The development of special education in Scandinavia is outlined, with special emphasis on Finland. Factors influencing the future of special education include emphasis on independent living, decreasing numbers of workers needed, increased mobility, disabled populations in third world countries, influence of information technology, etc. (Author/JDD)

Discusses the "remarkably brief and superficial" coverage of financial matters in the Robbins Report, highlighting public accountability of universities, the funding of research, and student finance. Expresses the need for strict financial regulation considering the amount of money involved and the misuse of funds during the 1960s and…

Describes how Pre-Planning Evaluation (PPE) aids initial curriculum planning. Presents a case study of how PPE influenced the development of the electricity curriculum in Israeli technical high schools. Concludes that PPE is an essential component of the curriculum development process. (GEA)

Interviews with the heads of planning units in four Mexican universities at different stages of organizational development in 1982 and 1983 provided data for research on the relationship between organizational structure and adaptive performance. The findings suggested that universities that reorganize have better opportunities to adapt to external…

This working paper focuses on the educational planner as a bureaucratic actor. To explain planner influence or lack of influence in the policymaking process, practitioners need to explore the micropolitics of organizations and understand individual, organizational, and situational forces demanding their engagement. Planners need an engaged…

The school-based planning process often exacerbates efforts to improve instructional effectiveness. The importance of addressing strategic instructional issues in planning is emphasized. To ensure more positive outcomes, six important guidelines are offered. (Author/JS)

Examines language use in school contexts to address the relationship between power as a feature of social structure and power as an interactional process (the macro-micro issue in sociology). Illustrates the way in which political, economic, and legal considerations exert constraining influence on social interaction. (MM)

This study examined how changing social conditions in the West Germany influenced the "educational trajectories" of survey respondents born in 1929-31, 1939-41, and 1949-51. Concludes that different birth cohorts were affected to a different extent by the same historical developments because of vulnerable and less vulnerable phases of…

Claims literacy expectations need to be examined and interpreted by teacher-researchers at the local level in order to make sense of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, suggesting this information will provide a factual base from which to plan programs. (NH)

Spurred by the Nigerian government's concern about transition rates into the three-year junior secondary segment of the nation's new 6-3-3-4 educational system, this paper reviews the literature, examines transition rates in 22 states, and concludes that most states have fallen below the 70 percent projected national transition rates during…

Highlights from a conference on technological literacy are presented. The aim of an interdisciplinary community to meet the needs of students and society is presented through quotations from speakers. (MNS)

Program review must transcend preoccupation with the past and become an integral part of planning for the future. Linking academic program reviews closely with formal institutional planning processes will benefit both. Academic planning, institutional practice, and obstacles are discussed. (MLW)

Two views of social studies curriculum development are discussed. The technical project view assumes a linear sequence of discrete events; the social process view assumes a dynamic, interactive relationship among policy, planning, enactment, and their sociocultural context. An alternative conception that integrates technical, social, and critical…

Tells how a school district faced with financial difficulties developed a $2.5 million cost reduction plan that included consolidating positions and job descriptions without sacrificing programs or quality--and that ended in staff salary increases. (KS)

The accomplishments of Albania's educational system since 1944 are outlined, and the objectives and concerns related to the development of higher education at present are discussed. (MSE)