This report presents some ideas that were developed by participants at a conference sponsored by the National School Public Relations Association. The conferees from educational, political, and civic life participated in a brainstorming session to develop ideas for improving public confidence in education. The best of these ideas are included in…

Recognizing the universal importance of education, the federal government assumed a larger role in financing public schools with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965. Through subsequent reauthorizations, ESEA has continued to assist the states. In 2001, the reauthorization included "No Child Left Behind," which…

Considers five major interests at stake in higher education: social justice, competence, academic freedom, autonomy/accountability, and decentralization/centralization. Suggests that the implementation of conflicting interests is less a matter of the relation between the state and higher education than of relations between the academic profession…

The relationship between the federal government and higher education is examined with focus on federal aid and especially federal regulations. Justifications for the federal regulatory role and suggestions for improving the relationship by both higher education and the government are offered. (JMD)

The federal government has expanded its role as consumer and investor by taking financial responsibility for the promotion of equal opportunity and the support of research and graduate instruction. The adversary relationship between universities and the government is described, and suggestions for improvements are offered. (LBH)

It is suggested that current Australian higher education policy focuses more on quality control than improvement. The way "quality" is presented in current federal policy documents is examined, and it is argued that an improvement approach could be used to generate new practices while meeting external pressures for accountability. (MSE)

Using agency theory, this paper analyzes schools, particularly career schools, in the Stafford Loan Program for student incentive to graduate and pay off their loans. Agency theory focuses on the roles of information and incentives when a principal and an agent cooperate with respect to the utilization of resources. The analysis examines the…

This report of a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities addresses the issues of complying with Federal standards concerning equal representation of minorities and women in Federal jobs. In 1984, three agencies refused to submit affirmative action goals and timetables: The Department of Justice, the Federal Trade…

Methods of accountability are presented in considering the Reagan administration plan to consolidate 84 federal health, education and social service grants into six block grant areas and to cut overall funding. After matching aspects of public criticism with proposal objectives, a rationale is developed for building elements of accountability into…

Hearings on child care are presented. Goals of this care include enabling mothers to take jobs by which they can support themselves and their children and improving the first five years of life for many children. Various aspects surrounding the setting up of a government support child care program include time factors, cost, standards and…

President George W. Bush has unveiled an activist education plan that requires states to improve their worst schools or face sanctions from the federal government. The plan would tie Title I money to the states' adopting "clear, measurable goals focused on basic skills and essential knowledge" and testing children every year in grades 3-8.…

The independent sector is seen as a powerful and positive force in our national life because of its freedom from constraints, its pluralism, its environment for innovation, home for nonmajoritarian ideas, stimulus to individual initiative, opportunities for participation, role as an instrument of community, etc. (Author/MLW)

Every six years or so, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 provides the opportunity for Congress--and the nation--to examine the current conditions and consider the future needs of higher education. While reauthorization tends to focus on funding and on "fixing" postsecondary education's most visible problems, the…

Schools are currently under the many strains and stresses involving change, such as concern with the nature and purpose of schools, the growth of alternative systems, the push for new structures, the demands of new participants, financial worries, and interventions from State and national agencies. Each of these strains creates problems in…

A significant problem of higher education today is public skepticism. If the educational leadership will stimulate political leaders to cope constructively with six central problems, the remaining years of the 1970's could be an "age of wisdom." The problems are: (1) the need for the assurance of greater resources in coming years; (2) the need for…