The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a period of change in higher-education systems across the former Eastern bloc. Reform-minded leaders in the region sought to introduce western models and policies promoted by foreign development aid agendas. Private higher-education institutions emerged. This qualitative multiple case study examines…

America is on the precipice of ruining its foundation for success. The movement toward a centralized education system through federal mandates and common curriculum and testing is threatening the very system that has contributed to America's success and that holds the potential for its future success: that is a decentralized, diverse, largely…

This paper views seeking the optimal balance between state strengths and the scope of state functions for "good governance" as the formation of a homogenization-heterogenization matrix of policy initiatives in different social settings. Homogenization refers to a global tendency for institutional changes and governance framework to…

Investigates administrative processes involved in setting up the School Organization Committee (SOC) in one Shire County in England. Examines the role of the SOC and the implications for central-local power relations in the development of educational policy. (CMK)

This paper looks at current reforms by the Government and Ministry of Education, which are moving from a tight national system to a more locally based system, where schools and teachers will have more choice over what they study and teach. This paper addresses this reform at three levels. First, it highlights the changes in the Singaporean…

Determining the proper role of State and local government and coordinating the efforts of government agencies at all levels are the top concerns of State-level education decisionmakers, including governors, legislators, and educators. A poll of Education of the States (ECS) commissioners indicates that issues of coordination and governance…

The best response to this period of retrenchment and lack of support for education is more aggressive political activity at the state and local levels. The key to success is building coalitions among educational interest groups and potential allies in other services. Although the federal government greatly expanded its support of education in the…

Using a feminist perspective, this paper attempts to quantify the position of women in educational policymaking in Britain in this century at national and local levels. Women have been in the minority and have not generally been a "shrieking sisterhood," guided primarily by feminist principles. (SLD)