The project of building the tenth University of California (UC) campus--UC Merced--was a lightning rod for all the various pushes and pulls in California society between 1983 and 2005. In fact, the author suggests, the project provides a clear window into California during this period. In this chapter, she describes the political and economic…

Addresses the current political, socioeconomic, and educational state of mathematics education in California. (Contains 12 references.) (ASK)

British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's policies for higher education in Britain are compared with the influences of Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown on California's higher education history. (MSE)

Focuses on the rebuilding of a successfully integrated school system after the period when separatist Black power politics had driven out moderate families of both races. Emphasizes that the Sausalito experience is useful in understanding the dilemmas of Black militancy and White liberalism in American society. (Author/BE)

The lessons of state tax reform learned in California are that education systems need to establish working relationships with all constituencies, work closely with other groups with similar interests, build public faith in education, and encourage and support intelligent and courageous educational leadership. (MSE)

In an interview, Professor David Cohen discusses the lack of political accountability of nonpublic institutions which influence education, such as the testing industry. Strategies for increasing citizen participation in educational policy formulation are also illustrated. (MH)

A supporter of affirmative action in California sees attackers as mean-spirited and practicing wedge politics. He stresses its legality and opposes a proposed California Civil Rights initiative. An opponent criticizes affirmative action, noting practical difficulties in application and its opposition to American values of fairness. He defends the…

Three papers are included herein: (1) Pernicious Politicization in Academe (Luann Wright); (2) Victims of the One-Sided Campus (Mike Ratliff); and (3) Advocacy in the College Classroom (Anne D. Neal). Each paper was delivered on April 22, 2006 at a California Association of Scholars conference at the Annenberg School on the campus of the…

Using the Claremont Group's four-stage model of educational decision making, the author analyzes trends in California toward state control of education. He discusses the implications for educators of increasing policy control by politicians and legislators. (SJL)

The impact of urban financial crises on the provision of recreational and cultural services for children, primarily by local governments, is explored. Emphasis is on the effects upon California's children's services of Proposition 13, a tax relief initiative limiting property taxes in that State. Data from an Oakland, California, survey are…

Assesses Chicano-Anglo relations in Ontario, California, from 1937-1947, a transitional decade for Chicanos in "semi-rural" areas of American Southwest. Focuses on Chicanos' economic plight, their leadership and organization, civil rights and discrimination, legal issues, and political realities. Studies effect of World War II on Chicano…