In the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), vocational education is designed to assist in the achievement of political, economic, and social aims. The emphasis that the USSR constitution places on "socially useful work" and its results has been consistently reflected in legislation governing vocational training since 1919. Not…

This paper identifies major education goals that conflict with educational choice and explores the context and causes of the conflict. Implications for family choice of the numerous reforms currently gaining nationwide support are examined, along with public policies that deny choice, such as attendance requirements, state-imposed curriculum…

Shows how Tunisia's national educational program is implemented unevenly in different regions with resulting disadvantages for rural populations, especially rural girls and women. Specifies ways the politics and public policy appear to influence regional differences in educational outcomes. Examines educational, economic, and political…

These 15 papers include: (1) "Current Models and New Developments in Teacher Education in Austria" (Michael Schratz and Paul Josef Resinger); (2) "Teacher Education in Canada: Renewing Scholarly, Pedagogical, and Organizational Practices" (Therese LaFerriere, Nancy Sheehan, and Tom Russell); (3) "Current Models and New…

This book documents goals, challenges, and prospects in contemporary efforts to develop alphabetic literacies in traditionally unwritten languages, using case study examples of indigenous language development in the Americas. An introduction and conclusion by Nancy H. Hornberger, "Indigenous Literacies in the Americas" and "Language…

This report examines the status of Burundi's formal education system, focusing on elementary and secondary schooling. It addresses the issues of access to education and quality of education as well as the role of the state and donors in funding the system. It explains how the protracted civil war in Burundi has paralyzed the education system,…

This paper lays out a performance-based model to better leverage the mission and power of school boards toward improving student learning. It moves beyond discussions about whether boards should be elected or appointed, instead arguing that mode of selection is less directly responsible for board success than clarity and focus about its mission…

During the 1980s and 1990s, state legislatures became significantly involved in developing policy that determined how and where students should be offered their K-12 education. These legislative acts have occurred most notably in the passage of revision of policy dealing with public school finance, charter schools, home schools, choice enrollment,…

This collection of essays is authored by social scientists who are concerned primarily with relationships between academic knowledge and political power, rethinking the traditional view of politics and science as mutually exclusive fields of study. Chapters are organized into three parts: "Introduction"; "The Institutional Politics of Knowledge…

This report describes the efforts of South Dakota's six public universities to increase their quality, accountability, and efficiency. Through the initiatives of the South Dakota Board of Regents, which is the governing authority, they have moved from a system that funds institutions by enrollment to one that provides base funding with incentives…

Increasingly, foundations are choosing to engage in public policy debates as a way of leveraging their investments and increasing their impact in advancing improvements community-wide, statewide or nationally. For foundations, influencing public policy decisions can happen in different ways: funding policy research and dissemination, building…

Many who are engaged in educational campaigns have felt the need for a collection of at least a few of the more important utterances of some of the most prominent statesmen and publicists in regard to education and its importance. To supply this need, this bulletin was created. This bulletin presents the utterances of the following individuals:…

The November 1996 national election pits different education philosophies against each other; republicans want more local control, fewer rules, and greater school choice, while democrats talk of more federal funding while balancing the budget. The future of the Higher Education Act, African American influence in Congress, education committee…

Finds Protestant fundamentalists and Muslims in England, Australia, and the United States turning away from government schools, finding official policies antithetical to their beliefs. Argues that traditional Judaeo-Christian beliefs have been replaced by the antinomianism of those opposed to any universal moral law. Suggests that the present…

Examines some of the effects of the creation of an educational market, based on parental school choice, on ethnic minority students. Argues that the new market framework which encourages separation and competition has begun to affect the education of minority students in mostly negative ways. (MJP)