Presents an interview with Reed Hundt, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who implemented the Education Task Force to coordinate the FCC's role in educational provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. He asserts that writing clear rules for the communications sector will promote competition and ensure educational…

Argues that trustees at public colleges and universities need to take a more activist role in the governance of their institutions. Maintains that trustees have ceded too much of their power to appointed campus executives, and then given these executives too much authority to run the institutions. Many trustees also fail to address broad academic…

Examines controversies over national and state standard setting (Goals 2000, outcome-based education) involving conservative citizen groups. Makes recommendations for widening public participation in educational policy-making and aligning public engagement with standards-based reform. (SK)

Asserts the United States is entering a period of social policy devolution, funding cuts for social benefits and services and a major philosophical shift in the premises underlying social policy. Discusses the implications of these policy trends on social work. Stresses the importance of social workers becoming informed about such developments to…

Acceptable-use policies help ensure appropriate Internet access in a New York State school district. The district's four elementary schools and one each junior high and high school are relying on a two-pronged strategy. A policy version for staff, and one for students and parents, couples tight supervision with a carefully crafted acceptable-use…

On any given day, higher education is represented in Washington, by not only lobbyists, but also students, administrators, experts on a variety of related issues, and professors turned legislators. A typical day finds these groups in varied activities directed at influencing policy. The American Council on Education is at the center of higher…

Discusses Internet access and monitoring in light of H. G. Wells' idea of a world brain or encyclopedia, or mind of the species. Topics include the evolution and effects of Internet access, including employee productivity, network bandwidth, and legal liabilities or negative publicity; and Internet usage and security policy. (LRW)

The dominant profile judgment method, designed for use with profiles of polytomous scores on exercises in a performance-based assessment, is presented as a standard-setting method. The approach guides standard-setting panelists in articulating their standard-setting policies and allows for complex policy statements. (SLD)

Examines the evolution of the telecommunications systems in Oklahoma higher education and the state policies that developed at the same time. Topics include early televised instruction for distance education; policy development and evolution; OneNet, the statewide network for education and government; and policy challenges. (Author/LRW)

Argues that two influential studies of multilingualism in India are misleading in that they claim India's situation is unique and cherish this uniqueness as a value. It is proposed instead that this sociolinguistic diversity is inherently conflict-producing and leads to loss of "weak" languages, similar to documented situations in other…

Language-spread policy (LSP) is policy promulgated by groups seeking to spread their languages to speakers or communicative domains. LSP can be internal or external, overt or disguised, and related in different ways to national policy. Intent may be to increase native-language advantage in international communication, disseminate ideology, create…

Draws on previous review of literature on adolescent abuse. Argues for response in Britain that includes reconsideration of definitions of abuse; reappraisal of attitudes toward adolescents in general, and those disclosing abuse in particular; development of inter-agency working and styles of working which involve adolescents meaningfully in…

It is argued that consequences are a logical part of the evaluation of test use, which has been an accepted part of test validity for several decades. The examination of effects following from test use is essential in evaluating test validity and not merely the domain of policymakers and politicians. (SLD)

Argues for desirability of high ethical standards on college and university campuses. Concentrates on academic integrity policies and procedures. Claims that students learn from institutions' responses to academic dishonesty and from schools' expectations about students' response to the dishonesty of others, thus teaching courage, compassion,…

During debates in the Greek parliament about the 1997-98 educational reform, comparative argumentation was used by all political parties. Comparative arguments focused on educational realities in the European Union and North America, notably comprehensive schools, teacher appointments, and evaluation methods. Comparative data influenced the…