This article discusses some of the arguments and values underlying the issue "Does size matter?" Using findings from inspection evidence (his own and others') the author explores possible answers to the question as it applies to primary education in England. He concludes that in determining whether "size matters" evidence has…

Back in 1982, as New Jersey's commissioner of education, the author of this paper made several recommendations to then-Governor Thomas H. Kean concerning teachers. These ideas, all of which the governor embraced, stirred controversy but also put the state on cutting edge of school reform. The ideas were important because they recognized, in a…

The author examines some of the negative effects that budget cuts and resulting increases in class size can have on the elementary teacher's ability to provide adequate instruction. (SJL)

Reviews trends in different countries regarding educational reform at the primary and secondary levels in terms of educational quality, funding, teacher salaries, class size, and decentralization. Suggests that, even in Japan and other industrialized nations, there is movement away from the constraints of a uniform system. (SK)

Small schools (with enrollments of 300 or less) are being rediscovered as models for effective schools. Currently 26.9% of America's school systems enroll over 500,000 students in more than 26,000 small schools staffed by 50,000 teachers. Small schools have pioneered many educational "innovations": non-graded classrooms, individualized…

This booklet recommends cooperatively re-examining U.S. public education and recognizing that though there are disagreements in the ongoing education debate, everyone's goals are the same (to provide all children with a quality education and to prepare them for participation in public life). After noting that schools are not living up to American…

Recent emphasis placed on the cost effectiveness of larger colleges and larger classes is criticized from the point of view that student involvement is more valuable but is difficult to achieve under such circumstances. (MSE)

Taking as examples the issues of improving students'"high order thinking skills" and arriving at more equitable teacher salaries and school budgets, the author discusses the need for compromise solutions to widespread problems. (JBM)

Describes problems for a university-based child development laboratory of decreased university funding, overworked staff, and huge public demand. Explains that instead of conventional responses, the program was redesigned by decreasing enrollment and increasing length of the remaining program, thereby maintaining income levels and addressing…

I use examples from my ethnographic work on early childhood education and care settings in Japan and France to demonstrate that quality standards are cultural constructs and to question the universality of such core U.S. standards of quality in ECEC as low student-teacher ratios and multicultural curricula. My argument is that quality standards…

Containing 13 essays selected from teachers at many levels and from specialists in various branches of the English profession, this journal issue provides English teachers with the opportunity to answer the many charges currently being levelled at education. The opening article highlights the issues raised by the report of the National Commission…

This paper discusses the importance of expansion of the quantity of schooling and enhancement of the quality of schooling, both of which can be seen as directed towards the same goal, the improvement of educational outcomes for the population. Because both quantitative and qualitative investment projects in the education sector compete for the…

To continue high quality secondary agriculture education programs needs must be met with strong (1) recruiting, (2) summer teachers' programs, (3) teachers' professional background, (4) classroom approach, and (5) community involvement. (LRA)

Argues that the purported decline in public education is exaggerated and the accomplishments of public education neglected. Offers favorable evidence on student achievement and minority-majority comparisons, and suggests that recent trends in educational expenditures, class size, and curricular patterns should boost achievement. Addresses…

It is apparent that the circumstances and environments that surround getting an education in this generation are more complex than in any other generation. One cannot point to any one set of circumstances, curricula, or personnel and make valid generalizations about education, educators, and students. With the so called "knowledge explosion," more…