Reasons why institutions of higher education might choose to acquire computer services from off-campus suppliers are identified and include the difficulty of maintaining a qualified technical systems group. The importance of careful management oversight from contract bidding to ongoing performance monitoring is stressed. (DB)

Contends that the Bush Administration's "America 2000" plan is a political and ideological statement that substitutes the logic of the market for the principles of democracy and ignores the need for multiculturalism in the schools. Provides some general recommendations for educational reform. (30 endnotes) (MLF)

The practice of "franchising" higher education programs, or provision of educational programs through vendors, is examined as it occurs in the United Kingdom as a result of recent educational policy changes. A set of principles for assuring the quality of such programs is proposed. (MSE)

A debate over the use of commercial management companies to run public schools is reported. Issues discussed include concerns about layoffs, the school board's role in policy formation, and the effectiveness of privatization in addressing current administrative problems. (MSE)

Contrasts the limitations of educational privatization with the possibilities for parental governance of public school districts and individual schools. Argues that parental input would more effectively implement reform than has educational professionalism alone. Cites agreement between Boston University and the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts, to…

School choice will not be an issue in 2000 because many parents will have demanded it and public will have rediscovered consumer power as time-honored American way to encourage innovation and improvement. Marysville, Tennessee, schools are good example; nation should watch as California grapples with population challenges. This year, the state…

This paper describes the growth of private-sector involvement in the delivery of postsecondary education and its effect on institutions and on the development of general and special education teachers. It contends that the corporate approach to activities and governance is antithetical, if not hostile, to teacher-education reform. (Author/CR)

Privatization in disintermediated nations wears a different face. Canada's once-sovereign powers are being offered up to economic blocs (particularly the Asian Pacific Economic Community), the equivalent of corporate headquarters. Canadians are swept downstream in the global race to work cheaper and expect less, a transformation requiring schools'…

Explores the role played by modernization policies of the government in promoting contemporary conflicts between private and public interests, using Mexico and Oregon's education systems as case studies. Finds modernization policies, especially the privatization of education, inappropriate in meeting social, political, and economic needs of both…

Successful outsourcing is a learning process demanding careful planning, commitment, and heavy communication. The process also requires a strong leadership and a cohesive school board ready to weather a cultural change. Service employee options, contractors' managerial expertise, increased efficiency, and partnership opportunities are possible…

Highlights the effects of school autonomy, decentralization, and privatization in the Latin American educational systems focusing on the development of educational policies in Chile and Argentina in order to illustrate the meaning of "freedom" measures in the schools. Provides five conclusions that are relevant for Latin American…

Distinguishes between the different 'themes' of educational reform in developing countries over the past 30 years: (1) planning/management and efficiency reforms; (2) quality reforms; and (3) curricular reforms. Discusses planning/management and efficiency reforms and quality reforms in detail. Provides references. (CMK)

Reexamination of national Canadian surveys and Ontario surveys, 1979-1993, revealed that confidence and satisfaction ratings for public education followed a wave-like pattern over time for both general public opinion and parental attitudes. In contrast, corporate executives showed declining confidence in schools and strongly supported…

Describes a plan to introduce and achieve a national awareness of agility (and easy entry into the world market) for Albania through the relatively stable higher-education order. Agility's four strategic principles are enriching the customer, cooperating to enhance competitiveness, organizing to master change and uncertainty, and leveraging the…

In Boston, City on a Hill Charter School's commitment to civic education challenges the notion that charter schools are inherently privatizing forces in public education reform. Through expanded choice, inclusive decision making, and localized accountability, charter schools can be a democratizing force that serves multiple publics, including…