In Washington state, two initiatives and several bills allowing charter schools have failed since 1995, although support has been growing. Supporters feel that charter schools will keep parents connected to public education and prevent talented teachers from leaving the field. Opponents claim that charter schools divert resources away from public…

Provides a historical grounding for debates over writing pedagogy and multiculturalism. Examines responses in composition to events in 1968 in order to develop a framework for comprehending current issues in composition studies. Uses E. Corbett's 1969 article "The Rhetoric of the Closed Fist and the Rhetoric of the Open Hand" as a rhetorical…

Calls for the continued privatization of public schools and the application of business solutions to school management problems are nothing new. Successful small-scale experiments at privatization will continue to have an incremental effect on educational reform. Even failed experiments offer opportunities about how to manage public education.…

Recognizes that the current contentious climate in school reform efforts is the product of broad social, economic, religious, and political discontent, and that this climate has immobilized meaningful reform and discouraged quality teaching. Suggests likely outcomes if this climate remains unchecked. Provides recommendations and suggestions on how…

The politics of division arises from applying formal organizational theories of governance, management, and leadership to schools. Rational-choice theory and cultural pluralism lack the unifying power of civic virtue. Creating a politics of virtue requires that we renew commitments to our nation's democratic legacy. Principals must practice…

Discusses a report that made recommendations on issues of sexual harassment in the department of political science at the University of Victoria, and the committee's subsequent struggles for redress against silence and retaliation. Analyzes the performance of those avenues and the offices that were supposed to be sources of remedy or protection.…

Describes how the New Main San Francisco Public Library was created in spite of budget cuts and threats of shutting down library branches. Discusses community support, the political approach to fund raising, collection development and increased patronage, and linking branch libraries to the New Main's system. (AEF)

Describes the most prominent of the conservative citizens' groups and reviews the strategies they have used in their efforts to affect U.S. public education. Although there is evidence of some compromise, there are areas where it may never be possible to find common ground. (SLD)

Describes the evolution of 2 of the 15 criteria (on United States history and world history) developed and adapted by the National Council for History Standards. (SR)

Takes issue with J. Habermas's partiality for the dialectical (or rational-critical) over the rhetorical sphere. Shows that in two cases (in addition to the 18th-century "philosophes") such a sphere was conducive to circularity, insularity, and exclusion. Focuses on the discourse of the proponents of communicative ethics and the…

In November 1992, Vista (California) residents elected two conservative Christians to four-year terms on the school board. Controversial topics at board meetings divided the community. In a November 1994 recall election two conservatives were replaced by two moderates. An interview with the board president and superintendent describes how school…

Democrats who wanted more state support for colleges and scholarships were surprise victors in the November 1998 gubernatorial elections in Alabama, Iowa, South Carolina, and California. However, in the same election the political movement against affirmative action was strengthened in a Washington State referendum. Results of state referenda…

Review of "Politics and Policy-Making in Israel's Education System" (Haim Gaziel); "Educational Advancement and Distributive Justice between Equality and Equity" (Reuven Kahane, editor); and "Exchanging Writing, Exchanging Cultures: Lessons in School Reform from the United States and Great Britain" (Sarah Warshauer…

The object of fiscal equity is shifting from dollars per student to things that districts can purchase (people, materials, services) and/or the test scores (product) students can achieve. School finance litigation is moving away from equity and toward adequacy. States' political processes determine degree of equity. (MLH)

This article discusses using student products to facilitate a strong link between gifted education and the community to secure support and increase understanding for the necessity of stimulating and enriching our nation's exceptional children. Guidelines for displaying products and for presenting products to authentic audiences are provided.…