President Bill Clinton used the declining default rate on college student loans as a basis for proposing tax breaks for college costs. Reduced defaults have saved taxpayer money and helped reduce the federal deficit. Over 150 colleges and universities, including 25 private institutions, risk losing eligibility for federal grant and loan programs…

Prefaces this journal issue on policy-making in early childhood services. Reviews ideas about policy-making processes and policy agendas and what processes shape them, with particular reference to the relationship between research and policies on early childhood services, setting a context for the subsequent articles in the journal. (Author/AA)

The December 1997 conference of the National Association of Scholars reflected the association's opposition to both affirmative action policy in higher education and multiculturalism. Much of the discussion on racial preference focused on the academic performance of African Americans in relation to other racial and ethnic groups. Multiculturalism…

Reviews the basic concepts governing student aid funding and the mechanics of delivery, including a review of the development of current federal financial aid programs, the complexities of determining student need, institutional responsibility, and suggested areas for institutional research. Notes that the challenges ahead include strengthening…

Discussion of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean looks at its role in human resource development, industrial advancement, and sustainable development. Circumstances in individual countries are sketched in the areas of higher education system diversification, characteristics of different national system types, governance,…

Summarizes national studies relating staff education/training to child care quality. Finds that more training/education yields higher quality, but no study identifies the most effective dimensions of training/education for improving teacher behavior or child outcomes. Suggests that a common nomenclature for education/training is needed for…

An analysis of recent changes in Bulgarian secondary education looks at several major trends in: the structure of the formal education system; new curricula and conditions for implementation; financing and management of the system; and problems with school staffing. A period of transition characterized by some instability and occasional crises is…

Assesses the present state of the art of educational economics in developing countries. Introduces papers in this special issue that address the roles of organization, incentives, and public (financial) priorities in shaping more efficient, equitable educational outcomes. For economists to influence outcomes, the behavioral relationships shaping…

The status and direction of computerized information systems in French universities are examined, including research, instructional, and management applications. Recommended action at institutional, regional, and national levels include development of policy for use and development of computer resources, definition of appropriate roles, policy on…

The public is concerned about rising tuition, yet high-profile news stories tell only part of this complex story. Although governing boards and presidents must pursue strategies to keep their institutions affordable, they must also inform their constituents of those strategies and explain better the actual, rather than perceived, cost of attending…

The national information infrastructure, or "information superhighway," will help determine winners and losers in the new economy and have major consequences for the evolution of social policy. It is argued that social work education will have to deal realistically with the coming changes and that social work education must prepare…

Examination of business education and management training in East Central Europe indicates that they rest on decades of tradition unique to each country, which must be taken into account when change is undertaken. Specific recommendations are made for both making change and maintaining continuity in curricular, pedagogical, administrative, and…

First, explores the Dutch government's child care policy in relation to the views held by Dutch education professionals. Second, contrasts policy experts' views on child care with parents' existing needs. Suggests that government and professionals should start taking the realities of parents' and children's lives as a starting point while putting…

Discusses teenage pregnancy and sexuality and suggests ways in which librarians can help provide access to appropriate and needed information. Highlights include developing policies and procedures for dealing with sexual issues, collection development, organizing information and making it accessible, and a brief teen pregnancy bibliography. (LRW)

Internationalization of the curriculum in the Nanyang University (Singapore) master's program in business administration (MBA) is described, highlighting its parallels with formation of government policy initiatives that encourage regional expansion of Singapore businesses. Lessons learned from the internationalization experiences of MBA programs…