Paper recognizes that investment in education is a key factor in a nation's economic and social development, particularly in developing countries. (Author/RK)

Traces the post-war evolution of the German school system and the political influences that marked that development. (Author/RK)

Argues that recent theories of development are flawed because (1) they assert that social justice and economic development are compatible educational aims and (2) they give insufficient attention to the political contexts of policy-making. Part of a theme issue on the World Bank Paper and Third World educational development. (SJL)

Argues that the World Bank Education Sector Policy Paper (1980) presents a confused and simplistic view of the role of language in education. Advocates a more research-based approach, including cost-benefit analysis of language policy options. Part of a theme issue on the Policy Paper and Third World development. (SJL)

This paper examines the characteristics and status of China's primary school teachers and their ability, as members of the intelligentsia, to exert political influence in the formation of educational policy. It is concluded that, in periods when educational policy is of high concern, these teachers have little influence. (SJL)

After outlining an ideal, the author examines the reality of the response by governments of the major host countries of Europe to the educational needs of migrants' children to determine how far they have been met and to suggest some factors which may have determined the nature of this response. (Author/SJL)

This paper falls into three parts: a description of the current French educational system and the groups influencing it; presentation of the more pressing educational problems of the 1980s; and a draft of developmental modifications likely to occur if liberals or, alternatively, socialists win political power in the early 1980s. (Author/SJL)

In four rapidly developing east Asian nations, educational similarities include strong national curricula and highly competitive selective systems. However, the countries differ in educational funding sources; access to education, particularly tertiary education; extent of state control; relative emphasis on general and technical education; nature…

Compares Australia's and Britains' higher education "binary system," consisting of university and non-university (colleges of advanced education or polytechnics) sectors. Examines problems, politics, and processes involved when institutions attempt to bridge sectors. Reviews examples of cross-sectorial amalgamation in both countries and…

Goals, content, methods, and outcomes of adult education differ according to state policy and characteristics of the political regime. In the 1980s, Mexico represented a "corporatist" state undertaking an incremental approach to literacy provision for purposes of political legitimation and social integration, while Nicaragua represented…

Compares educational policies, strategies, and failures of Grenada's two recent governments--the (Marxist) People's Revolutionary Government and the New National Party, elected after the U.S. invasion. Suggests that political change alone cannot transform education in the face of unchanged economic, social, and educational environments. Contains…

Discusses policies of choice and diversity in school provision in the United Kingdom and the United States. Outlines common elements of the context within which these policies have emerged. Highlights points of contrast between policy developments in the two countries. Interprets contrasts in terms of differences in systems of governance and…

Outlines several ways of looking comparatively at democratic educational systems. Examines narratives of democratic education in American educational history; nation-building as a primary policy objective; and conceptual weaknesses of the model of elite, mass, and universal education. Sees current trends toward educational efficiency and quality…

Examines the principal needs for educational reform in Poland as outlined in the reformist programs of Polish political parties, the opinions of Polish educational experts, and reports by international organizations. Outlines elements of national reform proposed in 1998 to expand secondary and higher education, equalize educational opportunities,…

Traces the history of usage of two indigenous languages of Scotland: Gaelic, used largely in the Highlands, and Scots, which developed in parallel with English and is often unrecognized as a separate language because of mutual comprehensibility. Examines changing attitudes toward these languages in educational policy and practices, and current…