Investigates the role of political factors in the allocation of educational opportunities in state-socialist Czechoslovakia. Indicates that educational reforms introduced after the communist seizure of power in 1948 reduced inequalities in the allocation of schooling at the secondary level but not at the tertiary level. (CMK)

Disadvantages in schooling associated with poorly educated or low status fathers and with large families continue to persist. (Author/DE)

An attempt is made to specify the crucial dimensions of organizational differentiation. This conceptual framework is then used in the formulation of a set of mechanisms that may account for a relationship between organizational differentiation and student behavior. (Author/JB)

Changes in affirmative action policies in some states create possibilities for "natural experiments" to observe the effect of public policy on racial and ethnic inequality in American society. This study measured the impact of Initiative 200, a ballot measure that eliminated affirmative action in Washington State, on the transition from…

Chile has experienced considerable educational expansion over the past few decades, as well as a privatization reform in 1981 that introduced full parental choice through a voucher system, in the context of a market-oriented transformation of the country. Using a cohort analysis of the 2001 Chilean Mobility Survey, this article examines trends in…

Discusses racial inequality in educational funding and other educational opportunities throughout the United States. Argues that reliance on local taxes as a primary source of school funding and the sanctity of local school-district boundaries are the main institutional obstacles to the elimination of racial inequality. (CAJ)

Reacts to articles by Alan Kerckhoff, Maureen Hallinan, and Adam Gamoran in the 2001 theme issue of Sociology of Education. Evaluates articles and conclusions presented by these authors and responds to their arguments. Presents a detailed rebuttal to the article by Gamoran and disagrees with Gamoran's conclusions. (CAJ)

Explores how the focus on class rank has affected students from star public high schools, creating a disadvantage when students try to enter elite colleges. Explains a new approach, "winner-take-all," being utilized in high schools in which schools focus on the top students. Includes references. (CMK)

Focuses on relationships between high school graduates' personal characteristics and the nature of the postsecondary institutions they attend. Suggests that within the matching process is a sorting mechanism that reinforces nonmeritocratic tendencies. Analyzes national data for the high school class of 1980. Finds, that socioeconomic background…

Offers predictions about educational inequality over the next one hundred years. Foresees a continuation in the trend toward a decline in black-white racial inequality. Argues that educational inequality by socioeconomic background will persist at current levels throughout the next century. Bases these predictions on past trends. (CAJ)

Discusses Wichita (Kansas) School District's constructed policy to "create an equal footing" for girls of all races, ethnicities, and social class to become cheerleaders. Finds the policies were not successful. Highlights importance of peer-group affiliation in adolescent girls' lives and how this marker of identity intersected with a…

Considers how qualitative research has enhanced knowledge of four topics in the sociology of education: (1) educational inequality, (2) socialization, (3) identity formation, and (4) school organization and educational policy. Argues that qualitative studies have introduced new voices, perspectives, and themes into traditional understanding. (CAJ)

Reports on a study of educational equity in Irish secondary schools. Finds that, although overall class differences in educational attainment declined, barriers based on socioeconomic status were not removed. Presents alternative reform efforts that might have been more effective without costing more money. (CFR)

This article explores how the structure of higher education in the United States and Israel mediates the relationship among race/ethnicity, social origins, and postsecondary outcomes. On the basis of differences in how the two systems of higher education have developed, the authors anticipated that inequality in college attendance will be greater…

Presents a study of the impact of educational expansion on the equality of educational opportunity for men and women in Taiwan in the past 45 years. Finds that, although the average level of educational attainment increased, severe limitations on women's access to education remained. (CFR)