To reflect on factors influencing the quality of schooling, this study examined parents' social participation in education in various countries of the European Union. The premise was that, in practice, parent participation in education systems makes possible both consistency of education and the cultural enrichment that children need. The study…

One of the South Carolina Department of Education's foremost responsibilities is to initiate attendance improvement programs. Among the services offered to carry out this responsibility is assistance to attendance personnel in developing professional approaches to absenteeism. This guide contains information on the role and function of attendance…

Author provided an interesting and convincing argument for lowering the compulsory attendance age. (RK)

This chapter discusses the issues involved in home education as they relate to state compulsory school attendance laws. The authors first examine the purpose and context of compulsory attendance, then the public or private school alternatives. The statutory and case laws providing for home education are explored and some of the constitutional…

The parallels between the function, goals, and structure of organized religion and the American school system are examined. (JD)

Reports results from studies completed at Finnish Adult Education Centers. The first study examined effects of combining classroom teaching with distance education. Study two focused on using television to reach educational nonparticipants. The final study examined the offering of multiple levels of art education to allow students to advance…

Reviews more than 70 cases written by Minnesota appellate courts since 1982. Six major topics are analyzed: (1) tort liability; (2) compulsory education; (3) open meeting laws and school closings; (4) hiring and firing issues; (5) arbitration; and (6) appeal and damages. Unanswered questions are noted. (MLF)

Before the break-up of the Soviet Union, Armenia had a highly developed and expensive education system, matching the needs of the command economy. The government is now facing an enormous challenge to sustain universal coverage and performance standards in primary-secondary education with a small fraction of the former budget, while reorienting…

This paper reviews whether students learn enough in high school to justify a law compelling attendance of all adolescents. It is concluded that those who haven't achieved a level of intellectual development allowing them to function responsibly should remain in an educational setting to raise their skill level. (Author/GK)

Speaks against theories of mandatory, highly technological, lifelong "super schools," and for voluntary learning and free choice. (CT)

Government policies and procedures for identifying, assessing, placing, and programing children in special education in Ontario, Canada, are examined. Survey results provide a picture of the variability that exists across Ontario in interpretation and carrying out of the regulations. (JMF)

The author sketches the curricular and structural changes in schooling resulting from Spain's 1970 reform law instituting Basic General Education. He considers how well the system is operating 10 years later and whether it is providing schooling that is more democratic, more relevant to an industrial society, and more efficient. (Author/SJL)

Forms of social control used by schools to maintain order are no longer appropriate, and may be contributing to further disruption and violence. (SK)

The articles in this special issue discuss the gendered relationship between families and schools. Some articles address the different practices and responsibilities through which mothers and, to a lesser extent, fathers, construct their families' relationships to schooling. Others explore mass compulsory education and social-justice issues,…