The political philosophy (from the U.S. Declaration of Independence) that "all men are created equal" succinctly captures the "raison d'etre" and phenomenal successes of American higher education. Today, the deepest commitment to this idea of fair play is affordable access to a higher education that offers the opportunity to cultivate knowledge,…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) expanded the federal role in American education, and by doing so altered the distribution of power among the federal government, states, and local districts. When the law was enacted, it was unclear how this change in the distribution of power would play itself out. This study examines the…

Policy changes in higher education internationally have led to greater institutional competition and performativity and a shift from academic to business management for institutional leaders. Major changes to tertiary education management in New Zealand, legislated in 1990, had a particularly marked impact on teacher education institutions,…

From 1952 onwards, following the approval of the "Second Five-year Plan," a series of profound changes took place in the Argentinean national curriculum and in its schoolbooks. Some authors have pointed out that such changes implied the use of the educational system as an "agency for indoctrination." Other authors have…

Charter schools, and other market-based reforms such as school vouchers and the student tutoring provision of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, are steeped in politics largely because they challenge the legitimacy of traditional power and funding arrangements in public education. The charter school reform is a significant public-private hybrid…

Understanding the post-storm landscape of education in New Orleans and the metro area requires a grasp of some of the pre-storm realities of New Orleans public schools. This article will provide a brief overview of three arenas important to understanding the educational landscape of New Orleans--parish governance, desegregation and private…

This book aims to explore academic freedom and the threats to it in higher education and among faculty, to present the history of academic freedom over the past 125 years, and to recommend measures to safeguard that freedom. The book argues that current academic zealots view the exercise of standards of academic quality and merit-based performance…

This paper conceives of a model of democracy that is tied up with narrative practices, and demonstrates how the initially democratic and radical auspices of one scholar's critique developed into a form of theory that was profoundly undemocratic in its narrative. The paper notes that the contemporary debate about power derives from a series of…

It is the thesis of this work that the intellectual and social movements of the sixties beyond conservatism, classical liberalism, new liberalism, and various versions of Left philosophy have generated a space for the construction of a neoteric philosophy. The neoteric influence of today's reality points out that philosophy must move beyond…

This paper chronicles the life of Democratic Congressman "Tip" O'Neill, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-1986. O'Neill's life is recounted, including: (1) encountering the patronage practice in Boston politics; (2) experiences in the Massachusetts legislature; (3) work with the Kennedy brothers and Lyndon Johnson;…

In recent years, attention to educational reform began to focus on state-level governance and policy. This paper presents findings of a study that examined continuity and change in state-level Performance Reporting (PR) policies in the United States, particularly their relationship to education reform. The paper provides a brief history of…

This paper suggests that throughout human history technological revolutions have often created the potential for social revolutions as these new ways of doing things were applied to society. Often, it has been these changes in technology, more than ideology, that have created changes in the way human society is organized. The document contends…

In any international discussion about the future of education, a first requirement is to reach consensus on the general principles and objectives that should guide future educational policy thinking and practice. The starting point must be recognition of the universality of human needs and aspirations to which education everywhere should be…

Most models for public administration have been developed in the context of medium-sized or large states and are not necessarily appropriate for small states (states with less than 1.5 million people). This book focuses on small states and identifies common features in small-state economies, societies, and politics. Several differences exist in…

The accomplishments of Janet Emig constitute perhaps the most influential contribution to the study of how humans compose discourse and how teachers should help them. Her background prepared her for her initial goal of becoming a medical doctor, but she determined to study literature because of its enduring interest to her. As a graduate student…