This book examines President Clinton's America Reads Challenge, a proposed solution to the political, social, and economic inequality in the United States and explains how the goals of America Reads and the program's implementation were not as straightforward as President Clinton imagined. By looking at the origins of the America Reads policy and…

Federal policy has been unsuccessful in achieving some of its goals for several reasons, including viewing implementation as an act rather than as a process and assuming that organizations have uniform capacity and willingness to implement policy. A strategy of differential treatment that matches implementing organizations' characteristics is…

Nine definitions of minimum competency testing (MCT) found in the literature are examined, with major issues for policymakers to consider as they make decisions whether MCT will serve the goals and purposes of their testing programs. Perceived benefits and costs and criticisms based on implementation procedures are discussed. (Author/CM)

Bilingual education programs in Nigeria, the Sudan, and the Phillippines are described. Although some approaches differed, educational planners in all three countries felt that they could best introduce children to formal education by using the language which they bring to the classroom for initial instruction. (FG)

Today private-sector partnerships and business involvement aimed at improving the educational system operate at several levels: (1) policy; (2) systemic educational improvements; (3) management assistance; (4) teacher training and development; and (5) classroom programs. Early intervention for the future work force is the motivating factor.…

Explores the 1988 Education Reform Act's effects on providing physical education and sports in British schools, and specifically, implementation of the National Curriculum for Physical Education. The ERA and local school management have not only changed interschool and school-government agency relationships, but have fostered potentially damaging…

Reviews a series of 10 World Bank documents examining policy implementation activity in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The reports are concise and well documented and show a great conceptualization of education issues (such as deteriorating enrollments contracting educational finances) and policy…

Explores the ethical issues involved in using standardized tests to implement a state-level policy. Examines the fourth grade science program evaluation test administered in New York State for the first time in 1989. A utilitarian view of ethics ignores the consequences of testing for different constituents, obviates caring behavior, and damages…

To restructure teaching by changing teacher roles, five working condition must be enhanced, including support for teaching, collegiality, influence, recognition and advancement, and time. Three policies claiming to facilitate these conditions (differentiated staff, site-based management, and schools with learning communities) are true…

Arizona's "exemplary" charter-school legislation illustrates how three underlying ideologies (antibureaucracy, market-based education, and teacher professionalism) play out in practical terms. Although Arizona charter schools are achieving stability via independent financial status and real-time funding, many have monitoring…

In 1994, Congress reauthorized Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and passed the Goals 2000: Education America Act. Together, these two laws were supposed to support the development and implementation of standards-based, systemic reform initiatives in the states. Despite these high hopes, Goals 2000 and Title I faced a number of…

In recent years, South African higher education institutions (HEIs) have experienced unprecedented change. Radical restructuring has taken place across the country with almost all HEIs affected. This paper argues that while such radical reform initiatives were in fact necessary for the advancement of higher education in South Africa, it also had…

This paper explores recent changes in Peruvian national education policy and the effects these have had on indigenous populations. Situating Peruvian education reforms within a context of international multicultural development, the paper traces the history of reforms as implemented by national and international actors in varying degrees and…

The poor performance of the education sector in Nigeria has become very worrisome. What is the problem? Is the educational policy faulty or is it the implementation that is faulty? What are the implications for national development? These are the issues explored in this paper, based on a literature review approach. The findings blame the…

When Palmdale School District and Pivot Learning Partners entered into their first contract in 2006, neither organization foresaw the magnitude and complexity the relationship would take over time. Pivot Learning Partners (formerly known as Springboard Schools) is a non-profit service provider that first entered the Palmdale School District…