The author of this article states that, for more than 20 years, public educators have developed a professional inferiority complex and a strong sense of hopelessness. After all, he claims, the dominant message over those years, including from some within the profession, has been that educators have caused the declining quality in public schools.…

This article examines the politics behind the initial centralization of primary education in Chihuahua, Mexico during the 1920s and 1930s. The article argues that the centralization of primary education was one of many tools used by the federal government to consolidate its power in the wake of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917) and create a…

Assesses the National Educational Association's (NEA) influence and power to effect political change. Concludes that the NEA is neither very powerful nor very weak and that its potential is considerable if Reagan's conservative program falters. (WD)

A teacher from the Free School (Albany, New York) reflects on his experiences at the Stand for Children rally in Washington, D.C. The rally brought together hundreds of thousands of children to focus attention on the nation's responsibility for meeting children's needs; however, it could have had more impact if children themselves had organized…

For most of America's history, teachers have had few labor negotiating rights and little power to exert them. The National Labor Relations Act established the National Labor Relations Board and helped teachers gain more power in labor negotiations. Many worker rights gained from the 1930s through the 1970s were undermined by the increased…

Professional educators must take advantage of public awareness and demand for change if education is to avoid a decade "full of sound and fury" in the 1980s. A solid statistical base is needed from which to describe, select, test, and evaluate policy alternatives. Teachers and government are critical inputs into the educational system.…

Renewed attention on educational quality is forcing educators to consider experimenting with new organizational structures for achieving public school objectives. Eight recent reports on the state of public precollegiate education in the United States address the need for better educational quality. Although the eight reports vary in emphasis,…