how fundamentalist Christian parents new to home schooling are socialized to norms, beliefs, and values of the Christian home schooling organizations with which they are affiliated. Research involved participant observation and interviews with "home schoolers" and educators over an 18-month…

Reviews historical and ideological roots that developed the teaching profession as a proper role for women. Includes research from a current study investigating the importance of domesticity in the personal and professional attitudes of male and female teachers and the general population of the state of Oklahoma. Includes 13 tables of data. (MD)

Asserts that education means the transmission and reception of knowledge, abilities, skills, and consciousness so that individuals can become effective members of society. Discusses the failures of the educational system of the former Soviet Union. Describes a preferred type of schooling for Russian society in the 21st century. (CFR)

This monograph, one in a series on theory and educational issues in Australia, explores links between education and political and economic structures. Two sections provide an analysis of an education-work program and five readings. The Transition Education Program is described as a government response to the 1979 economic crisis. The policy and…

This monograph, part of a series that attempts to bring a particular intellectual perspective to bear on the practical problems of administering education, points out that educational administration as a field of study is of limited use in coming to terms with the complexity and value-laden nature of educational practice. Language and cultural…

This document includes a research review and commentary on the role, career, and work of assistant principals; an overview of theories and concepts useful to studying the administrative career in education; and propositions regarding professional training practices and personnel policies in education. Results of a review of the research on the…

Asserts that, from a school administration point of view, empowerment through faculty cooperation and participation in work-related issues is quite different from actual control of the workplace. Discusses issues related to power, control, and authority in education, particularly in arts education. (CFR)