Evaluates the reliability, concurrent validity, and comparative predictive validity of political sophistication in comparison to those of exposure, attention, and civics knowledge. Suggests that political sophisticates do not simply consume more news but process it differently than their less-sophisticated counterparts. (SR)

Presents the views of six former presidents of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) on the future of the AERA and of educational research in general. Most, although not all, agree that the AERA should become more politically active than it has been and should adopt positions on specific educational policy questions. (SLD)

Presents eight reviews of current books, covering issues of particular interest to black educators and historians. Topics considered include slavery, college admissions and affirmative action, the marginalization of black scientists, black politics, bigotry, and higher education. (SLD)

Three principles underlying Chinese academic freedom and university autonomy are discussed: (1) given the socialist nature of Chinese education, education must provide support for socialist modernization, with all activities undertaken in society's interest; (2) universities have legal status to manage their internal affairs; (3) faculty can…

Discusses regulations and actions related to government withholding, suppressing, and altering information since September 11, 2001. Topics include conflicting goals of an informed citizenry versus national security, science and technology progress versus protection of sensitive information, and public health versus ideology; political pressure;…

As Internet 2 takes shape, the university administrators and researchers behind it are taking care to address the political and economic challenges experienced by the original Internet. The new, privatized system will be faster and more powerful, but some fear privatization has shifted the balance of power toward profit-making instead of meeting…

Discusses teaching languages in Israeli schooling, exploring the difficulties that groups with different cultural origins encounter when they communicate in the same language. These obstacles make proficiency extremely important and place politics at the center of the problem of language teaching and learning. (SLD)

Against the backdrop of declining performance, political transition, and the increasingly dominant role of donor agencies in educational decision making, this paper questions the feasibility and sustainability of educational expansion in Malawi. Three critical features of the Malawian political economy (land scarcity, declining wage economy, and…

A study used ethnographic methods to investigate the experience of gay and bisexual male college students from the perspective of subculture. Subjects (32 undergraduate and eight graduate students at a research university) were interviewed by telephone. Four students are profiled, and commonalities in their experiences and points of tension (gay…

System-wide assessment in higher education can be influenced by political issues, which are in turn preoccupied with market forces and technological development. This generates a climate inimical to ethical quality and conflicts with academic work. If academic work is to make its best contribution to society, administration must move beyond…

A "policy communities" framework is proposed to explain why three evaluations of home care and services for the elderly in Quebec (Canada) either influenced, or failed to influence, policymaking in the area. It is suggested that program evaluation strategies should reflect the political context of the evaluation. (SLD)

Analysis of research articles and editorials from national newspapers and news magazines published during 1984-94 revealed that although research reported favorably on bilingual education, most newspaper articles took positions against bilingual education. Opinion writers did not base their positions on research, but rather on government reports,…

The career of educator C. B. Conway provides a vantage point from which to examine the changes in educational administration in Canada from the implementation of progressive reforms in the 1930s to the neoprogressive reforms of the 1970s, which have been increasingly defined in political terms. (SLD)

Defines the policy process in which a set of actions that start with an idea results in programs that carry out that idea. Offers suggestions on how campus administrators can shape the development of educational policy. Examines the relationship between policy and politics, along with a discussion of different policy formulation mechanisms.…

This article identifies the critical problems (economic, political, and social) facing the university system in Poland and argues that the university system can survive only by embracing such functions as forming values and ideas needed for democracy, fostering international and intranational links, and providing service functions. (DB)