Minnesota has been the first state to embrace many education reforms, but it is also characterized by low state standards and problematic desegregation and diversity proposals. This report examines why Minnesota is good on some education policies and bad on others. It also draws the lessons with the greatest importance for other states. The…

This study looks at how testing affects critical decisions for U.S. students, focusing on the impact of testing on individual students. It examines common misuses of tests, their political and social contexts, what happens when test issues are taken to court, special student populations, social promotion, and other issues of current interest. The…

Presents statistics that document the status of African Americans in higher education. Much recent progress in the Education Equality Index the journal computes comes from gains made in the past several years that are only now reported by the government. Recent political and social developments, such as opposition to affirmative action, may…

This study presents a longitudinal and intertextual analysis of educational policymaking activity in California over a 10-year period to identify factors that supported local policy implementation in a shifting political climate. Analysis reveals the essential nature of coherence, capacity building, and changed practices in building an alternative…

The eight articles of this special issue explore the retrenchment that has seriously constrained the education of African Americans in California, as in much of the nation. Economic downsizing, genetic theories of racial inferiority, and right-wing attitudes have contributed to undermining the political gains of the 1960s and 1970s. (SLD)

Adoption of the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1992 formalized a significant shift in federal financial aid policy from grants to loans. A case study of the federal policy-making process and the effects of incremental and fragmented decision making, this legislation illustrates how shifts in the power of actors and constraints in the…

South Africa's political system has deprived blacks of voting rights and educational access. Recent educational reforms have been hampered by education's continued alignment with political ideologies. Since many are severely hurting from conflict in their communities and schools, mediation programs are sorely needed, along with leadership and…

A careful review of research suggests that the problem of sexual assault has been magnified and the data misinterpreted, in part because the issue of sexual violence against women has become enmeshed in politics. The current trend in sexual-violence research is to redefine it according to the ideological preferences of advocates. (SLD)

Trustees and other officials of state higher education institutions should understand their role in the legislative process, including respecting and understanding the political process; working closely with the institution's lobbyist, knowing your limits and advantages, monitoring public opinion, understanding campaign contributions,…

The growth of educational testing in the Netherlands is reviewed, and the way tests are used in elementary and secondary education is described. Educational testing in the Netherlands has been strongly connected to the existence of the National Institute for Educational Measurement (CITO). (SLD)

Criticisms of the federal system of research funding, in which priorities among disciplines are set in a competitive and political environment, are outlined. Policymakers are challenged to allocate resources in such a way that economic performance is improved without restricting the freedom of individual scientists to set research directions.…

Presents a new history of philosophy of education that maintains that dialogs of educational philosophy cannot be understood without reference to the intellectual, political, and social movements of the time. Individuals inside and outside the inner circle of education are considered, and literature only tacitly philosophical is included. (SLD)

This article reviews the principal methods economists and cost benefit analysts use in evaluating research. Two common approaches are surplus measures (combinations of consumer and producer surpluses) and productivity measures. Technical difficulties and political and organizational constraints are discussed for these measures. (SLD)

Examines causes, strategies, and dynamics of U.S. excellence-era educational reforms, assessing economic, social, and political reform pressures. Examines major governmental, professional, citizen, and market policies promulgated across three promising, if problematic, reform periods characterized as intensification, restructuring, and reformation…

Schools and districts are most vulnerable to censorship challenges when they fail to establish sound, equitable policies and procedures or to honor those they have. Schools should promote an honest, consistent flow of information; insist on an instructionally sound media-selection rationale; and develop clear policies, procedures, and criteria for…