Reviews assertions that significant gains in Black occupational mobility since the 1960s indicate that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in the United States. Demonstrates that data on Black and White mobility do not support the policy implication that affirmative action programs are no longer needed. (Author/MJL)

Internet 2, a project intended to provide member universities with new computer network services and faster connections, is criticized for growing too large and too difficult to administer cooperatively. Its organizers are working closely with the Clinton Administration's Next Generation Internet Initiative, but some lawmakers feel the program is…

An institutional political process model for comparing social welfare policies is presented. Principal elements include each country's societal values, government institutions (operationalized as the role of interest groups), policy goals, and welfare system type. The model is demonstrated through a comparison of the dissimilar social welfare…

Examines local politics, economics, and other factors contributing to the results of the 1987 and 1992 tax elections in a Louisiana city-parish. Results suggest that proponents of educational agendas should couch propositions in terms of developmental policies, because all socioeconomic segments tend to support development. (SLD)

Reviews data on child poverty worldwide, providing statistics on 20 poverty-related problems. Examines effects of economic factors (i.e., unemployment, wage stagnation, inflation, and internal migration) and political policies (i.e., military spending over health and education) on child well-being, arguing that families and children themselves…

A review of the evolution of Brazilian policy for higher education concludes that the conflicts, shifts in decision arenas, and decisional paralysis reflect (1) basic lack of consensus in the nature, goals, and possibilities of higher education in a society, and (2) disagreement about the resources available to a government. (Author/MSE)

A review of the history of university education in Romania since 1860 looks at the internal structure of the institutions, governance, faculty who played an active role in political life, nationalism and the ascendancy of communism, and trends since World War II. (MSE)

Postapartheid reforms in South Africa's higher education system pose difficult issues of power, authority and consensus, resource allocation, monitoring, and evaluation that directly affect institutional and sectoral interests and the interests of civil society and government. Despite strengths and capacities of the system, deep-seated tensions…

The future of employee tuition benefits under the federal Employee Educational Assistance Act is again threatened unless Congress acts to preserve it. Research shows this benefit to have been successful in achieving its principal goal of promoting equity among beneficiaries. The act has expired and been reenacted 8 times in 17 years, illustrating…

The function and activities of the European Institute of Education since its inception in 1944 are examined, particularly as reflected in a number of specific programs and international conferences. Topics discussed include educational audits and surveys of education system development, language and cultural education programs, vocational…

This book presents the results of an extended study of service integration efforts in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, and Oregon, highlighting the nature of existing service integration and the potential of systemic reform efforts. The first part of the book examines the range and complexity of current service integration efforts, offers a definition…

Multiculturalism has become a major framework for analyzing intergroup relations in the United States, but the meanings of the term have become less and less clear. The 26 essays in this collection map the terrain of multiculturalism in its varied dimensions and discuss its future. The scholars represented, link the complex cultural questions of…

This paper examines the determinants of systemic education reform in the American states. Socioeconomic, political, and cultural variables are all found to affect the level of systemic education policy in each state. Unlike many studies of policy determinants, urbanization is negatively associated with this particular policy. The political factors…

In 1991 Arizona embarked on a program to change schools and make them more accountable for educational achievement. The instrument of reform was an assessment program known as the Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP), the most notable feature of which was a performance assessment that was added to an already extensive battery of…

The proceedings of a 1996 symposium organized in conjunction with the 81st World Esperanto Congress include papers and summaries of discussions concerning the relevance of Esperanto to contemporary international life. The papers and discussion transcripts are presented in their entirety in the language (Esperanto, English, or French) in which they…