The first academic quality ranking of American colleges and universities was produced by the U.S. Bureau of Education in 1911. The institutions were stratified into five levels according to their presumed quality. However, because protests led to this work's being suppressed before its official publication, very little is known about it. (RM)

A review of surveys of Black colleges and universities reveals an upgrading of physical education professional programs during the period 1970-80. (MJB)

A study of the first 80 years (1838-1918) of Central High School in Philadelphia found several factors which encouraged excellence: a meritocratic ideology, voluntary enrollment, competitive selection of students and faculty, and the structure of public education at the time. This picture contrasts sharply with today's educational context. (GC)

This publication is a history of the College of Higher Vocational Studies (CHVS) since it was established in 1991 and provides commentary on developments in higher vocational education in Hong Kong during a period of unprecedented change and development in the provision of the Higher Diploma. "Principal's Diary" (Bradford Imrie)…

Keypoint schools were established by the Chinese in the 1950s to concentrate limited resources in a relatively small number of schools in order to cultivate outstanding students. The evolution of keypoint school policy from the revival of these schools in 1978 to 1983 is discussed. (RM)

This Supplement has been prepared to be used with U.S. Office of Education Bulletin 1939, No. 2, which is the latest complete bulletin of accredited secondary schools in the United States. It shows under each State: First, names of schools which should be added to the corresponding lists (both local and regional) in the bulletin; next, those which…

A group of contemporary historians has recently accused community and junior colleges of not offering the American masses new opportunities of upward social mobility, but instead of serving to divert them away from four-year colleges and universities. In particular, historians have taken issue with the efforts of David Jordan, of Stanford…

The "Flexner Report" of 1910, which described 155 U.S. and Canadian medical schools, is discussed, along with its influence on later studies of academic quality. Scholars almost universally agree that the Flexner Report dramatically changed the nature of medical education in the United States, although they disagree about how this…

Changes in approaches to, and the study of, English literary history are chronicled, from a period in which the historical approach was prevalent through a transition to greater specialization. The trend toward creative writing and comparative literature in the curriculum is also discussed. (MSE)

Modern educational research has its foundation in the fact finding techniques of the great educational organizers and administrators of the last century. Those individuals brought about the change from education administered in terms of tradition, to education administered in terms of knowledge. They created an atmosphere in education, accepting…

It is not surprising that private education is gaining importance in China, given the overall context of huge national efforts toward building up a "socialist market economy." However, the fast growth rate in both quantity and quality of profitable private schools in a socialist society has exceeded expectations. This paper examines the…

Public-spirited citizens who desire to improve their educational systems increasingly look to the law. The prerogative of a law-making body is to translate acceptable ideals and reforms into operating public policies. Educational progress in this country has been vitally encouraged and supported by State constitutions, legislative enactments, and…

Reviews the history and use of educational vouchers in urban schools. Discusses their economic and social impact on the following areas: (1) public schools; (2) educational choice; (3) equal education; and (4) educational quality. Proposes alternatives. (FMW)

The function of supervision is to help schools do their work better. Systematic appraisal of objectives and procedures in supervision is continually pointing the way to more effective methods of accomplishing this purpose. Because educators have become dissatisfied with the outcomes of this kind of supervision, many of them are seeking more…

To gain perspective on current demands for accountability in England's schools, particularly the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) proposals, the author looks at the history of school assessment procedures in England, noting that they've long played a dominant role in determining what is taught and how it is taught. (Author/SJL)