This document presents a comparative analysis of education in Japan and the United States. The report explores differences between U.S. and Japanese culture. While the United States may be characterized by its diversity, Japanese culture is distinctive in the extent of its uniformity. Japan, moreover, has a highly centralized educational system;…

Many educators believe that if the United States is serious about reforming the nation's educational system, schools must implement high standards for student achievement that stress performance. While there is some disagreement over what form standards should take, there is consensus that expectations for achievement should cut across subject…

Distinctive colleges and universities, as opposed to the great majority which fit into a more or less standardized mold, possess a unifying theme or vision which is expressed in all their activities. They often respond to newly emerging societal or community needs unmet by existing colleges and universities; they challenge conventional ideas about…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. Distinctive colleges and universities possess a unifying theme or vision that is expressed in all their activities. They also usually respond to newly emerging societal or community needs unmet by existing schools of higher education. Distinctiveness, however, can limit the…

This book offers an approach to curriculum decision making aimed at helping Catholic schools become or remain values-based, learning-centered communities for the 21st century. The outcomes-based approach argues that educators have three primary responsibilities--identify what is the significant learning, design valid ways for students to…

This paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding individual development as it relates to the larger issue of intercultural competence and prejudice reduction. A hierarchical model of the multidimensional self-concept is presented in which self-concept encompasses academic, physical, social, and cultural identities. The essence of the…

The pursuit of curriculum and the role of tradition in curriculum development are explored for Norway at the national-political level. The contexts of influence and of policy text production are considered. In Norway there currently exists a new type of nationally mandated curriculum guideline, a general policy curriculum document calling for a…

American parents who are trying to rear their children in responsible ways do so in the face of peer influences that may be at odds with the parents' values. This report examines some of the findings of the 1993 National Household Education Survey (NHES) to show how families and students' peers sometimes work at cross-purposes. Specifically…

This monograph explores the notion of viewing leadership as a single, interconnecting system at work in the internal and external school environment, rather than as a collection of individual roles. The document explores what the new leadership paradigm--a decentralized, collaborative model--means to schools. Leadership is viewed as an…

Papers by graduate students, and occasionally papers from their mentors which establish a context for the student papers, are organized by sponsoring University. Student papers presented are: (1) "An Overview of the Development Stages in Children's Drawings" (Jeralyn Hufford); (2) "Theories and Activities of Conceptual Artists: An Aesthetic…

This literature review examines the "God concept," defined as the "cognitive or affective internal psychological representation of God." Most religions have a conception of God. In this review relevant literature focused on: (1) conceptual representations of God; (2) factors related to or predictive of these representations;…

U.S. society has come to be a world where offenses are constantly being redefined and thinkers deny that there is any absolute truth. How this has happened, its effects, and what can be done about it are explored. The effects of postmodern relativism are nowhere more evident than in education. Many are working to be sure that American schools show…

Although sexual activity is common among teenagers, it is not as widespread, and does not begin as early, as most adults believe. This report provides detailed data and analysis of sex among adolescents. Adolescent sexual activity is grouped in ten categories: (1) Rites of passage; (2) The context of adolescents' lives; (3) Sex among teenagers;…

This participant's manual covers "Changing Times", the second module of a four-module training program for all individuals employed in programs funded by Oklahoma's Developmental Disabilities Services Division. This includes van drivers, recreation workers, residential staff, administrators, case managers, secretarial/clerical staff,…

This research report assesses the state of the press and the needs for journalism training in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. It is based upon discussions in these countries during 1992 and 1993 with reporters, editors, publishers, broadcasters, broadcast owners, government officials, business people, and scholars. Separate chapters provide…