Explores the influence of micropolitical factors on school organization and management, drawing on Ball's idea regarding the inevitability of micropolitics in school settings. Using Edgar Schein's small-group perspective, shows how micropolitical analyses of school cultures and teacher behavior can be used to increase school leaders'…

Discusses the design and implementation of the British Council English-language-teaching (ELT) project at the University of Tirana in Albania. Through analysis of the project and discussion of the appropriateness of its methodology to the Albanian social and professional context, factors are highlighted that account for the ephemeral nature of…

Examines American Indian perspectives about public education in the United States, discussing practices that still work to eradicate all traces of their resident cultures. Focuses on the politics of intercultural communication in the academy via a historical and contemporary analysis of American Indians as subjects, objects, and practitioners in…

Teacher-education reform in Australia is occurring in a context of significant economic change and restructuring across the whole public sector. The paper contends that there is little state-mandated revision of teacher education, describes recent reforms that have impacted teacher education, and outlines two recent initiatives that have been part…

Investigates school spending in Norway, using a disaggregated demand model augmented to include political factors. Disaggregates county governments' high-school spending to identify sources of variation in student/teacher ratio, nonwage spending per student, and student enrollment. Political strength holds down (construction) costs and allows for…

An effective orientation program helps new board members understand that there is already a functioning board, no member knows everything, open discussion of interpersonal issues is essential, board members must focus on agendas, and the superintendent is the sole administrative contact and conduit to other administrative staff. (MLH)

Service learning holds tremendous potential for expanding and enriching children's education. However, community polarization can result when such programs are implemented in schools that are not freely chosen by families of children attending them. Parents must be allowed to choose schools reflecting their priorities and beliefs. (MLH)

The French school system is changing from a pyramid-like decision-making structure into an organized network of schools linked together through resource-allocation "conventions." This article examines the evolving relationship between these models from the early 1980s, highlighting school autonomy's effects on local politics and…

The former state-appointed superintendent of the Paterson District in New Jersey states that, according to law, in the fifth year after a takeover, anyone may run for any vacant seat on the board. Argues that the state should have some type of permanent oversight responsibility when the district is returned to local control. A sidebar reflects a…

Argues that teachers, librarians, and writers for the young are part of a proud tradition when they invite young people to come of age with books in their hands, books that offer community, friends, elders, honest aid and comfort, questions to ponder, mirrors that reflect the reader's face, and doorways that open to a wider place. (SR)

Reviews trends causing health care to be treated as a commodity, bought and sold in a market where price determines outcomes, and service orientation of health care is threatened. This environment places new pressures on medical schools and teaching hospitals; the trend will continue because threats to academic medicine's institutions have not…

Outlines what reading educators can do in this time of opportunity and change, the best and worst of times for education, to stop, stretch, focus, and then boldly step out again with students, parents, colleagues, and the public. (SR)

Argues that talk is a critical variable in work with struggling readers, contributing to their problem solving and engagement in reading tasks. Speculates about factors that contribute to children's failure: child and family factors, constraints within which teachers and schools operate, and the adversarial nature of the discourse surrounding…

Examines the British government's recent advice about target setting and compares it with evidence-based understanding of the technique. Although the official advice is deemed unhelpful and ideological, some use of target setting that involves all stakeholders' participation is recommended for raising student achievement. (Contains 29 references.)…

Superintendents' lack of longevity mirrors society's quick-fix mentality. Superintendents acquire reputations (as money wizards or bond passers) and move to other districts requiring that expertise. However, superintendents need to be more than one-dimensional leaders, and school board members must become savvier about educational politics. (MLH)