International examples of professional learning demonstrate the need for (1) recognition of political, economic, and social trends and issues; (2) attention to emerging knowledge and technology; (3) analysis of work settings as learning enterprises; and (4) appreciation of the abundance of providers/opportunities. (SK)

During the 1960s, a review of higher education by a commission chaired by Lord Robbins led to the recommendation that the separate colleges of education be brought into the university sector. Compares and contrasts the pluralistic policy process of the Robbins period with the process of recent changes in teacher education in Scotland. (KS)

Because of a congruity of developments in the knowledge base concerning tests, external political factors, and legal factors, responsible use of employment tests could be on the verge of widespread acceptability. However, the possibility also exists that tests will once again become the scapegoat for "bad news." This review of the legal…

After a discussion of the circumstances that led to the unification of the two German states, this paper then evaluates the challenges to political education in Germany after unification. Beginning with the focus by the media and politics on the effects of East German political changes on the two German states, the revolution in East Germany and…

Reviewing the historical development of media agenda-setting theory suggests that topics emphasized by the mass news media become the topics people think are most important. The vast majority of agenda-setting studies, however, rely on aggregate measures of media and public agendas, and produce very little support for the original theory as there…

A summary report of a review of literature on the status of family day care in numerous countries around the world is provided. Materials were obtained from several databases, including ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center), Social SciSearch, Child Abuse and Neglect, Sociological Abstracts, Family Resources, and Third World Countries.…

Most research efforts concerning minority politics have focused on descriptive representation, which emphasizes (1) counting the minority or female persons in office, and (2) explaining representative levels on the basis of political, social and economic determinants. Descriptive representation, however, is passive and focuses on "being something"…

Reflecting and influencing foreign policy, the mass media are important, if nontraditional, diplomatic channels. The role the news media assume, ranging from neutral to participant, depends largely on the society within which it operates. Journalists in authoritarian governments, for example, who rely on press releases and briefings of foreign…

This paper focuses on the economic, social, and political considerations of contracting. The increasing tendency of government to contract services is attributed to higher financial stress facing local governments, a growing political belief that the extent of government should be reduced, and the perception that the private sector is a more…

Collective bargaining is a process influenced by many factors. A review of the literature, including an assessment of Dunlop's, Smythe's, Levinson's, and Craig's models, indicates that most models of collective bargaining are partial, dealing only with some of the components of the bargaining process. A model of educational collective bargaining…

The ideal of good citizenship is examined in light of current social and political unrest brought about, at least in part, by the agitation of special interest groups. Emphasis is placed on the role of citizenship education in the schools. The monograph is intended particularly for educators who want to improve citizenship education programs. The…

This paper isolates four research perspectives that have guided analyses of state legislatures and education policy in the past, and it presents research judgments that it believes will help the Law and Government Program of the National Institute of Education identify promising research directions in the future. While it acknowledges that few…

The ways in which state higher education coordinating boards diffuse information about academic innovations is examined, and it is concluded that both the types of change they favor and their dissemination strategies are linked to their political position and the broad political and policy perspective it requires. (Author/MSE)

Dewey's writings defined the role of educators in society and their ability to influence world peace, international cooperation, the meaning of patriotism, and the role of the social sciences in understanding other cultures. Dewey perceived the job of the educator as teaching basic values of peace and nonviolence as correct social behavior. (JN)

The initiation of a national examination system in the People's Republic of China has had a marked impact upon educational policies. An historical overview of the Chinese educational system, the nature of the national examination, and implications of curricular change are used to support the assumption that curricular change can have profound…