Examines two recent films--"Scent of a Woman" and "Strictly Ballroom"--that project stereotypical negative portrayals of educational institutions and their limited capacity for reform. Both films bring their audiences to view educational institutions as worthy of destruction and, by focusing on "quick fixes," fail to address the difficulties of…

Discusses the four aspects of Max Weber's argument against including advocacy in the political science classroom. Believes that Weber's critique is a useful starting point for considering the issue in relation to contemporary education. Describes two models, critical thinking and civic education, that present advocacy in the political science…

Examines the perspectives that second career teachers, with prior military experience, bring to the teaching profession, specifically to social studies. Uses a life history methodology. Explores case studies of four second career military teachers and suggests a tendency to maintain traditional instructional practices in social studies. (CMK)

Relates Bertrand Russell's picture of science, as he actually practiced it, to his picture of liberal education, as he exemplified it, and compares these to what he said about the nature of science and of liberal education. Suggests Russell's practice of scientific thought was much more original and interesting than is "rather…

Explores the pattern of British higher education, known as the binary system, from the 1960s to the 1980s through the exploration of two questions: (1) Why did the binary solution appear to officials not just desirable, but necessary?; and (2) How did the officials ensure that the "necessary" solution became government policy? (CMK)

Questions whether the marketing of higher education is a uniquely American phenomenon, or whether it applies to Canadian higher education. Believes that several basic differences between Canadian and American universities make this less likely in Canada: lower financial rewards for faculty who enter academic administration, course evaluation…

Alexander and her colleagues proposed "teaching as persuasion" as a guiding metaphor for conceptual change pedagogy (Alexander, Fives, Buehl, & Mulhern, 2002). However, there is reason to suspect that the term persuasion can have negative connotations for some individuals ( Dole & Sinatra, 1999; Murphy, 2001). Therefore, we examined 182 primarily…

This article is a critical overview of the symposium on the contribution of the quality assurance process to democracy recently held at the University of Stellenbosch. It argues that recent symposia and colloquia in which South Africans themselves have attempted to stake out their intellectual credentials are extremely important and that the…

The paper assesses the dominant discourse on Islam and education that argues for an education derived from an exclusively "Islamic" vision. In addition to exploring the historical roots of this discourse, the paper analyses it with respect to its (i) arguments for an Islamic vision of education, (ii) conception of Islam, and (iii)…

This article considers the implications of current government education policy for those learners within the English post-compulsory sector undertaking General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) Foundation (level 1) programmes. It argues that within the current policy context, a lower value is placed on young people working towards certain…

The official baptism of primary education offered in the "Hadow Report" of 1926 signalled a new beginning for "elementary" education. The indication that primary education would form the basis of a progressive and continuing education until the age of 14 was an important statement of intent. However, if Hadow signified the…

This paper describes, in the context of one highly circumscribed element of English educational policy, namely, "Threshold assessment," the ways in which the boundaries between the public and the private have become increasingly porous and blurred. In this context, some consequences and implications of private sector involvement in…

The first children in a family to attain a higher education, referred to as "first-generation students," embody the realization of social mobility. Previous analysis has often portrayed them as succeeding despite their family background. This research suggests that although they face many material challenges, their families are often a…

This paper examines some of the issues that have led to the "balkanization" of higher education, in that community colleges, colleges, and universities often have very different standards, transfer policies, and degree requirements. Students who complete programs at community colleges and who wish to go on to a baccalaureate degree are often…

This report provides information on the proposed Health Professions Education Consolidation and Reauthorization Act of 1995, which is designed to reauthorize and consolidate 44 different federal health professions training programs currently authorized under Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act. It also reauthorizes a variety of…