This paper examines school management and policies in Germany and Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, which is comparative and qualitative, explores the interrelationship between different levels of governance and the responses of teacher unions. The inquiry is informed by the perspectives of historical institutionalism and path…

Background: Mentoring has drawn substantial interest from policymakers, intervention theorists, and those interested in identifying promising and useful evidence-based approaches to interventions for criminal justice and child welfare outcomes (Grossman & Tierney, 1998; Jekliek et al., 2002). Mentoring is one of the most commonly-used…

Given the overt political nature of this topic, an additional theoretical postulate, the Triadic Theory of Power was also presented as another framework to conceptualize the external and internal forces which shape the formation of contemporary education policy. Predicated upon the scholarship of Nobel laureate James Q. Wilson, Andrew McFarland…

Analyzes the Mexican case through four hypotheses: decision makers are not rational; decisions are determined by economic rationality; policies reproduce ideology and/or culture; and policies and plans maintain decision makers' power. Concludes Mexican schools are not consciously organized to reproduce the dominant ideology, but they contribute to…

Working through professional organizations and individually, school counselors can set legislative priorities and establish themselves as social and political agents for change. Counselor involvement in politics and legislative action at local, state, and federal level is timely and relevant. Involvement is critical in areas of role funding and…

Results of research investigations on sex differences suggest that: (1) those few differences which exist are average group differences; (2) biological and sociocultural factors are possible influences on observed sex differences; and (3) research on sex differences is basically inconclusive. Research examining these differences is inextricably…

Discussion of the impact of the use of information technology on democratic potential highlights the concept of the autopoietic state as a basis for determining appropriate communication policy principles in a network environment. Topics addressed include the relationship between information and power; systems theory; chaos theory; and the…

This paper reviews some key ideas that have emerged from recent research into administrative practices in education and their relationship to organizational culture. "Culture" is defined as a system of knowledge and conceptions that members of an organization use for giving meaning to and coping with problems that they experience. The…

The Supreme Court's Missouri v Jenkins decision changed the role of school administrators as well as their ability to set priorities and control implementation. By sanctioning court-ordered taxation, it also involved legislators in the partnership, although the courts are clearly senior partners in the relationship. (SK)

Recent changes in and issues related to political authority and educational policy, specifically, decentralization and school responsibility, are examined in this paper. The following concerns are discussed: new administrative structures for states and municipalities; allocation of block grants; political and professional control of goals,…

An examination of national higher education policy formation focuses on the shift in relationships of the central actors in the policy formation process. It is argued that whereas the federal government, together with the scientific community and foundations, previously had the dominant voice, the corporate community, in partnership with leaders…

This article offers four explanations of why outcome-based education (OBE) has proven to be so controversial. First, OBE requires consideration of the central purposes of compulsory public education, on which there is sharp philosophical disagreement, and the outcome-defining process involves input from many groups with many different…

Issues in selective admissions in Australia and especially in Victoria are reviewed. Administrative and policy issues are analyzed and some of the consequences of an imbalance between supply and demand are addressed. (MLW)

The implications of Australia's 1988 policy paper on higher education, which proposes far-reaching organizational, funding, and policy changes, are examined. The discussion focuses on the reasons for change, their scope and costs, accountability, research, and management issues. (MSE)

The purpose of this paper, the initial report of an ongoing study, is threefold. One is to present and demonstrate the use of the sociology of translation as a methodological framework for the study of power within the higher education policy arena. The second is to define the boundaries and shape of that arena, and the third is to define the…