The 1960s civil rights movement spurred affirmative action in medical education, but by the mid-1970s, the trend stalled. In 1991 the Association of American Medical Colleges began a long-range strategy to improve early (K-12) academic training of underrepresented minority group applicants to medical schools. This program has also slowed. Both…

The seven articles of this issue examine the implications of the proposed use of a variety of new assessments for students and parents, schools and school personnel, the educational system, and society in general. They clarify the dilemmas that challenge educational assessment and the relationship of assessment to educational reform. (SLD)

Traces the three-year period (beginning in 1988) leading to the takeover of the Jersey City (New Jersey) public schools by the State Department of Education. Questions the wisdom of New Jersey's approach regarding failing school districts. The confrontation in New Jersey ended poorly for both the state and district. (SLD)

Tracing the history of federal education policy in the 1960s and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) reveals shared assumptions about poverty and the government's role. These assumptions made educational reform essential to the Great Society, even though the federal commitment did not become local priority. (SLD)

Summarizes the history of education in a rural, primarily African-American town in North Carolina as one of denial used as a coping mechanism for disappointment. Denial of real problems by blacks and whites has contributed to the town's weakened sense of community and its lack of a local school. (SLD)

Explains how land conditions and local land ownership patterns have contributed to the educational change that left a rural, primarily African-American town in North Carolina without its own school. The town's history, largely interpreted by one elderly African-American man, shows how economic structures have evolved over the past century. (SLD)

Reviews the history of the concept of equal educational opportunity, noting the shift from a separate-but-equal input definition to an opportunity-to-learn process interpretation. Also discussed are implications of the definition of opportunity to learn for professional development and the education of African-American students. (SLD)

Policy concerning faculty training and development in Estonian universities is examined, looking at current practices in comparison with those of the former Soviet Union. It is argued that since democratization there is little effort and some resistance to faculty renewal, despite new labels given to academic qualifications. University…

This paper describes the advancements that have occurred in the use of educational technologies over the past ten years (1995-2005) and argues that progress has been slow and reminiscent of the slow progress observed in the previous decade (1985-1995). The paper argues that one of the principal reasons for the less than spectacular results stems…

Ethiopia is a nation of more than 70 million people characterized by diverse ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. Since the early 1990s Ethiopia has entered into the process of transformation towards a more civil society. This transformational process has led to numerous socioeconomic and political policy reforms. Central to reforms in the…

This article is an analysis of the current state of early childhood care in the Maghreb, in particular in Morocco and Algeria, where the pre-schooling rate for 5-year-olds is on the increase. Extending pre-school infrastructures and the need to create unified curricula have been among the most urgent questions to be tackled over the last decade in…

This article considers the position of religion in schools in England and Wales in light of the recent decision in "The Queen on the application of SB v Headteacher and Governors of Denbigh High School". This held that the refusal to allow a pupil to wear the jilbab was a breach of her rights under the European Convention for the…

This report offers detailed recommendations to improve the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is a call to action to provide educators with the tools and resources they need to do the important job of preparing our students to live productive and successful lives. The…

After briefly sketching the history of federal aid programs for higher education, this paper employs the conceptual framework of fairness theory to analyze the extent to which financial limitations appear now to prevent high school seniors from attaining a college education. Using data from the High School and Beyond longitudinal study, this study…

Preparing teachers of at-risk students in urban schools is examined, focusing on the issues raised in teaching disadvantaged students and the problems of teaching in an urban school system. The broad thesis underlying the discussion is that to fulfill human potential, society must have the widest and most popular forms of political freedom and…