In the late 1980s, the labor leader Albert Shanker first articulated his vision of autonomous, teacher-formed "charter" schools. He lamented what he saw as a "lockstep" approach to K-12 education across the country that neglected the input of classroom teachers and failed to take into account students' individual needs. Now,…

The history of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and its relationship with the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) sheds some light on the most recent failed attempt of the NEA and the AFT to merge. The merger, in 1972, of NEA's New York State Teachers Association with the AFT's New York…

This paper traces the history of higher education in New York state and discusses the role of Siena College, a small liberal arts college, in the New York higher education picture. New York has 194 nonprofit private institutions of higher education, 91 public institutions, and 37 for-profit postsecondary education institutions. The State…

Reflects on the experience of attending high school in the mid-1940s in New York State. From a white, working-class neighborhood boasting no college graduates and a handful of high school graduates, the author managed to learn about Ibanez, Goya, Murillo, Velazquez, Neruda, Marti, and Azuela. Questions the need to reform "Eurocentric"…

Political processes that shaped the introduction of Mutual Welfare Leagues in New York prisons at the turn of the century demonstrate politicians' indifference to reforms, conflicts between reformers, and the blurring of distinctions between reformers and politicians when reformers engage in political activities in order to initiate reform. (SK)

The word "technology" has evolved through several different meanings during the recent history of education. In 1985, the American Industrial Arts Association changed its name to the International Technology Education Association. This change reflected dissatisfaction with traditional "shop" courses, designed to prepare…

Much good work has recently been done on the socioeconomic history of teaching in the United States, particularly in relation to the "feminization" of the profession that occurred over the course of the nineteenth century. This article brings together evidence from disparate local sources in both North Carolina and New York to explore…

Funding cutbacks challenge providers of occupational education to find innovative ways of guaranteeing student access to quality programs. The New York Boards of Cooperative Educational Services approach is a model that succeeds in maximizing the quality of occupational education in that state. (Author/JOW)

Describes the education of Melvil Dewey, pioneer in library science, his early teaching experiences in rural New York, and the influence of these experiences on his final career choice. Discusses his concept of education for the masses through public libraries. (SV)

Examines New York voters' overwhelming approval of 1995 statewide district budgets, in light of state budget approval history, experts' analyses of factors influencing budget approval, and results of a survey of initial school district budget votes conducted annually over the past five years. Community involvement and modest tax increases were key…

This article is on the culture of conversation in the studio art classroom. What can be assumed as simple pedagogical acts, talking to one another, become increasingly complex in the context of postmodernism. Breakdowns in perceived truths, agreed-upon styles, and monoculturalism demand that conversation is looked at in a metasense -- what is it?…

Chautauqua (1874-present) was founded in western New York state, USA. It developed into a centre for education, religion, arts and recreation. Examined here is the philosophy of its programmes: liberal education for adults, regardless of background. The backdrop for Chautauqua was the US tradition of popular self-improvement; local clienteles were…

In this chapter, the authors examine developments in the teacher workforce and in the occupation of teaching across recent generations. They take their point of departure from the perspective of prevailing policy discourse on enduring problems of educational equity, asking not only how teaching has evolved in recent decades but more specifically…

This study analyses how "Education" as an area of study was constructed at The University of Western Australia [UWA] during the period 1916-85. While there is little commentary available regarding the construction of "Education" in a curriculum sense, what evidence there is suggests that there was hostility towards the…

This paper is an indepth survey of American educational finance from its origins to the present and with projections for the future. It discusses the influence of and impact on school finance of some of the following: demographic patterns, changes in the American economy, Sputnik and civil rights events, federal intervention, the courts, local…