Educational policy is often developed using a top-down approach. Recently, there has been a concerted shift in policy for educators to develop programs and research proposals that evolve from "scientific" studies and focus less on their intuition, aided by professional wisdom. This article analyzes several national and international…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the policy process that led to the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in the United States and the Bush Administration's role in this process. Design/methodology/approach: The research design is historical and archival. A description of the NCLB Act is given and the major provisions and…

This packet of questionnaires and guides is designed to garner information about public opinion concerning policy for guiding the National Institute of Education's (NIE) curriculum activities. The following questions are focused on: (1) How should NIE define "curriculum"? (2) Should NIE help develop new curricula? (3) Should NIE evaluate…

This paper introduces the Connecticut Community Conversations project and discusses the origins of the partnership between Public Agenda and the Graustien Memorial Fund in Connecticut. It describes Public Agenda's model of community dialogue and engagement and how it was specifically applied in the project. It then looks closely at the experience…

The Secretary of Education encourages special education teachers to become leaders of education reform, by developing community-level programs to achieve the six National Education Goals. Examples of America 2000 community projects are cited, and the role of special educators in past educational innovations is emphasized. (JDD)

In the 1960s, mental health and educational research on minority populations suffered from ill defined studies which lacked empirical quality and validity. As a result, numerous misinterpretations, false assumptions, and misleading stereotypes have been perpetuated in the literature. Generalization of results from small, non-random samples, and…

This volume contains the reports of the task forces assigned to advise the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies. Task forces were formed in the following areas: Institutional Language Policy, Commonly Taught Languages, Less Commonly Taught Languages, Public Awareness, and Government Relations. The longest report,…

The principal aim of community work-education councils is to make the transition between the worlds of education and work more rational through a deliberative, collaborative process of public and private interests and initiatives. A cross section of the community must work together as peers in a flexible give and take spirit. Councils should avoid…

A national survey examined state policies for identification of gifted students who are culturally different, economically disadvantaged, disabled, or in some way at risk. Progress was found in the areas of greater public awareness, screening procedures, formal identification processes, and program initiatives. A sidebar describes the Jacob K.…

The 1990s show distinct changes from the 1960s in terms of the views held by education practitioners, policymakers, and the public concerning the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Developments such as the national education goals, the prospect of voluntary national education standards, and the possibility of a national system of…

The intent of this paper is to examine the issues, problems, implications, rationale, and basic assumptions behind the reexamination of the need for a generally accepted national policy for vocational education. The paper is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 establishes a framework to use in dealing with the main issues. The second chapter…

This issue of Literacy Discussion explains the joint Arab strategy for illiteracy eradication and reviews Iraq's particular situation. The first of six articles traces literacy development in the Arab World leading up to the adoption of the Arab Literacy strategy at the 1976 Third Alexandria Conference in Baghdad, Iraq. It also presents…

This paper reports a 2-year study of education policy that sought to identify, describe, and analyze the essential building blocks of state-level education policy and to discover the factors responsible for creating differences among states in their use of these elements to construct an overall framework for school regulation and support. Sample…