British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's policies for higher education in Britain are compared with the influences of Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown on California's higher education history. (MSE)

Recent policy changes and conflicts within Australian higher education hold some lessons for other countries. States are encouraged to take an active and early role in planning to avoid confusion, especially by beginning planning before budget cuts are taken. (MSE)

The Clinton administration's proposed national service program for college students receiving federal financial aid is examined from a labor-market perspective. It is proposed that national service and higher education be linked more formally than in the current proposal, avoiding considerable bureaucracy and potentially improving program quality.…

Issues of equal educational opportunity are seen to be transformed into issues of effectiveness, efficiency, or cultural pluralism. It is suggested that issues of equal educational opportunity are likely to be resolved only by reducing the capacity of the educational system itself to determine the future and the value of individuals. (MLW)

The liberal consensus that has shaped national education policy is seen as succumbing to dubious ideas and undesirable practices. Issues discussed include: educational equity, equality and quality; measures of educational achievement; accountability; "need" and ability; statism and monoply, pluralism and diversity; federal role; and…