This paper argued that a general theory that can provide a precise definition of educational goals and the means to accomplish them is absolutely necessary to resuscitate schooling, and that the classroom is the place where theory can be developed and tested. The paper makes the following points: (1) a general theory is vitally needed to deal with…

Claims that public education in Mexico is in severe crisis. Indicates the wealthy have opted out of public education and the poor are dropping out. Argues that reforms to address poor quality and inequalities are being sidestepped. Proposes a more inclusive educational approaches to provide quality education for all. (CAJ)

Explores the extent to which public policy commitments toward community participation are realized in Malawi. Finds that the main motivation for participation is extractive rather than genuine attempts to encourage local ownership and accountability. Argues that marketization of community participation signifies the entrenchment of individual…

Maintains that the continued acceptance of market principles combined with reductions in government services has created a selfish citizenry. In education, this is personified in the activist parent who is interested in his own child's education but indifferent to others. Discusses how civic education can respond to this. (MJP)

Suggests that children, as the nation's most precious social resource, are the shared responsibility of parents and government. Argues that current efforts to scale back social welfare programs in Canada need to be reversed, so as to provide children, and families with children, a decent minimum standard of living. (MDM)

To help public schools experience free-market competition, Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander and President Bush propose parental choice among private, parochial, and public schools, supported by public financing for program design and tuition grants. Sidebars highlight church/state separation concerns and school choice experiments in…

Australia's higher education system reform, the booming overseas market, and unmet domestic demand have provided opportunities for private higher education. The growth of private provision, federal and state government responses, and pressures for subsidy and regulation have hastened development of a "peripheral private sector."…

Discusses how Russian vocational-technical education should be funded and proposes four possible scenarios. Recommends a privatization procedure in which an individual or a group of employees of a vocational school would purchase the institution from the government. (CFR)

This document provides a brief history of urban school governance and summarizes some of the unique governance structures that have emerged in six American cities and one Canadian province over recent years. By 1920, ward-based systems in most urban areas had given way to systems with a high degree of centralization. These systems were more…

By 1990 Australia had experienced almost 10 years of incessant activity to restructure education. In many respects, educators are not in control of the change process. This paper explains transformations that have occurred in the senior education positions, in the shape of educational organizations (including schools), and in the way education is…

Education decentralization efforts are examined in six primarily rural, sub-Saharan African countries--Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Stated reasons do not always reflect the real underlying rationales for decentralization. Education decentralization that is publicly advocated to improve service delivery and local…

Examines effects of privatization policies on rural girls' education in Tanzania's Kilimanjaro region. Results of a study of parent wealth and education, surveys of female secondary students, and interviews with out-of-school young women show that privatization has made secondary school attendance more difficult for poor girls. Such attendance has…

A discussion of recent changes in Israeli higher education looks at the system's structure, emergence of private law schools, the upgrading of some vocationally oriented postsecondary institutions to academic status, academic tracks of study within regional colleges, and possible future developments. Some comparisons are made with trends in other…

The World Bank's proposed changes for higher education funding in developing countries include decentralizing management, expanding private schools, introducing selective student loans and scholarships, and cost recovery. Obstacles in Colombia include quality of and access to higher education and upper class opposition to scholarships.…

Explores how extensions to the General Agreements on Trade in Services (GATS) designed to increase market access of private service providers to industries now in the public sector could affect public higher education. Asserts that these agreements have an alarming potential to limit the role of government in the delivery of public services such…