When Congress adopted the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1789, it left open many questions that would arise concerning church-state relations. It became clear early in the history of the country that the Supreme Court would have a great impact on how the First Amendment would be upheld and interpreted. This book examines how Congress…

This book provides insight into how managers of federally sponsored libraries view their roles and carry out their duties. Seven federally supported libraries were selected to serve as case studies. These libraries represent a cross-section of various types, and the nine chapters are written by librarians from these facilities. The discussion…

The "training reform agenda" refers to a package of reforms in vocational education that was accepted by Australian national, state, and territorial ministers. It has five main themes: nationally consistent competency-based training; national recognition of competence; open national training market; fair participation; and integrated…

Thirteen articles, with an introduction, focus on the overall nature and effect of federal involvement in education and suggest what the federal role ought to be. The first five articles examine federal policy dilemmas in the areas of federal educational expenditures, fragmentation of federal programs, elementary and secondary education, criteria…

Education has emerged as a leading national issue for the 1990s. To address some of the current and future issues facing education, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company asked members of the Metropolitan Life Foundation Education Advisory Council to articulate their views about recent and future directions in public-school-improvement efforts. This…

This autobiography recounts personal experiences as a college professor and administrator (President of the University of Michigan) during the 1960s to the early 1980s. The 17 chapters discuss early years growing up in Illinois; college years; employment with the federal government; enlistment in the Army; the war in Germany; the end of the war,…

As the school-age population in the United States becomes increasingly culturally diverse and economically heterogeneous, public schools are confronted with issues of program specialization and social integration. Programs designed for students with special needs often take the form of discrete instructional structures. One consequence of targeted…

The role of the nation state is now changing, and with it the place of education. This book explores the role of education in the "post-national" era, and asks the following questions: How far can national states control their education systems in a world of global markets and supranational political organization? How distinctive will…

This book provides an overview and status report on the progress made in developing the National Research and Education Network (NREN) as of early 1991. It reports on a number of investigations that provide a research and policy perspective on the NREN and computer-mediated communication (CMC), and brings together key source documents that have…

Suggesting new policies for integrating technology into existing goals of the public schools, this book presents the argument that substantial educational improvements can be made through the use of computers. Chapter 1 contains an assessment describing the nature of technology events thought likely to occur during the 1980s. (A technology event…

This book examines the role of religion in U.S. education. The book argues that public schools and universities must take religion seriously. Written from the perspective of a philosopher and generalist, the volume asserts that people need to have a better understanding of the deep assumptions that shape their thinking about religion and education…

The role and history of the United States Aid Funds, which guarantees student loans made by conventional lenders, and developments at the state and federal levels are addressed. United Student Aid Funds, which helped open private credit markets to student borrowers, operates in all 50 states and U.S. territories. The events and people that helped…

In November of 1975, in response to disputes over the federal role in curriculum development and in response to changes in its own circumstances, the National Institute of Education (NIE)--the federal agency having primary responsibility for educational research and development--established a Curriculum Development Task Force. The task force…

This book asserts that public assistance programs--particularly in countries in Western Europe--have been demonstrated to relieve deprivation and ensure an acceptable standard of living for those nations' families. Contrasting the extensive child welfare programs offered by France with those of the United States, this book describes in detail an…

Difficulties in the formulation and implementation of a uniform national educational policy are analyzed in this book. A review of American educational history concludes that alternative policy processes must be considered if the nation is to develop public policies capable of addressing a national education crisis. Obstacles to a centralized…