In 1973, the Polish Minister of Education ordered objective competitions at the primary school level in the fields of Polish studies, Russian language, and math. In order to determine whether such subject competitions were justified and if they contributed equally to the development of interests and abilities among the rural and urban and…

Presented is the final report of a project to increase academic performance and social interaction in 52 retarded or normal children (3-18 years old) through training teachers in the use of three social skills: exchange, competition, and cooperation. The following project objectives are discussed: operational identification of the three social…

Governors, state legislators, and other state leaders have high expectations for public colleges and universities, specifically, advancing the state's economic agenda. The 1988 Presidential campaign is expected to focus on education prompted by concern about lagging competitiveness in international trade. (MLW)

Declines in the United States' competitive status in the world show that the nation needs a better educated, more creative, more flexible work force. Undergraduate education has an essential role to play in preparing students for both work and citizenship, requiring new collaboration between state, education, and community leaders. (MSE)

The economic case for the deregulation of Australian universities, for reasons of efficiency and improved access, is presented and the economic and social implications of such a move are considered. Some discussion of the case against deregulation is also given. (MSE)

Despite their eroding fiscal positions, state governments are responsible for establishing budget policy for both public elementary/secondary and higher education. As a Utah case study shows, the current political structure creates pressures for both competition and cooperation in optimizing scarce resources. This study advocates limited…

Understanding the issues involved in the diversifications of missions and functions in higher education requires (1) distinguishing between vertical and horizontal diversification, either between or within institutions and (2) identifying the agents and mechanisms causing diversification within different higher education systems, including both…

Investigated the influence of dominance and friendship on behavior in a cooperative/competitive problem-solving situation among preschool peers. Mixture of quasi-agonistic and opportunistic behaviors led to high resource use; agonistic behaviors were infrequent and unrelated to resource use. (Author/RWB)

Although three curriculum-delivery systems which use terminals to download curriculum software from a super microcomputer offer advantages of individualized instruction over several grade levels with individual student progress reports and updated software, the expense of the initial installation makes it difficult for them to compete with…

Analyzes and compares Japanese and American industrial policy and labor practices. Proposes that certain aspects of the Japanese system be adapted by American businesses for purpose of increasing international competitiveness. Proposes specific actions and plans for both the Japanese and American systems. (ML)

A team of faculty and advanced graduate students from Boston College developed a new educational partnership with labor unions to help combat problems of industrial dislocation and upheaval. The group worked with five different union locals experiencing serious problems associated with foreign competition and new technology. (CH)

Describes a regional effort in Northern California to provide high quality French instruction for kindergarten through sixth grade in cooperation with the public schools. The role of the National French Contest as motivation and as a learning experience for the students is also discussed. (MSE)

Analysis of insights of parents of gifted adolescent boys (N=8) who committed suicide found retrospective clues for potential suicide such as: lack of recognition/acceptance of individuality; effects of competition on self-esteem; lack of coping skills; and suicidal behavior of friends. (CB)

Small-business leaders have persuaded many lawmakers that nonprofit organizations--particularly colleges and universities--have used their tax-exempt status and government support to gain an unfair advantage over privately owned businesses. Computer-store owners, private chemical-laboratory owners, and travel agents say colleges should not receive…

The difficulty for an institution of finding a balance between traditional faculty compensation practices and free labor market practices that raise the salaries of faculty in high-demand disciplines in government, industry, and education is discussed. (MSE)