Examines the politics of policymaking within the context of Australian university entrance policy. Argues that policy making is more concerned with the social construction of policy problems than with their resolution. Stories of university entrance were absorbed within the government's reform agenda via participative processes restricted to…

Examines the increasing cooperation between business and education in Australia, discussing some of the initiatives put forth by business leaders and educators. Initiatives undertaken by Deakin University have included a wide range of projects, courses, publications, and associations designed to improve understandings between business and early…

Comments on the interview of bell hooks in the preceding issue of the "Journal of Advanced Composition." Comments on hooks's concepts of audience and power, race relations, multicultural education, and the politics of literacy. (HB)

Discusses the concepts of "American" and "unAmerican" in terms of national literature of the United States. Provides a critique of the way the literary canon of America is constructed and taught. Describes as treasonous and "unAmerican" much writing by women, as exemplified by the works of literary regionalists in the…

Data on the testing practices of 14 of the largest school districts in America indicate how schools inflate their test scores by excluding low-achieving students. Exclusion makes comparison among school districts and states virtually impossible. For children who are excluded, being left out of tests starts a cycle of bad education that ultimately…

Outcome-based education (OBE) is a comprehensive approach to focusing, defining, and organizing all aspects of a school system around clear demonstrations of learning. Responds to issues opposition groups raise about OBE and describes a meeting of OBE supporters and opponents that yielded an agreement to seek common ground. (MLF)

After describing the principal features of teacher education in Scotland and the Secretary of State for Scotland's role, the paper illustrates how the Scotland's General Teaching Council (GTC) exerts influence on government policy through its statutory entitlement to consultation on teacher education. The four statutory powers of the GTC are…

Describes how the English department at Western Washington University 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 asks tough questions concerning the best way to undertake such changes. (HB)

The superintendent claims an advanced placement (AP) European history course was eliminated and an AP course in comparative government was added to provide a little more coherence, not to create a multicultural approach. A parents' committee claims they formed over the issue of academic rigor, not multiculturalism. (MLF)

Highlights the efforts of numerous twentieth-century politicians and educators who supported or opposed the creation of an Indian college. Quoting from Native American and White spokespersons, illustrates positions ranging from August Breuninger's who stressed cultural preservation to Richard Pratt's who wanted Indians "to quit being…

Examines the role of English in Hong Kong, which is the language of business and government, but where it is spoken as a native language by only 2 percent of the population. (JL)

Since the 1950s, the politicization of Chinese education has reflected the Communist Party's macropolitical goal orientation. Because that orientation now is fixed on economic growth and modernization as the basis for political legitimacy, the current repoliticization of higher education is unlikely to intensify or generalize throughout the…

Dr. John Brock was elected in 1987 for a four-year term as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Kentucky. His official duties were altered by the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA). Dr. Brock answers questions that include his role as superintendent, the background of KERA, and his advice to legislators in other states. (MLF)

Schools are examined using a common sociological perspective. Relationships among key groups in school organizations are discussed from a micropolitical frame of reference. School micropolitics are considered in terms of teacher autonomy, order, time, and school administrators and the organization. Implications for future micropolitical research…

Discussion of cultural diversity and the college curriculum refutes three myths: (1) that curriculum expansion to include minority and women's studies represents a minority victims' revolution; (2) that the choice is between retaining and abandoning Western civilization; and (3) that proponents of change try to enforce "correct" thinking about…