Superintendents can protect themselves from the toxic effects of leadership seduction by monitoring their communication with colleagues and constituents; seeking balance in their personal, professional, and spiritual life; working on what matters; focusing on relationships; learning from adversity; and monitoring their effectiveness. (MLH)

Examines the relationship between education and globalization through the lenses of feminist theories, discussing the consequences of globalization for gender equity work in education. The paper argues that the restructuring of the government that flows from the neoliberal political response to globalization presents dangerous opportunities for…

Suggests that recent higher education reforms in Ecuador have not had the support necessary for enactment and, if enacted, will have minor impact. Offers strategies for moving this reform to center stage, including: a new vision of development; responding to changes in the external environment; realism; a critical stance against existing reforms;…

Reviews three books that critique and compare the ideas of Gramsci and Freire: "Revolutionary Social Transformation: Democratic Hopes, Political Possibilities and Critical Education" (Paula Allman); "Radical Heroes: Gramsci, Freire and the Politics of Adult Education" (Diana Coben); and "Gramsci, Freire and Adult…

Used a national survey of school based health clinic directors to assess the success of clinics in terms of longevity and service delivery, testing factors, particularly political factors, thought to impinge upon their ability to function effectively. Results indicated that factors most consistently and significantly associated with success…

Explains that writing national history involves much more than arranging facts and dates, which is why, over 50 years after the end of World War II, the Japanese are still arguing about what actually happened during that time, Japan's role in war crimes and aggressive actions, and how to present it all in textbooks. (SM)

Describes a United Kingdom initiative to create opportunities for youth participation in decision making. Explores issues that have frustrated translation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into a reality in the United Kingdom. Asserts that an agenda based upon children's universal rights has more potential for political…

Examines how charter schools can avoid past pitfalls, describing: policy dilemmas (e.g., state charter laws and political opposition); school-level dilemmas (e.g., lack of business acumen and enrollment problems); and the life cycle of charter schools (e.g., staff burnout and worrisome test scores). Notes solutions to startup problems, examining…

Analyzes extensive, globalization-responsive educational reforms in Singapore using certain models of national economic development. Assesses likelihood of the reforms succeeding within the context of Singapore's political culture. (Contains 44 references.) (PKP)

Considers how reading Jane Tompkins'"Sensational Designs" helps foster a new appreciation of the ways in which students contribute to the creation of a literary work. Discusses how students responded to their semester-long study of various "neglected" 19th-century women writers. (SG)

Discussion of rural library technology concerns focuses on the Kalona (Iowa) public library and its attempts to acquire up-to-date technology. Topics include costs, politics, Internet service providers, personnel concerns, funding, and national and state-based opportunities. (LRW)

Discussion of use of the Internet by social movement organizations uses a rumoring framework (implications evolving from a collaborative process toward a collective product) to explain how the Internet works to diffuse information, particularly in grassroots organizations. Factors affecting the potential growth of the Internet as a communication…

Examines Hartford, Connecticut's experiment with contracting out the entire management of its 32 schools. Data analysis involved examining relevant documents, and interviewing key school officials, the staff of the private school-management agency, and community representatives. The experiment met with considerable opposition and eventually…

Outlines neoconservative, neoliberal, and liberal views of what works and what's good for children in reading education. Notes how each vies for the seminal role in defining the goals, means, and outcomes of reading education; but none discusses the complex social contexts of literacy learning and how unequal conditions in society might cause…

Examines issues and concerns regarding standards-based reform. Argues that, if middle level educators remember the needs and characteristics of young adolescents and the components of developmentally responsive programs, they can resist the temptation to concentrate on raising test scores, and instead have assessment programs that complement the…