Examines the way in which many high stakes tests have been introduced for reasons of political expediency rather than educational benefit. Discusses the consequences of using tests in this way and suggests that when tests are used as disciplinary tools, their introduction leads to a narrowing of the curriculum rather than an improvement in…

Describes Greek education, noting central reforms marking its development. Argues that despite considerable progress, Greece's educational system faces the challenge of decentralization. Describes the structure of the school administrative system, presenting a critical analysis investigating the efficiency of educational services in Greece. Offers…

Reports and analyzes the consequences of a university's abolishing any required writing course, using the case of the Director of Writing at Portland State University. Discusses effects on assessment, funding, service, and staff and staffing needs. (SR)

Board members should avoid 10 common errors: losing patience, behaving badly, challenging the board after a vote, acting like inspectors, micromanaging school administrators, springing surprise questions at meetings, putting politics before children, representing special interests, violating executive session, and putting the board before family…

To buffer education's instructional core, superintendents increasingly have been diverted from teaching and learning and pressured to become operations managers and political beings fostering confidence in schools and communities. Today's superintendents should become responsible for helping their communities develop a common language about…

Based on ethnic group differences in Massachusetts Educator Certification Test (MECT) scores, argues that performance-based assessments should be as important as a paper-and-pencil test of cognitive and content skills. Asserts that rather than screening out minorities from the teaching force, the state should be looking for ways to ensure that…

Explains why implementing integrated curricula is probably a lost cause in the long term. Argues that there are hidden possibilities in a fragmented school curriculum that, ironically, may provide teachers with more opportunities to respond to both their own and students' needs. Presents evidence from a comparative study of three school libraries.…

Examines the past, present and future of special education in Turkey, focusing on legislation and attitudes within Turkish society. The paper discusses governmental and official provisions initiated and developed in relation to the needs and demands of people with special needs, describes societal perspectives and attitudes toward people with…

Using interest group theory and the idea of public policy development and application following sequential stages, explores how key decisions were made about establishment and implementation of Australia's controversial national quality assurance program for higher education. Explains how Australia came to introduce a quality assurance program…

Discusses how theory and science are integrated into "Introduction to International Relations" and "International Relations Theory", two undergraduate courses at Pennsylvania State University (University Park). Highlights five issues that are used in the author's approach to teaching theory and science. (CMK)

Offers one teacher's Top Ten list for ways to remain true to excellence in teaching despite the tug of war around testing. Suggests that when teachers start to make teaching decisions based on a test, they become powerless. Concludes that it is important not to sacrifice teaching, devotion to children, or standards of excellence for high-stakes…

Examines the nature of non-decision-making, its empirical operationalization, and practical realization in the school sector. Studies on decision-making fail to consider an integral element: the conscious or unconscious decision to exclude certain areas from formal decision locations and relevant decision makers. Implications are discussed.…

Describes the author's 35-year career teaching in the California Community College System. Discusses social, political, intellectual, and emotional changes over that time span and into retirement. (SR)

Explores patterns of recent ideological changes in the content of 12 Russian secondary school textbooks in the social sciences and humanities. Shows that textbook content has shifted from a consistent representation of key dogmas of Marxism-Leninism toward a contradictory combination of the ideological symbols of nationalism, Westernism, and…

Explains the institutional research process used by the Oregon University System to identify peer comparators for the state's seven diverse public universities. The process combined detailed statistical information with a sensitivity to the political dynamics and judgments of campus presidents and staff. Identifies 10 conditions that contribute to…