This book examines how educational development occurs by analyzing the actions of policymakers and the decisions they make regarding educational change. The book introduces an analytical framework that moves from the predecision and postdecision activities. Four case studies are used to exemplify the process of policymaking. Part 1, "The…

The technical and vocational education (TVE) system in Iran suffers from a lack of social status in comparison to academic education. Recent and future planning is directed toward changing the existing ratio of approximately 10:90 (TVE in comparison to academic) at the secondary level to 50:50 by the end of the second 5-year plan. The lack of…

Saint Francis College (SFC), in Pennsylvania, is a private, Catholic, coeducational institution of 1,200 full-time undergraduates. Over 55 percent of the student body is enrolled in pre-professional majors; majors in the traditional liberal arts now account for only 13 percent of the student population. Faculty some time ago began to question…

This paper describes a project at the Lone Star Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida developed to jointly investigate the effects of specific computer technology and training on: (1) teaching and learning in a first and second grade classroom; (2) the professional development of directing teachers and teaching interns; and (3) the university…

The Ontario Ministry of Education directive, Partners in Education, describes the purpose and the process for integrating the library resource center program with the school curriculum. It also provides implementation direction in the form of role descriptions for the teacher, teacher-librarian, principal, and board/system support staff. In this…

The rapid development and decreasing costs of communications technologies, including microcomputers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web, are affecting the delivery of distance education (DE) and expanding its potential audience. The DE literature reflects the increasing interest in the potential of current technologies to alter traditional…

An adequate description of the infrastructure system of adult literacy education needs to address three levels: national, state, and local. At the national level, infrastructure is currently shaped primarily by the Adult Education Act (AEA), amended by the National Literacy Act of 1991. Given that the AEA is a state grant program, state literacy…

The issue of how to integrate information technology in the teaching/learning environment remains strongly associated with the use of the computer as a tool. While technology based tools such as Logo have been advocated for problem solvers at the elementary level, spreadsheets have a great deal of potential for use at both the junior and senior…

This paper deals with the policy parameters of establishing distance education networks in New Zealand. The current decentralized educational system is described, including the role of the state through the Ministry of Education, funding and resource allocations, and staffing. Discussion includes the contracting out to third parties for the…

This book offers Paulo Freire's retrospection on his life and work. These reflections, conceived in the form of 18 letters to his niece, Cristina, provide a backdrop for a deeper understanding of the experiences--including his exile---that have informed his thinking and teaching. The first 10 letters look back on Freire's childhood and youth. The…

This review focuses on higher education in Mexico and also covers the upper secondary level including the broader range of education and training courses and institutions for students who complete basic education. Part 1 provides background data on Mexico and its system of higher education. Chapter 1 includes a general description of Mexico today…

Most studies on the history of educational ideas have focused on what influential educational theorists and policy-makers have said and written at particular times, constructing a "view from the top." The project from which this article is derived focused on the ways theoretical debates have been "lived" by teachers in New…

Examining the fragmentation and Americanization that pervades education in Micronesia, this paper explores the causes of the fragmentation, which represent a local attempt to modernize education, and the local belief in the superiority of American culture. The consequences of a fragmented world view have been confusion between educational aims and…

Three perspectives of instruction that reflect applications of cognitive theory are transportation of knowledge, application of algorithms, and transfer of responsibility. To determine what kind of instructional theory is appropriate for vocational education in a rapidly changing, technological, and increasingly complex society and what…

The first volume in this two-volume report outlines the nine educational principles on which the competence statements for adult reading and writing are based. The four literacies--for self-expression, practical purposes, knowledge, and public debate--are defined and some representative text types and common genres are provided. The four levels…