Discusses the social, economic, and political forces that have influenced Black education at the national, state, and local levels. Urges Black citizens and educators to participate in a wide range of activities to support school improvement. (FMW)

Explores policy formation in school councils and its implications for the future of educational decision making in Victoria, Australia. Focuses on the importance of agenda construction, utilizing theoretical works of Giddens, Bachrach, and others. Results suggest that human beings produce, reproduce, and transform the social realities enveloping…

Examines major reform proposals involving greater integration of Soviet higher education and the economy, improvements to curricula and teacher-student ratios, and more stringent assessments of teachers and students. Gauges official reactions by comparing draft and final texts of reform guidelines. Reports skeptical survey responses of students…

Summarizes the findings of several studies and evaluations of South Carolina's Educational Improvement Act. Generally, South Carolina educators claim that the reform movement has created excessive demands on their time, while the benefits of many prescriptive requirements are unclear. Several questions are raised about reform intent versus…

This discussion of collection management techniques emphasizes planning, collection strategies, and active selection. It is argued that policies and methodologies for applying collection management principles to reference collections are needed, and briefly describes the recently created Collection Development and Evaluation Section of the…

Examines George Bush's relations with Congress early in his term, focusing on the political and legislative environment in which Bush was operating. Analyzes Bush's legislative strategy, including agenda setting and orientation to Congress. Maintains that effective leadership is defined and constrained by the configuration of political forces. (RW)

Delineates the cases for and against the privatization of government information and describes the various forms privatization has taken in the United States and other countries. Major studies and positions are evaluated, current U.S. policy is critiqued, and recommendations for further action and discussion are offered. (31 references)…

Describes an application-specific hypertext system designed to facilitate and capture policy and design discussions. The discussion includes an introduction to the Issue Based Information Systems (IBIS) method; a description of this graphical IBIS (gIBIS) tool; an example of a gIBIS interaction; and thoughts about future research. (13 references)…

Catholic University's program in law and public policy combines educational techniques for preparing students for law practice, clinical externships, and academic study of the role of law in the formation of public policy, placing equal emphasis on the roles of the public policy lawyer and of public law in society. (MSE)

The University of Iowa's president has vowed to bar freshmen from intercollegiate sports even if the National Collegiate Athletic Association does not agree. The move is intended as a leadership stand, to allow freshmen to get an academic foothold before entering competition. The football coach and the governor disagree. (MSE)

Higher tuition coupled with more financial aid for those in need is more equitable than the low-tuition model where rich and poor pay the same tuition. Higher education, particularly public higher education, should be collaboratively financed by all those who benefit: federal government, the states, business, students, graduates, and families.…

The authors contend that problems associated with rapid population growth in developing countries must be tackled through comprehensive planning. They discuss impacts of demography on labor supply and demand and migration. Then they propose a practical framework for population and human resource development planning and policy formation. (SK)

Contends that the decision to close the sociology department at Washington University (Missouri) is best understood in a historical context of the administrative traditions of the institution. Traces the history of the department, concentrating on individual members of the department and the conflicts that arose through the years. (RW)

The Health Advisory Network of Western Australia--an organization of consumer and provider organizations--was evaluated in a review of four case studies of issues processed and an analysis of the perceptions of 77 member delegates. It is concluded that the network should continue and might serve as a model. (SLD)

Describes the development of a job evaluation plan by the University of Minnesota based on employee values of job worth. Items for the point-factor plan were selected by employee committees, grouped into factors, and weighted by means of a general employee survey. Discusses the plan's use in implementing comparable worth. (JS)