Social sciences in the community college are at a critical point in their history and development. Except for a few statistical aberrations, enrollment in the social sciences and humanities is declining significantly. The idea of marketing a segment of a college's or university's offerings, particularly when it is not tied to a particular problem…

In order to restore public confidence in intercollegiate athletics (following well-publicized problems) it is necessary to address a set of serious systematic problems, suggests the president of the American Council on Education. Diagnosis and treatment of the underlying pathology is important to avoid dealing with the symptoms alone. The…

The institutional divisions between academic and technical education at the secondary level in France are analyzed. A brief account of the development of French technical education is also provided, and how pressures from certain social groups have affected both academic and technical education is discussed. (RM)

Criticizes "A Nation at Risk" and "Involvement in Learning" in terms of their attacks on postsecondary vocational education. Decries the lack of involvement of vocational educators in the formulation of these reports. Calls for a definition of excellence that integrates, rather than fragments, the educational enterprise. (DMM)

This book recounts how American schools undertook reform after reform, based on unproven and unworkable theories, resulting in attention being diverted from the schools' essential purpose: the intellectual development of every child. American educators have committed three historical errors. First, they tried to turn the school into a vehicle for…

Independent schools are in an excellent position to meet what may be the key educational challenge of the 1980s--maintaining a balance between intellectual/academic education, realistic/practical education, and ethical education. (SB)

Recommendations to higher education from a corporate executive include: the need for a commitment to excellence, competence in the English language, economics (the discipline that teaches there is no opportunity without its costs), history, humanities/technology balance, and the cultivation of the whole person. (MLW)

The new Rockefeller Foundation's Commission on the Humanities' report is discussed. Some of the commission's recommendations include: improved quality of elementary and secondary schools, strengthening of humanities research, reaffirmation within education of the values of the humanities, and closer collaboration of educational and cultural…

Multicampus systems should proceed carefully in the process of academic program review, with an eye toward asking and answering questions most likely to cause institutions to confront the more fundamental questions of purpose and coherence. (Author/MSE)

The perception that a college has an excellent academic program is seen as a judgment about the whole college, not just about a few departments. To maintain this judgment, the administrator of a small college must exercise balance in allocation of resources to departments and academic support areas. (Author/MLW)

Suggests that private day schools cannot imitate boarding schools in offering a full "menu" of academics, athletics, and the arts to each student. Both student interests and parental finances would be better served if these three components were separated into optional tracks, each with its own tuition cost. (SJL)

Discusses some conditions for understanding teaching as an act of responsibility towards others, rather than as an instrumental act identified through epistemology. Argues that in order to make teaching an ethical relationship between individuals, teachers must give up their position on the safe side of knowledge and participate in the risk…

Criticizes the emphasis of sports over academics at all levels of schooling, and the short length of the U.S. school year compared to that of other countries. Advocates minimum academic standards as a prerequisite for athletic participation, and students' choice of a college based on graduation rates rather than athletic achievement. (BC)

Reviews the debate over the compatibility of education for academic degrees the competency-based approach required by Britain's National Vocational Qualifications. Considers problems in the definition of competence and the methods of assessment. (SK)

Uses a fable to make the point that professors in the academy must fashion the terms of the discourse about accountability and assessment so as to demonstrate that education is not entirely measurable by an increase in the tax base. Suggests that educators should work to shape surveys and other material to reflect the broader goals of an…