Argues for a diverse response to the issues and objectives concerning assessment. Highlights a wide variety of assessment procedures from foreign schools, each one relevant to the local culture and educational objectives. Discusses the inherent dangers in overemphasizing, as well as underemphasizing, assessment. (MJP)

Presents a selected bibliography of books, theses, articles, and dissertations concerning education in Latin America. Includes separate sections on Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. All selections are in…

Maintains that although Germany and England's vocational training systems both grew out of the Industrial Revolution, social and economic characteristics resulted in significantly different systems. England chose a more market driven approach while Germany relied on the authority of the central government. (MJP)

Maintains that reunification allowed teacher unions of the former West Germany to move into the former East Germany, filling a structural void left by the dissolution of the Communist Party. Specifically examines the reactions of newly elected teacher union leaders from the former East Germany to subsequent events in the education and political…

Asserts that the Big Sisters Programme in Hong Kong provides a good example of a scheme that transcends personal and school issues and facilitates a more participative and democratic view of society. Characterizes the program as a benign form of a "hidden curriculum" and recommends establishing it in secondary schools. (MJP)

Presents a comprehensive examination of the development of postindependent Malaysia's education policies. Compulsory education combined with sustained economic growth has produced a literate and upwardly mobile Malay population. Preferential policies for the Malays, however, have resulted in increased stratification and inequality among the…

Presents an account of the philosophical strategies used by the Catholic Church in Ireland to cope with modernizing forces in education. Examines the ways that the Church conscripted and adapted educational reforms that challenged neither the primacy of the Church or the dominant culture. (MJP)

Posits a shaky future for religious schools in Hong Kong after its reunion with communist China in 1997. Although religious schooling enjoys a long history of popular support, education in Hong Kong is clearly recognized as a government responsibility. Includes a history of religious schools in Hong Kong. (MJP)

Examines the efforts, in four European countries, to increase the professionalization of teacher training. France recently elevated the status of teachers to civil servants and strengthened certification procedures. Germany retains a high degree of academic excellence and professional training. England and Wales have increased local autonomy and…

Examines the various reasons for the rise of Botswana, from one of the poorest countries in the world circa 1966, to its current position of relative prosperity. A prime ingredient in this progress was the incorporation of external aid into a stable system defined by a cohesive ethnic identity. (MJP)

Reports on curriculum reform in Chile following the 1990 replacement of the Pinochet military regime with the democratically elected government of Patricio Aylwin. Significant reforms occurred in primary and rural education. Other improvements included increased professionalization of teaching, and funding for the Ministry of Education. (MJP)

Describes projects designed to modernize and improve education and increase investment in Chile. Identifies competitiveness, economic development, and free-market ideology as principles undergirding this educational movement. Outlines specific approaches for teachers, students, and administrators. (MJP)

Discusses the need for multicultural education training amongst preservice teachers in Brazil and the United Kingdom. Both countries contain large, ethnically diverse populations, often stigmatized by poverty and racial intolerance. Briefly reviews articles and research on the educationally disadvantaged in each country. (MJP)