In the former East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, striking educational changes have occurred, including elimination of communist-oriented curricula, textbooks, and instruction; reintroduction of religious studies, resurgence of private and alternative schools, elimination of Russian as a mandatory second language, decentralization of…

The U.S. political process has been used to define an "adequate" education, in terms of resources, procedures, content, or outcomes. The marketplace also allows individuals to define adequacy through various voucher arrangements. Both mechanisms should be used, based on whether public or private interests are paramount in a particular…

Battles over education during past four years have shown that Congress and President must achieve some level of agreement to accomplish anything and that adequate funding must be provided to back up any legislated policy change. President Clinton should write coherent action plan to initiate national apprenticeship program, align existing federal…

Besides ducking funding responsibility, America 2000 blunders by reviving the notion of private education vouchers, which could destroy public education, not improve it. Also, how will America 2000's proposed mandated national curriculum and accompanying standardized achievement tests affect newly decentralized schools and districts pursuing their…

The court ruled that refusal to execute Title IX assurance of compliance was grounds for terminating a college's federal student aid without a finding of sex discrimination. A controversial passage concludes that the intent of Title IX is to govern only aspects of an institution's programs that receive federal aid. (MJL)

Offers reasons why public schools should cooperate with local families educating their children at home: opposing home schooling is rarely fruitful; supporting home schoolers can improve public relations; home schooling offers otherwise unobtainable insights into child learning; and home-schooled students participating in district programs may…

An Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) program developer rebuts observations made by Dan B. Fleming and Thomas C. Hunt. Distinguishes areas of program philosophy from secular humanism; points out that achievement test scores are higher among ACE program students; and responds to criticisms of grade program units. (CJH)

Research needs to be conducted to find out why parents send their children to private schools. The public schools must be willing to adopt the desirable qualities of private schools that are adaptable to the public sector. (Author/IRT)

The Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) Program offers students in 5,000 schools a complete curriculum for all grade levels that stresses Christian values and American patriotism through structured individual packets, which allow each student to work at his or her own pace. Evaluates social studies units for grades 7 to 11. References included.…

Educational policy climate of the 1980s is being shaped not by educational research but by appeals to public opinion that emphasize standardized achievements, local classrooms, heightened yet vague requirements of teachers, technological solutions to educational problems, and private school methods. (JW)

With the 1996 funding concessions, financing of private schools in Australia has come full circle. Australians seem prepared to accept educational democracy and pluralism as a way to pass on distinctive forms of cultural capital. However, the 1996 legislation may encourage an exodus from the state school system. (Contains 16 references.) (MLH)

Recent reports on educational reform tend to encourage a return to enforced uniformity in American public schools. If public education is to compete successfully with private education, however, increasing numbers of magnet schools should be established to provide diversity and genuine choice among public schools. (JBM)