Analyzes the relationship between educational development and Malaysia's sociopolitical and economic context. Under the Vision 2020 rubric, liberalized educational policies are leading to a more democratic, privatized, and decentralized educational system. Curricular revisions stressing basic skills, moral values, and individual development are…

Decentralized decision-making is an important characteristic of effective schools. Effective decentralization requires that teachers, parents, students, and the community be involved, despite the various problems they face. The creation of school improvement councils is one step towards implementing the massive structural change needed to improve…

Education is at the heart of the struggle of Canada's Aboriginal peoples to regain control over their lives as communities and nations. Based on hearings and research generated by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP), this collection of articles documents recent progress in transforming Aboriginal education to support…

Standards-based education is likely to remain prevalent in education far into the future. Effective leaders must protect and support teachers, who are the heart of every school. Chapter 1, "The First Key: Understanding Motivation," explores the importance of motivation in promoting change in schools. Teachers and staff can choose to…

In this book, an experienced elementary school teacher recounts how she and three other teachers of grades 4, 5, and 6 decided to relax the compartmentalization of learning into subject areas and shuffle subject matter into new patterns to offer students a voice in their education. The book describes how the teachers created a multiage…

This book highlights examples of innovative educational practices in the field of organized adult learning. Fifteen chapters present outcomes of collective research in the Innovations in Nonformal and Adult Education (INNAE) project. "Common Learning--Collective Research: Innovating Adult Education" (Werner Mauch, Uta Papen) describes the…

This report examines the condition of America's young adolescents and how well middle grade schools, health institutions, and community organizations serve them. In its plan for action, the Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development makes recommendations for new structures for middle grade…

This collection brings together papers initially presented at a conference held in Helsinki (Finland) on gender equality in higher education in several European countries and elsewhere. Following an introductory chapter by the authors, the 30 chapters (separately authored) are grouped under the following topics: national politics and policies;…

The choice theory holds that people can control only their own behavior, and that all people need a sense of belonging, freedom, power, and fun. This article argues that teachers must recognize that these needs motivate student behavior, and describes how a middle school turned its discipline and achievement problems around by using choice theory.…

This book is about educational reform, focusing on the role of teachers. Chapter 1 explores the reasons behind the chronic shortage of good teachers. Chapter 2 presents a brief history of teaching in America to explain the structure and organization of schools, the feminization of teaching, the qualifications of those who choose to go into…

This compilation of publications from the School-Linked Service Integration Research Project focuses on integrated services and includes the following papers: (1) "New Community Schools: Issues for Families in Three Streams of Reform" (Wayne Sailor), describes issues in special education reform, general education reform, and school/health services…

Adult education theory and practice has long been involved in identifying spaces where counter-hegemonic learning can take place. Civil society is regarded as the site par-excellence for providing space in which to learn free from power and domination and from the state and economy. Another dimension to the recent focus on civil society as a site…

Discusses the benefits and effects of music teacher empowerment. Concludes that additional skills, knowledge, and professionalism will be necessary to successfully teach music in an empowered setting without losing sight of the students' larger interests. Urges that music education programs for training teachers be expanded to include critical…

This report presents the contributions to theme five, "Adult Learning and the Changing World of Work," of the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education. Section 1 is an introduction to the Conference with objectives, themes, and agenda for the future. Section 2, "Discussion and Debate on the Issues of Theme Five" (R.…

Recent changes in New Zealand educational administration are empowering parents to seek integration into mainstream classrooms for their children with disabilities. These changes include an emerging economic model of schools, the establishment of the right of all children to education in state schools, and recognition of the rights of Maori…