Discusses the impact of glasnost and perestroika on Soviet educational reform. Reviews trends in the following areas: (1) the form and content of education; (2) the role of teachers; (3) the structure and mission of educational research; and (4) the effects of political movements on the educational system. (FMW)

This article identifies reasons for the crisis of Czechoslovak higher education including centralized administration, political screening of personnel, destruction of teachers' research and educational activities, and the perceived decreasing importance of higher education. Also considered is the new Higher Education Act of 1990 involving radical…

Drawing on concepts from an institutional theory of organizations, this study describes policy, teacher union, and academic actors who shaped and promoted school-based management in the national arena, their interests, and the network that linked them. School-based management was at least partially the product of institutional environment. (SLD)

Reviews of three recent Scottish teacher education texts analyze the political and pedagogical philosophies of teacher education presented in each. A commonality among the texts is a portrayal of the teacher as a "hero" fighting for emancipation, empowerment, and transformation. Also discussed are each narrative's views of the past,…

These books are, in many ways, companion volumes addressed to educators working on curricular issues and educational reform. Both consider how postmodernism, feminism, and cultural studies contribute to contemporary educational theory and social criticism. The authors make a convincing case for critical "border pedagogy" that examines…

The problems of higher education in central and eastern Europe are discussed, including the processes of reform and the communist past; the need to both rebuild elites and expand participation; the role of the university between state and market; the relationship between research and teaching; and priorities for cooperation between western and…

Discusses proposed educational reforms in Ireland, highlighting components of the 1992 Green Paper, "Education for a Changing World." Six key aims involve greater equity in education, a broadening of education, better use of resources through decentralization, improvement of teacher training, a system of quality assurance, and greater…

Reviews economic and social science theories on the role of the school in economic development. Presents a case study of an underdeveloped rural Tennessee county where school improvement efforts were unsuccessful because of the sociological, political, economic, and cultural setting in which the school system operates. (KS)

The cultural politics of the export of educational services by Australia to Asia are examined, focusing on tension between the persistent economic development perspective and an emerging market ideology that sees education as a commodity. Issues of postcolonialism, globalization, educational traditions vs. market orientation, educational aid and…

This paper provides a new outlook on the charter school policy environment, however, by re-examining more closely the layers of legal provisions in states' charter laws. Consistent with the first wave of charter school literature which found charter school politics to be complicated and often working at cross-purposes, the authors provide evidence…

The prominence of agenda items, the attendant controversy, and changes proposed in 5 areas of education reform were studied in 33 urban school districts during 1992 to 1995. Only a tiny fraction of the study of American politics has focused on school boards, their attendant bureaucracies, and the local political issues involved. This paper…

This paper, using five examples (Kenya, Japan, Malaysia, the Soviet Union, and the United States), explores some patterns of interactions among social, political, and economic activity (SPEA) and seven influences affecting the character of national systems of education. The educational change and improvement efforts in the five countries are…

The year 1989 was a turning point in the history of Hungary. Many fundamental changes have since taken place in the country's teaching and learning at a regional level. This paper summarises the current problems of traditional university education in Hungary and then relates them to the roles of lifelong learning centres. After showing why these…

As examples of the qualitative research attitude, six research papers, each of which addresses a serious educational question in a thoughtful and rigorous manner, are presented. The first paper argues for the advancement of a qualitative research attitude in social studies, for such an attitude is consonant with the purposes of a reflective,…

The evolution and role of the lay board of control (trustees, directors) of higher educational institutions and the part the board has played or may play in maintaining diversity in the American system are examined. The evolution of the lay board in the United States and in the United Kingdom is described. The lay board has become "the…