Introduces a theme issue on the politics of participation in school reform, examining types of participation and participatory reforms and noting the simultaneous top-down, often punitive reform movement involving high stakes student testing, emphasis on standards, school ranking by test scores, and adoption of packaged reforms. Discusses…

Introduces a theme issue on the politics of participation in educational reform that examines various reforms promoted in the name of participation and how they play out in practice. Discusses questions to ask of participatory reform: To what end participation? Who participates? What are the relevant spheres? What micro-level conditions are…

In an attempt to lessen the tension which often exists between educators and policymakers, this article discusses each sector's world and then offers suggestions on how to construct bridges between these worlds so that mutual goals may be attained. (JL)

Japanese students are outperforming American students for less cost per pupil. Though American education tries to solve the problems with additional spending and more complex regulation and administration, it is counterproductive, and little money reaches the students. The article discusses solutions to the problem, noting national, state, and…

Discusses the history of community control of public education, examining: sub-regional communities (New York City's community school boards and Detroit's regional decentralization); school-based decentralization (preserving professional privilege in Salt Lake City and local school councils in Chicago); balancing bottom-up and top-down; whether…

Discusses why school-business interactions are not evaluated, emphasizing the importance of evaluation given the avowed purposes and intended beneficiaries of the interactions. An overview of educational evaluation is presented, noting the power of evaluation to simultaneously document what must be changed and engage participants in working toward…

Service learning in civic education combines in-school learning and out-of-school work to enhance democratic education and assist the community. This paper examines the evolution of service learning through several decades of scholarship in the genre of civic education, citing examples of past notable projects that have linked academic study with…

The article presents international comparisons of educational spending, focusing on developed nations that are comparable to the United States. Information deals respectively with differences in expenditures, selected outputs produced by the expenditures, and uncertainties that foster controversies regarding the meaning of expenditures and…

Explores qualities of diversity and sharing in the context of science education in light of larger societal goals around public school education. Argues that tensions between competing visions constructs a space in which children actualize fundamentals of a democracy. Presents two stories about children whose additions to elementary science…

Raises several questions about information technology. After arguing for the importance of physical place and presence in how people construct meaning, form personal biographies and public histories, and develop living communities, the article contrasts this with the consequences of the abstractions of place and presence in virtual, on-line…

This article considers different ways in which research and policy are connected in an era of educational reform. The relationship between public policy, school reform, and educational research is examined from a political perspective. The article focuses on the uses of research in recent state-level reform activities in Texas. (JL)

The article reviews school finance litigation since the early 1970s, focusing on federal litigation and state litigation (equal protection claims, state education clauses, and recent litigation). Observations regarding trends and issues as well as the judicial role in school finance reform during the remainder of the 1990s are presented. (SM)

Problems relating to school environment and building concerns eat up school budgets and negatively influence the overall fiscal condition of school districts. The article examines three issues impacting on school finance for the 1990s: environmental hazards (asbestos, radon, lead, electromagnetic fields, and air quality), school infrastructure…

Traces the history of the relationship between business and public education from the 17th century through the depression, the war, and the post-liberal era; and notes the contributions of Eli Whitney, Andrew Carnegie, and other philanthropists. The article also examines the efforts to achieve social transformation through the schools. (SM)

The article examines problems in the U.S. public school system. It describes the factory and corporate models of education and suggests that, despite the conservative origins of the current wave of school reform, progress is possible. The article also discusses sociocultural factors and the importance of theory in school reform. (SM)