This book examines charter school accountability in theory and in fact. It attempts to explain how new forms of accountability for public education actually work. Information comes from a study of 150 schools and 60 authorizing agencies in six states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Michigan). Extensive case studies of…

Examines the history of Swedish teacher education, looking at a new teacher education that began in 1988 for elementary and middle school teachers educated to teach grade 1-7. The article focuses on four paradigms (traditional craft; academic; progressive, critical-social; and personalistic), and it discusses teacher education regulated and…

Case study of educational planning in Trinidad and Tobago focuses on "Report of the National Task Force on Education" (1994), known locally as the White Paper on Education or Keller Report. Examines how the White Paper captures current theory and practice in educational planning, its chances of successful implementation, and role of the…

Discusses Bush administration's plan for education, building on/adding to Reagan emphases: maintenance of high visibility on federal agenda; preference for unrestricted federal grants-in-aid; parental choice for school selection; excellence versus equity; state versus federal authority; view of education as instrumental to achievement of other…

Explores why Office of Educational Research and Improvement and educational research in general has low status and remote connection to educational reform. Educators should reexamine assumption that such research is sole domain of experts, give increased attention to Wirth's democratic sociotechnical model, emphasize development of values uniting…

As state legislatures have become increasingly involved in establishing educational policy, state boards' authority has diminished. Presently, there are no clear demarcations between rule making and implementation. Most state boards handle administrative and regulatory tasks rather than policymaking. Cumbersome and expensive to operate, state…

This article is an anthropological analysis of the recent policy reforms of the Japanese preschool system. It takes the introduction of the "nintei-kodomoen" ("accredited children's centre") as a point of entry to discuss the historical, social and political debates concerning early childhood education and care. The "dual…

This article explores the policy and practice of choice, flexibility and differentiation within the 14-19 curriculum in England. After first locating these issues within contemporary curriculum policy it adopts a historical analysis tracing perspectives and practice since 1945. This narrative exposes complex oscillation in policy and practice in…

The historical development of early childhood music education (ECE) in Kenya reveals the challenging circumstances under which it has, and continues, to progress. Poverty remains the most formidable hindrance to the success of this area of education. Multiculturalism, the mosaic that defines Kenya's rich heritage, also demands ingenuity from…

Perhaps no school reform has generated as much interest and controversy in recent years as the proposal to have parents select their children's schools. Opponents of school choice fear that rolling back the government's role will lead to profit-driven financial scandals, sectarianism, and increased class and racial isolation. School choice…

The employment of over half the women in the United States with children under age 6 creates a need for quality day care that the General Services Administration (GSA) has tried to meet by encouraging the establishment of child care centers in federal buildings. Although free or reduced rent has been available, only ten such centers currently…

Winchester's article, discussing the university and academic freedom, fails to recognize a number of important truths about postsecondary education in Alberta. Academics cannot act outside the political culture that sustains them, nor do all wisdom and all reason lie within the University of Alberta. (MT)

Governors who put education at the center of their agendas and aspirations act in a long-standing tradition of American political leadership. Among those who did so are leaders who made an imprint on U.S. history both during their gubernatorial terms and afterwards. This paper describes how governors and gubernatorial aspirants can exercise…

An open letter after September 11, 2001, reflects on education's role in promoting tolerance and peace. Further discussion focuses on liberal versus neoliberal ideology; the expansion and democratization of public education in the 20th century, guided by liberal public policy concerning the state's responsibility for social welfare and the public…

Despite recent state leadership in educational reform, the national reports have primarily framed issues and priorities. The articles chosen for this special issue demonstrate the interplay of state and local politics of reform with national concerns. This article highlights Florida's contributions to first and second wave reform efforts. (MLH)