This report examines the development of higher education and the process of educational reform in Romania through the 19th and 20th centuries and provides statistical data on the numbers of students, graduates, and academic staff that existed during specific time periods. Chapters cover: (1) the founding of the higher education system and its…

Costa Rican education, although fairly successful compared to other Third World or Latin American countries, has serious problems needing action, including (1) large discrepancies between educational ideals and the realities of urban privilege, with regard to access and quality, and (2) a rote, narrow, superficial, impractical education. Other…

Discusses the blurring of boundaries between state and private education system that has occurred since 1979 in Britain. Notes that the system has always maintained degrees of support for private and state-supported education. Investigates the social and political influences involved in the implementation of school vouchers and the 1988…

The voucher "air war" is a conflict between two longstanding elements of the American political tradition: a time-honored commitment to maximum personal choice and individual freedom versus an equally compelling belief in need for a common civil infrastructure and communitarian interests. Will embracing vouchers further erode the public…

"Political correctness" has recently been appropriated by organizations and individual advocates seeking to attack and focus negative media attention on reforms in higher education. This report documents both the facts and media distortions that have shaped almost a decade of campus debate on affirmative action, multicultural and…

The dissatisfaction theory of American democracy (Ianneccone and Lutz, 1970, 1978) purports that citizens do not become politically active until a high level of dissatisfaction is present and that superintendent turnover is the end result of a process in which the school board becomes increasingly unresponsive to its community, dissatisfaction…

Examines changes in the positions and concerns of South African sociologists of education as they move from an oppositional status to a more ambiguous space. These sociologists now face the prospect of choosing between criticism and reconstructive efforts. Reviews themes and issues related to this conflict. (MJP)

The Republican proposal to cut the federal student loan program is examined, and some of the other challenges and changes likely to be faced by higher education due to Republican politics are outlined, including appropriations for discretionary programs, welfare and immigration reform, social and economic policy issues affecting the middle class,…

A discussion of the current status of the German system of higher education looks at its relationship to federal and state governments, its administrative organization, problems (particularly in the eastern states) and areas where reform is needed, availability of student services, and the significance for the system as a whole of social and…

This book uses an examination of admissions policies, especially affirmative action, at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), to explore higher education and its role in public debates about access, equality, and social change. Chapter 1, "The Admissions Furor: Battle Cries or More Confusion?" casts the personal side of…

This collection of 26 essays examines the historical position of Harvard University as one of the nation's most influential institutions. Included are: (1) "Introducing Harvard: A Social, Philosophical, and Political Profile" (John Trumpbour); (2) "How Harvard is Ruled: Administration and Governance at the Corporate University"…

This paper examines the language planning efforts of the government of Ecuador and groups representing the indigenous peoples of the country. Government sanctioned policy and practice, as well as the grassroots efforts of the Indian population, both aim to influence language behavior and both have ultimately been directed at social and political…

This book chronicles progress in the destruction of the values, methods, and goals of traditional humanistic study. It describes recent developments in the academic study of humanities as ideologically motivated assaults on the intellectual and moral substance of Western culture. It argues that various academic interest groups have worked to…

This monograph, one in a series on theory and educational issues in Australia, explores links between education and political and economic structures. Two sections provide an analysis of an education-work program and five readings. The Transition Education Program is described as a government response to the 1979 economic crisis. The policy and…

What is the role of higher education when a nation moves toward a political climate in which the government has a free hand to do whatever it wants in the name of national security? If society faces a real threat that could destroy life as we know it, then we should all--including higher education--rise to its defense. However, if national…