Examines the interplay between an individual's social environment and the individual's own motivations for political knowledge, such as political interest and attention to public affairs media. Finds that the perception of one's social environment made a significant contribution to the respondent's level of political knowledge. (MS)

Discusses economic and political influences on the education system of West Germany as decisions are made to introduce new information technologies in the schools, and describes a model of four levels of education decision contexts for use in developing specifications: pedagogical ideals, institutional conditions, factors of curriculum, and…

This is a study on the impact of culture on the leadership of Mexican principals facing political and socioeconomic pressures. The research is a continuation of an international study engaging researchers from 8 countries: Thailand, China, UK, Norway, Singapore, Norway, Brazil, U.S., and Mexico. The twelve high school principals who participated…

This study had two broad goals: to discuss state politics and accountability policies in Virginia and Georgia before the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and to analyze the civil rights implications of NCLB's accountability requirements for future policy decisions. Part 1 describes previous policies and governance arrangements and how these factors…

This research explored the politics of educational choice through a case study of one public school testing the limits of difference in the British Columbia (Canada) school system in the 1990s. The Fine Arts elementary school was created by the school board based on pedagogical ideas from teachers. This fine arts magnet offered teachers a great…

Converse's black-and-white model of attitude stability, in which there are some stable opinion holders and a group of nonopinion respondents whose positions vary over time, is supported. Relationships of education and political involvement to opinion holding suggest that respondents hold stable opinions on issues that are most important to them.…

Using data from Rhode Island, this study investigated the extent to which teacher unions have won control gains, but not economic gains, at the bargaining table. (Author/PN)

History and geography textbooks used in secondary grades in the Soviet Union and in the United States are being examined by scholars in both countries for factual errors and ideological distortions which influence how one nation perceives the other. A joint report, with suggestions for improvements, is scheduled for 1980. (MF)

This paper outlines a heuristic framework for understanding basic patterns in the efforts of nation-states to achieve some degree of integration of ethnic minorities to the dominant culture. Four case studies, from Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, illuminate the basic typology: Assimilation, Cultural Pluralism, Socialized Isolation,…

Identifies a substantial percentage of voters as "campaign deciders." Shows that these voters were low in partisanship during the 1976 presidential campaign, attended closely to the campaign, and voted according to campaign-specific perceptions. Contrasts these voters with "precampaign and last-minute deciders," who voted mainly on the basis of…

Evaluates the reliability, concurrent validity, and comparative predictive validity of political sophistication in comparison to those of exposure, attention, and civics knowledge. Suggests that political sophisticates do not simply consume more news but process it differently than their less-sophisticated counterparts. (SR)

A study used ethnographic methods to investigate the experience of gay and bisexual male college students from the perspective of subculture. Subjects (32 undergraduate and eight graduate students at a research university) were interviewed by telephone. Four students are profiled, and commonalities in their experiences and points of tension (gay…

Analysis of research articles and editorials from national newspapers and news magazines published during 1984-94 revealed that although research reported favorably on bilingual education, most newspaper articles took positions against bilingual education. Opinion writers did not base their positions on research, but rather on government reports,…

The Brazilian educational finance system faces three principal problems: the persistence of large regional and intrastate inequalities on all wealth and development indices; the federal government's predominance in controlling revenue sources; and the education system's openness to political abuses. Disparities can only be rectified by…

Studies the development of a political ideology that draws on the resources of myth. Analyzes how Pat Robertson's concepts of apocalyptic fulfillment provided an ideological basis for his 1988 presidential campaign, but resulted in significant rhetorical problems. Finds that the transformation in Robertson's apocalyptic vision stemmed from his…