Although urban public school educators are not achieving optimal results, there is no evidence that for-profit educational companies will do any better or possess special expertise in educating poor students of color. Education Alternatives, Inc. has trouble retaining low-paid nonunion paraprofessionals and has cut out minority contractors. The…

Describes the role of women in developing countries, as caretakers of the forests who are denied a role in land development. Discusses the devaluation of women's social and economic contributions to the ecological sustainability of forests. Presents a case in which issues of equity, justice, poverty, and other social issues are connected to the…

How state agencies have addressed privatization in a service setting (municipal wastewater treatment) is discussed. The implications for evaluations of many types of programs, particularly those of local service programs regulated by the states, are explored. Data from a national survey of state environmental regulatory agencies are highlighted.…

This paper reviews the development of the public monopoly of degree-granting institutions of higher education in Ontario, Canada. It examines arguments for private universities which suggest improved accessibility, diversity, and quality and finds the arguments to be insufficiently strong. A recommendation is made for improvement of Ontario's…

Interview with a computer scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey focuses on CD-ROM as a medium for publishing, disseminating, and archiving government data; the private sector's role in producing value-added CD-ROM products; and SIGCAT (Special Interest Group for CD-ROM Applications and Technology), a free CD-ROM user group. (NRP)

Advocates hail privatization as an effective, cost-efficient tool for school boards in meeting their wide-ranging obligations and diverse responsibilities. Critics see privatization as movement away from a publicly owned and operated institution with broad citizen support to a hollow structure that compromises public education's goals. A sidebar…

Outsourcing of school services creates a need for educators to learn how best to select a contractor. Contracted student transportation is used to illustrate flexibility and creativity in writing a request for proposal, the evaluation process, and the importance of contractors' willingness to work alongside the district as a genuine business…

Examines the process of desegregation in historically white schools in South Africa. Argues that reforms within these schools can be understood as an example of the marketization of education. Considers the relevance and scope of such an approach in the creation of a more equitable and efficient education system. (50 citations) (VWC)

Summarizes a study examining exchanges among private and decentralized school leaders and their possible implications for school decentralization. Four principals were interviewed, two from established private schools and two from charter schools operating within a large urban district. All were formulating mission statements. Private-school…

Contributes to legal scholarship and communication scholarship by examining how increased privatization has posed increasing problems for public access to governmental records when a governmental function has been privatized. Analyzes one state's struggle to determine such disclosure. Suggests that courts turn to a "public function" analysis that…

A dozen schools in Colorado opened their doors to professional performance auditors to evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency. The audit reports recommended finding precise costs of functions, programs, and operations; minimizing duplication; and increasing accountability. (MLF)

A retrospective study examined how authority to confer Bachelor of Education degrees was extended to private colleges in Alberta in 1995. Sources of the policy change included local political pressures and international pressures for neoliberalization of public policy. Opposition from professional educators and other stakeholders has implications…

The project manager for Educational Alternatives, Inc. (EAI) and the Hartford Public Schools summarizes the relationship between the two organizations; lists questions that an administrator should ask when considering purchasing services, and how EAI would have answered them; and describes lessons learned. (MLF)

Educators have long recognized the negative pedagogical effects of the strong centralization, curricular uniformity, and fragmentation that characterizes Israel's equity-driven education system. A recent experiment with site-based management at nine elementary schools may increase teacher and parental involvement, improve school climate, and…

Research has examined how college loans affect students, while ignoring implications for families. Recent changes in funding British higher education are consistent with some forms of family assets and obligations, but challenge others. Promotion of privatization and individual investment overlooks the importance of collective private…