A 1996 survey of state policymakers and public college representatives in states with performance funding (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee) is presented. Although differences exist across states in a number of areas, findings challenge the assumption of an irreconcilable gap between…

An American Council on Education study reveals a substantial gap between what the public knows about higher education costs and financial aid and what Americans need to know to make sensible decisions and set sound public policy. This lack of knowledge creates anxiety, corrodes perceptions of higher education, leads to poor educational choices,…

An elementary mathematical model is used to analyze tuition and privatization policies for higher education institutions. One finding is that an appropriate tuition can increase the social income of alumni. Another salient finding is that some of the model's results are counterintuitive, suggesting its utility in decision making. Methodological…

Identifies how teacher discourses influenced the educational policy process by drawing from an ethnographic study of a school-supported integration initiative for pregnant and parenting teens in a high school in a small Canadian city. Conservative and liberal points of view about the program are explored. (SLD)

A top aide to Vice President Gore has been chosen to lead the U.S. Department of Education's effort to modernize delivery of financial aid to students and colleges. His office is the first federal government entity to be run as a "performance-based organization." Some fear he may politicize the office that lawmakers specified be led by a…

The World Wide Web Consortium--an organization based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that has 275 corporate members and holds closed meetings--is the closest thing the Web has to a central authority; however, almost nobody outside the telecommunications industry understands what the consortium is. Analyzes the role this body may…

A response to an article on multiculturalism and the status of community languages in Australia argues that efforts to maintain any minority language within immigrant communities should be tempered by critical assessment of what is to be achieved, for whom, and why. The original article's author responds. (MSE)

A college president emeritus and association official, a corporate officer, a faculty professional association officer, and a governing board chairman offer insights on how college boards, administrators, and faculty can change the ways decisions are made on campus. Topics discussed include use of deadlines, clarifying roles and responsibilities,…

Describes the challenges facing the Hungarian educational system in the post-Communist era. Focuses on the issue of increased community and teacher participation in educational decision making. Presents the relationship of this issue to economic and political reorganization in the context of changing societal structures and individual…

Argues that statistical literacy is a necessary component of a complete college education and important in combating growing innumeracy in American society, and describes a general education course at the University of Louisville (Kentucky) that includes it. Instruction focuses on societal issues, sometimes controversial, for which an…

Looks at North Korean education in terms of the tension that exists between globalization and educational sovereignty. Offers a brief historical background to North Korean education and provides a baseline for developing three possible scenarios for its future. Illustrates the impact of domestic and international forces on North Korean education.…

Public-policy centers and institutes are a growing, visible part of many universities. A cross between think tanks and academic units that provide public service, they focus on policy research and facilitation of public discourse. A national survey reveals faculty's role in their work, the applied multidisciplinary nature of their activities, and…

States that government, college, and community leaders are calling for a reexamination of the community-college mission. Asserts that it is time for trustees and college leaders to reassess their institutions' core values to ensure they are meeting the demands of a new era. Contains 13 citations. (VWC)

The University of New Mexico's Institute for Social Research operates eight centers that conduct policy-related research on criminal justice, criminology, delinquency, and social problems. Projects have focused on inequities in criminal sentencing in New Mexico, juveniles' access to and use of guns, New Mexico's need for a juvenile prison, and the…

Describes how yearbooks and school newspapers across the country deal with covering deaths of students, faculty, or staff. Notes that policies, if they even exist, can vary greatly from school to school. Appends an exercise on yearbook policies. (RS)