There has been a long-standing history of segregation and exclusion of students with disabilities from receiving a quality education in public school districts throughout the country. In response to the growing outcry for equal opportunities for students with and without special needs, Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act…

In the 21st century, the rapid pace and complexity of economic, technological and cultural changes require women and men to adapt and re-adapt throughout their lives--all the more so in the context of globalisation. In this era of the knowledge society--where production structure is shifting towards greater knowledge use and away from reliance on…

This book presents papers, originally given as part of a seminar series in 1988 and 1990, that address issues in higher education and its role in U.S. society. In addition to the papers, two articles that were used as the basis for discussion at the 1990 seminar are also presented. One article was the speech given by William J. Bennett, then…

Defines psychic intelligence as an inclination all children possess to use whatever cognitive intelligence they have for learning, adaptive behavior, and pleasure; strongly suggests that algorithmic drill usually damages the mentality of children by stifling psychic intelligence; and discusses the use of pocket calculators to prevent this effect.…

This survey assesses the local impact and issues presented in the National Commission on Excellence in Education's report, entitled "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." Macomb County, Michigan, residents no longer view unemployment as their number one problem. Although unemployment remains a major concern, almost…

Educators and legislators tend to have differing impressions of the definition of educational quality. Components of quality can be classified into three categories: (1) input, e.g., student characteristics, such as grade point average and test scores, and faculty characteristics, such as advanced degrees and publications; (2) environment/process,…

A key factor in the decline of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores (a factor that has been overlooked) is the concurrent decline in the availability of textbooks. The simultaneous decline of both SAT scores and textbooks suggests a strong cause-and-effect relationship. A recent study by the Ohio Education Association indicated that there are…

As the theme of the 1983 convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, quality for all in education should be a continuing concern of educators, not a word revived during periods of crisis. While people often prefer the best quality available and affordable, one of the reasons quality in education has suffered is that people have…

Describes the methodology of White's survey of the perceived quality of library education programs, and examines the validity of using the results to rank library schools. The correlation between perception rankings and number of graduates per school are presented and discussed as a possible biasing factor in White's results. (CLB)

The public's attitude toward public schools is the topic of this interview with George Gallup, in which he discusses the impact of the mass media and recent national education reports, the need for schools to improve their public relations efforts, and the role of the principal in this. (DCS)

Until governing boards take a more proactive stance regarding their institution's general education program, critics are likely to continue to question the quality of American higher education. Because of campus politics, it can be difficult for administrators to lead a movement toward curricular change without persistent board support.…

The performance model of administration, not a resource model, is what is needed for colleges and universities to thrive in an environment of budget cuts and lowered public trust. Continuous improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of operational processes demonstrates quality management principles such as those embodied in the Total…

Suburban high school administrators should attempt to open lines of communication and cooperation between their schools and inner-city high schools. The quality of inner-city high schools has deteriorated in recent decades due to a variety of reasons; however, this does not mean that they should be ignored. There is still much that is worthwhile…

This article examines trends and criticisms of higher education and encourages universities to place a high priority on the quality of undergraduate teaching. Other suggestions include involving university faculty in improving public schools, improving the health care system, and providing support to the business community. (DB)

Designed to encourage dialogue and inform decision making about the associate degree, this book presents perspectives on the role of the associate degree in the nation's two-year colleges. First, "Toward a Greater Degree: A Plan of Action," by Dale Parnell, suggests a plan for preserving and enhancing the value of the education being…