The aim of this paper is twofold: (1) to examine the process of transformation of education in the Czech Republic since the Velvet Revolution of 1989; and (2) to examine this experience within the framework of the educational change and reform literature, especially the work of Michael Fullan, to determine its utility within a Central European…

By exploring the everyday experiences of women in a rural Head Start program, this study examines the processes of underprivileged women working to make a better life for themselves and their families. In all, researchers interviewed 42 parents, 7 of them fathers, 18 staff members, and 4 community representatives. To empower mothers, the Head…

This report explores current assumptions about the social and scientific formulations and treatments of disability that currently underlie the research agenda in the disability field. Formulations that focus on disability as residing in the individual (Individual Pathology) are discussed. Treatment strategies resulting from this definition of…

This book takes a critical view of both the far right and far left positions concerning higher education, arguing that both sides aim to indoctrinate students in specific cultural and political dogmas and are in fact engaging in "politics by other means," whereas the purpose of genuine education should be to foster critical thinking and…

The Cross-cutting Evaluation Theory Planning Seminar was initiated to provide insight that will assist in development of a planning proposal for the Cross-cutting Theory Project of the Center for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE). CREATE consists of five separate programs, four of which address specific topics…

This book brings together ideas and strategies of prominent advocates of school reform. Discussing their experiences, especially in urban schools, in forming coalitions, framing court cases, and dealing with state politics in New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, Kentucky, and Washington, the contributors to this collection explore what…

In 1989, national attention was given to the unusual amount of cooperation and social connections among key policy actors in a major school-finance lawsuit in Kentucky. The case resulted in a judicial ruling declaring the entire state's school system unconstitutional. Accounts of this ruling attributed the unprecedented decision partly to…

The recent discussions about the teaching of Black English, known as Ebonics, in the Oakland (California) school district have highlighted concerns about the right way to educate African American children. The authors of essays in this collection offer background history that explores the race and power dynamics surrounding the development of…

This report reviews the information policies that are concerned with, or relevant to, the scientific and technical information of 17 industrialized countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany (Federal Republic), Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United…

The International Media section of the proceedings contains the following 13 papers: "Text and Context: A Case Study of International News Discourse" (Shujen Wang); "The Future of Public Service Broadcasting in Japan and the U.K.: A Comparative Analysis" (Roya Akhavan-Majid); "Reinventing Freedom of the Press: The Search…

The peaceful transition of the political systems in Central Europe created a rather unique and contradictory situation. While these nations reached one of their long-term aims, a greater level of independence and freedom, in everyday life there are few signs of positive changes; in fact life has become even harder. In this socio-political context…

Following the Kentucky Supreme Court's 1989 ruling that declared the state's common school system unconstitutional, lawyers and educators sued the state legislature for failure to provide an efficient school system. The role of litigation and lawyers in Kentucky education reform is examined in this paper. Part 1 describes how a group of lawyers…

Because the fast-growing Hispanic population of the United States has little political and economic power (a problem which has been linked to a lack of media attention to this group), a study sought to determine to what extent Miami's Spanish-language newspapers provided Hispanic angles to the l988 presidential primary. Miami's two…

This paper discusses: (1) the link between the conservative education policies of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and conservative educational thinking; (2) political, economic, and sociological conservative theories; and (3) characteristics of conservative thinking in education. The extent to which conservatives hold congruent or distinctive…

In July, 1982, letters were sent to the social studies coordinators in all 50 states requesting a list of high school geography texts approved for use in those states and information on the selection process used. The response rate was 100%. Information acquired from the 20 states that have statewide adoption policies constitute the basis of this…