With partnerships between universities and corporations has come an intrusive focus on the bottom line. Traditional bodies like departments, faculty councils, and senates become less important in setting academic priorities. The university is moving toward a model in which producing and disseminating knowledge is efficiently targeted to specific…

A case study of the evolution of New Zealand school charters highlights the intrastate struggles of the reform process and their effects on state/civil society relationships in education. (39 references) (MLF)

Some recent articles argue that the key to public education reform is exposure to market pressures. This article suggests that market forces shape the demand for, and the politics of, U.S. education. Market processes and pressures must bear substantial responsibility for the condition of U.S. schools and the problems afflicting them. (117…

Conference workshops on gender, experiential learning through the lifespan, and action research provide examples of methods of enhancing understanding of social structures and political interventions in academic and professional communities. One challenge in this method is the unpredictability of the outcomes of experiential events. (SK)

Reviews and analyzes the major educational reforms initiated in Connecticut during the last 10 years, employing economics terminology. Describes selected initiatives from the 1986 Education Enhancement Act. Discusses the effects of four state commissions with input from key interest groups on Connecticut educational policy. State board of…

Describes the difficulties of defining basic writers and basic writing. Argues that Michel Foucault's concept of the "author function" is applicable to academic and literary discourse and shows how it serves to organize curriculum and define the object of study in English departments. (HB)

Answers questions concerning outcome-based education (OBE), including underlying beliefs, characteristics, reasons to change to OBE, needs it will fulfill, how to begin OBE, and arguments in opposition. Cites dramatic improvement in students' test scores in Connecticut, Utah, and New York school districts after the implementation of OBE. (MLF)

Discusses an article by Tom Barone, "A Narrative of Enhanced Professionalism: Educational Researchers and Popular Storybooks about Schoolpeople," which challenges educational researchers to work toward changing the public's generally negative conception of schools and schooling by creating compelling narratives about schoolpeople. (SR)

Senator Robert Dole comments on his amendment to Goals 2000 that would require a study of the act's impact on students with disabilities, the obligations of state and local authorities to rebuild schools, and school choice. Dole concludes with his belief that Congress has a responsibility to help fund the high costs of educating physically and…

Discusses Greenfield's fourfold contribution to the study of decision making. Greenfield strengthened the legitimacy and respectability of case studies and argued that the individual was the beginning point of organizational analysis. He also fused two polarities in educational administration studies (the social sciences and the humanities) and…

The president of "Citizens for Excellence in Education," a conservative parents' advocacy group, claims that outcome-based education (OBE) deprives students of a curriculum based on a solid core of knowledge. Instead, OBE outcomes that purport to celebrate diversity, choice, and tolerance constitute an implied repudiation of traditional…

The article examines the process of faculty searches for deans and other administrators, looking at the process of selecting a search committee and discussing the problems with traditional search methods. Recommendations for streamlining the process and making it more equitable are presented. (SM)

Describes how the English department at Merrimack College set out to revise the English curriculum as a participant in the MLA-FIPSE English Programs Curriculum Review Project. Shows how the faculty redesigned the curriculum, and articulates two strategies marking the successful phases of the process. (HB)

Explores the recent status of funding formula use among the states, focusing on changes over the last eight years. Determines how guidelines or formulas drive usage and discusses innovations in formula design. Funding formulas are becoming more complex and are used to protect base budgets and achieve equity. Although formula usage will not…

Health education programs lack local and state support where educational administration and policy change occur. The article presents reasons for the problem and suggests health educators become politically active at state and local levels. Successful advocacy efforts in North Carolina, California, and Minnesota are reviewed. (SM)