States that teacher education institutions must support values of free speech, analytic discussion, and critical analysis. Explores factors that contribute to being a good teacher including personal qualities and moral character. Contends that there is no general agreement on what is required to be a good educator. (NL)

Recent funding changes in Great Britain have shifted the purpose of evaluation to serve the ends of government. Government now has the power to define and prioritize key categories in education and provide a mechanism for control. Claims that evaluation is now little more than consultancy and monitoring and is not research-based evaluation. (NL)

Traces the history of the sociology department at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, from its position as a top department in the 1950s and 1960s to its decline in the 1970s, and termination in the 1990s. Criticizes the administration for allowing the department's prominence to decline. Maintains that the closure will hurt all social…

Means by which state legislatures practice evaluation are examined by analyzing oversight strategies for monitoring recent educational reforms in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Focus is on the inextricable link between politics and oversight; the oversight strategy and methods for policy evaluation are largely…

Reported is the debate which persists between the government and scientific community over whether Canada has a policy in place. Notes the government is focusing more attention on research and technology and has taken some key steps to develop this area. (MVL)

A set of ethical expectations governing the conduct of internal politics in universities is non-existent. A standard code to constrain unethical faculty behavior toward administrators is discussed. (MLW)

Comments on World Bank report. Agrees with improved primary school quality as principal focus of endeavor, but suggests that Bank views on decentralization of primary school finance are incompatible with achievement of universal primary education. Questions whether suggested cost containment measures for higher education are politically feasible.…

Discussed is the value of integrating the study of technology and society. Topics include political theory of spontaneous social orders, paradoxical nature of the theory in historical and in contemporary contexts, uses of spontaneous order theory with feedback technologies, and the comparison of feedback technology with two different spontaneous…

Literacy by itself cannot change oppressive conditions. It can only be an instrument in the struggle against social, economic, and political oppression. Examples of literacy as a political act may be found in the work of Paulo Freire and in projects that follow the tradition of the Highlander Folk School. (SK)

The author considers the concept of access to education as it relates to distance education. He suggests components of a research agenda centering on the politics of access to education. (CH)

The political context of evaluation is described, with positive and negative influences. Strategies are proposed for preserving the credibility of evaluation in political contexts. Researchers must maintain the neutral posture of the basic scientist. (SLD)

Suggests three ways to encourage administrators to reduce class size in English classrooms. Describes an effective presentation to the school board, a public relations campaign to educate parents and administrators, and a grant proposal for hiring a writing resource person. (MM)

Discusses the role of the president of the board of education. Emphasizes leadership functions, the need to balance community attitudes and expectations with state and Federal mandates, and the relationship between the board, the community, and the media. (FMW)

To offset the current extreme trend in public school curriculum toward accountability and quantifiable, testable learning objectives, this essay addresses the curricular implications of adopting a perspective of "sympathetic knowing," defined as appreciation, experiencing connectedness, and experiencing social responsibility. (TE)

Reviews research on children's knowledge of politics. Covers research on authority figures, national symbols, national identity and geographic location, international politics, and peace and war. Three theoretical frameworks for understanding children's political thinking are discussed. Lists 39 references. (RJC)