This paper discusses a project that attempts to update what is known about Catholic schools, articulates the shape and direction that the Catholic high schools have taken, and clarifies certain myths and lores of Catholic education--specifically, that Catholic identity has a direct impact on student achievement, and that Catholic identity is…

New Zealand education underwent reform in 1989. The first seven years of education reform were marked by drastic systemic change in the administrative system coupled with very few support links or services for schools. The school principals were cast primarily as middle managers, which lessened their focus on the educational aspect of their role.…

It is argued that what is proposed currently as multicultural education is little more than a series of superficial nods to subordinate groups that often celebrate deficits and disguise the legacy of colonialism, and that a pedagogy of critical analysis of the inequities inherent in such a system is more appropriate. A critical, holistic approach…

This book takes the position that education in Hong Kong under British rule has been characterized by inequalities, privileges, patronage, discrimination, archaic hierarchies, inadequate planning, and emphasis on quantity over quality. With this colonial heritage and burden, Hong Kong prepares to join China in 1997. Although education in Hong Kong…

Effective government relations is the key to meeting the fiscal and legislative needs of public education. This fastback is designed to help educators establish an effective government-relations program. It offers suggestions for identifying legislative priorities; forming internal and external networks and coalitions in support of the legislative…

This paper takes the position that the main premise of "The Bell Curve" (by Richard Murray and Charles Herrnstein) is that significant advantages exist for possessing an IQ toward the top of the range--advantages that pertain to school success, career, and income. The premise is that people with high IQs have naturally acquired scholarly…

The argument between advocates of the whole language approach and the phonics approach threatens to become so polarized and politicized that agreeing on a middle ground seems at times impossible, and the voices of reason and experience are drowned out. The debate erupted anew in California after alarming news stories about reading scores ranked…

This paper addresses civic educators on the left, who "babble" about liberation and empowerment by transformative intellectuals. The paper argues that many of those "leftists" belong to the group that could be called "boss" compositionists, comfortable lower managers of a corrupt system, who never tire of denouncing…

Despite passage of affirmative-action legislation in the United States, the percentage of women school superintendents has increased at a very slow pace. This paper identifies the major challenges faced by four female entry-level superintendents and the strategies they used to deal with them. Data were collected during a group interview with the…

This report examines the history of the colonization of Arctic Canada and the efforts of its 25,000 Inuit residents to decolonize themselves. Initial sections outline the origins and early history of the Inuit; characteristics of Inuit culture, family life, and spirituality; the effects of whaling and the fur trade; and the movement of the Inuit…

This discussion paper examines mechanisms through which governments allocate resources to higher education, particularly in developing countries, in order to establish effective means to transfer these subsidies to institutions. The discussion of funding mechanisms develops within the context of three major types of government restrictions which…

With the current interest and allocation of resources accorded service learning comes a growing need to clarify the varied ideological perspectives on school and society that underline service learning activities and programs. Drawing on an evaluation of Stanford's Service Learning 2000 project and on a rhetorical analysis of policy talk on…

The purpose of this publication is to inform the literacy field of the effect that recent political changes in the U.S. Congress could have on the literacy and adult basic education (ABE) fields, how the various legislative processes work, and how individuals in the literacy field can participate in the legislative process. The various steps in…

This book examines the American experience in liberal education and demonstrates that there has been a "crisis" surrounding the curriculum of the modern U.S. university for the past two centuries. It points out where and how contemporary critics of the curriculum are wrong, historically speaking, and shows how American ideals of "liberal…

This essay demonstrates how politics affected educational policy making at the national level in Malaysia. A historical and social overview describes the country's ethnic diversity and the passage of legislation that was designed to promote universal access to education. The government's higher education policies are evaluated, based on a process…