This paper examines some of the difficulties faced by high schools in the United States. It outlines seven elements underlying the problems: mission confusion, the need for remediation, too large a scale, pupil motivation, obsolete notions of teaching and learning, the failure to stay abreast of issues confronting today's youth, and the…

Examines the current status of private schools in the United States. The author finds that those schools represent widely divergent philosophies and situations, but all strongly defend their privacy. Discusses the deepening division between government and private education, and the overall good financial health of private education. (CT)

Three summary judgments are rendered including many students are emerging from higher education without satisfactory intellectual skills and knowledge; higher education institutions aren't as efficient or productive as they should be; and the leaders of higher education have either misdiagnosed what its problems are or are trying to mislead…

American society and culture is seen as being in an educational reform movement. Fresh ideas, renewed commitment to educational standards, rising expectations for teacher competence and student performance, impatience with trendy innovations and flabby practices, and a faith in the importance of high quality education are discussed. (MLW)

Suggests that (1) the federal role in educational change is marginal and educational policies of the Reagan administration are ineffectual; and (2) while the rhetoric of Federal education policy might change, the policy itself is still governed by incrementalism and is unlikely to change in the near future. (Author/MJL)

This document presents the Educational Excellence Network's third annual report card on the progress of education reform in the United States. Despite much activity, the report assigns reform efforts for 1995-96 the overall grade of C, which is the same grade given for the previous year. Part 1 presents data on academic achievement in American…

The Reagan revolution is making profound changes in the basic assumptions that have undergirded American educational and social policy. The time has come to form a new national consensus whose unifying idea is educational quality. The declining quality of teachers poses the gravest threat to the quality of education. (MLW)

The changes in postsecondary education's relationship to government generally and to the federal government specifically are discussed. It is concluded that, as the array of issues, participants, and special interests mounts, the academy is less and less able to speak with a single voice in Washington. (MLW)

Addresses the question of what can be expected from the federal government's interference in the educational process. The article explains the assumptions behind government educational spending and provides examples and criticism of why this spending will not improve educational quality. The central problem is viewed as the government's lack of…

Perhaps the only form of financial support that cannot be found among more than 400 separate federal legislative provisions bearing on higher education is unrestricted support for such learning, suggests the author. Historical reasons are discussed and specific types of aid programs are described. (LBH)

The liberal consensus that has shaped national education policy is seen as succumbing to dubious ideas and undesirable practices. Issues discussed include: educational equity, equality and quality; measures of educational achievement; accountability; "need" and ability; statism and monoply, pluralism and diversity; federal role; and…

A model is proposed for enhancing family choice in public education; unlike many previous voucher plans, it would build on current trends in educational administration. Following an introduction that reviews these trends--highlighting recent developments in California school finance--two central assumptions are stated: that regulated competition…

Addressing the underlying tension that generally exists between school-level autonomy and systemwide uniformity, the author's nine commandments include recognizing the school as the key organizational unit in public education, selecting and nurturing first-rate principals, and granting more budgetary authority to the school level. (JBM)

This report evaluates major developments in American education and federal education policy for the year 1994-95. Part 1 focuses on efforts to improve student achievement. It examines National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data and assigns the national public schools the grade of C+ in mathematics achievement and a D in reading…

In this second book of the Brookings Institution series of Studies in Higher Education Policy, the complex relationship between the federal government and the nation's higher education system is examined. After a survey of the history and background of Washington's involvement, an appraisal is made of the present condition of postsecondary…