Like medieval war games of dialectical argument, today's education model is based on idea of competition, a scholastic sorting process aimed at fixing every child's place in life. So long as access to higher education rests on standardized test scores and/or high school grades in conventional subjects, higher education institutions will subject…

Discusses academic library consortia, examines types of consortia, and presents three case histories (OhioLINK, PALCI and CIC). Highlights include economic competition; changes in information access and delivery; growth of information technology; quality improvement; and future strategies, including pricing models for electronic information,…

The ban on affirmative action in college and university admissions has stimulated law schools to recruit underrepresented minorities more aggressively, in some cases producing more competition for historically black institutions. Declines in law school minority enrollments are also attributed to student preferences for other areas of study, such…

Examines two myths or misperceptions associated with premedical education, that of the "premedical syndrome" (over-achieving, competitive, cynical, and narrowly focused students), and the "cutthroat medical student" (competitive to the point of undermining others). The origins of the myths, the purposes they may serve, why they…

Primary public education in France originated in the 19th- century "ecole republicaine." Since the 1960s, elementary schools have been integrated into a (universally attended) preschool to secondary school system. The elementary level is characterized by modernistic pedagogy, a child-development focus, and a psycho-affective…

Recently, Microsoft Corporation has become more aggressive in its attempts to sell products on college and university campuses, promising new licensing deals for colleges, free Microsoft training for computing officials, and advice on structuring university information-technology budgets. Critics are concerned that the trend will reduce…

Reviews the changing educational landscape and the major competing providers of post-secondary education: public colleges and universities; private, non-profit colleges and universities; proprietary for-profit colleges and universities; and corporate training organizations. Suggests that community colleges become more entrepreneurial. (JDI)

Examines the underlying philosophy of the corporate model in public education and the reform initiatives coming from this model. Focuses on the reform in New Zealand because it is an example of near complete implementation of this model. Explores different aspects of the New Zealand experiment. (CMK)

The workplace and the psychological contract between employees and employer have structurally changed. Discusses realities of global economy and competitive workplace. Suggests ways counselors can help clients take action to enhance their personal competitiveness in the workplace such as understanding relationships between learning and work, and…

Nearly 700 junior and senior high school students in Japan were asked to rate 24 cooperative and competitive behaviors in terms of personal importance during 3 consecutive academic years. Factor analysis of the ratings revealed one general cooperation factor and three competition factors (nonacademic, academic, and group centered). The results are…

A survey of tenure-track faculty in the Texas A & M University college of education investigated attitudes concerning the environment for grantsmanship. Results indicate the need for a system providing faculty with assigned time for proposal development, provision of start-up money for competitive grant-writing, equal emphasis on grant writing…

In a consideration of how competition among schools affects program quality, the dynamics of competition among four Jewish supplementary schools were examined over five years. Some competitive strategies reduced program demands, and others reinforced quality. The least intensive and least expensive program did not undercut the others but did spur…

Despite claims that participation in Olympic sports is broadly educational and developmental, considerable empirical evaluation suggests otherwise. Most of what is called Olympic education addresses other concerns. This paper argues for a formal, outcomes-based pedagogy of the Olympic sports and Olympic Games, offering proposals on how to realize…

Describes how to incorporate a game into teaching the Dewey decimal system to elementary students in grades three, four, and five. Provides ideas for a nine-week session that includes five weeks of instruction on the Dewey decimal system, card catalog, and Boolean searching; and four weeks of competition. (LRW)

Describes a study of fifth-grade Taiwanese students that examined the instructional effects of two grouping methods, cooperation with or without inter-group competition, on student academic achievement and pro-social behaviors in a computer-based science learning environment. Discusses implications for cooperative learning. (Author/LRW)