Assesses the effect of the changing social and political environment of education on the nature and patterns of school board elections. Infers that board elections are becoming increasingly politicized in spite of the historic ideology that education is and ought to be an autonomous and nonpolitical function of government. (Author/MK)

In this article, both the psychology behind minimum competency testing (MCT) and the statistics employed to determine the line between competence and incompetence are attacked. MCT is viewed as a crisis created to discredit teachers and schools and as a means of invasion of public education by state level bureaucrats and politicians. (RLV)

Draws on case studies from eight states to examine the initial operation of federal block grants. Finds that Chapter 2 worked better in its first year than its critics had predicted and that local education agencies frequently used their "united" money in innovative ways to meet local educational needs. (GC)

Deals with the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school decentralization controversy, with the safety-valve institution in question being the local school board created to govern the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district, using Lewis Coser's theory of the safety-valve institution as an analytical tool. (Author/JM)

Summarizes the work of the author in advising the California Senate Select Committee on School District Finance as to appropriate responses the legislature might make to the Serrano v. Priest'' issue, describing subsidiary objectives in meeting the Serrano issue. (JM)

This article discusses selected findings from a recent study which examined the organizational, political, and economic consequences of collective bargaining on local school districts. The focus is on the major trends in teacher collective bargaining as they affect school and classroom operations. (Author/EB)

Proposes a framework for determining whether federal, state, or local governments should perform certain functions in education. Applies this framework to two areas--curriculum reform and enhanced educational opportunities for children with special needs--and suggests directions for federal policy in these areas. (GC)

This article states that the understanding of the process of making school-closing decisions involves the consideration of both efficiency and political factors. (Author/EB)

Evidence from 10 cities indicates that large city school systems' difficulty in closing schools stems from administrators' value conflicts between responsiveness to the community and efficiency, and from competing role interests between board members and administrators. (MJL)

Case studies of community opposition to school closure decisions in 65 school districts indicated the tendency for opposition to be greater in districts where planning was more comprehensive; in communities where incompabilities were perceived between the superintendent and the board of education; and in urban versus suburban and rural areas. (MJL)

Discusses school power structures. Cites the following examples of "bottom-up" authority: (1) vouchers; (2) magnet schools; and (3) open enrollment. Suggests a new model in which the larger school districts function as "holding companies" and individual schools function as "subsidiaries" of the parent company. (FMW)

Proposes a way to streamline federal categorical program management while maintaining equity and equality. The proposal has three components: (1) incentives to state governments to adopt programs that meet federal objectives; (2) schoolwide coordination of programs; and (3) waivers from categorical program requirements under certain conditions.…

After reviewing some problems raised by Minimum Competency Testing (MCT), the authors present ideas on the role of the State Education Agencies in defining minimum competencies. Among the items discussed are the implementation time of MCT, curricular implications, the impact on children, the financing of remediation, and state versus local control…