British universities remain autonomous and continue to act as effective agencies of political socialization. The historical ambivalence in the structure of the German university between academic freedom and state regulation remains, inhibiting the German university's value as an agency of political socialization. (Author/RM)

Universities in West Germany are being urged by the state and by politicians to enlarge their scope of services, especially to provide continuing education in the areas of science and technology. Implications are discussed. (Author/RM)

British publications have been using the German term Technik. A comparison of the historical roots of the 19th-century education of engineers in Great Britain and in Germany shows differences in the origins of higher technical education in the two countries. The term Technik has a different meaning in Germany. (Author/RM)

Criticizes policies which would damage or destroy a public education system. Examines the relationship between government-provided education and democracy. Concludes that privatization of public education would emphasize self-interest and selfishness, further jeopardizing the altruism and civic mindedness necessary for the public good. (JDH)

Argues that technology now offers the opportunity for neutralizing the conflicting demands of child-centered, progressive, humanistic education with the back-to-basics demands voiced in recent years. Analyzes why education has had difficulty in responding to the potential of new technology. (JDH)

Maintains that the deep social division between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland is mirrored and perpetuated by the existence of separate school systems. Reviews proposals which attempt to use the schools to overcome long-term religious prejudice and conflict. Concludes by examining the potential of projects requiring inter-school…

States that the involvement of universities with teacher education has been seen as a threat to the university's claims to status and autonomy. Explores the nature of the ambivalent relationship between teacher education and the universities of England and Wales, focusing on several reports written over the past century. (JDH)

Maintains that teaching strategies which seek to develop reasoning skills in children, especially those using a "collaborative inquiry approach," must be based on enhancing children's self esteem. Inadequate teacher training and the predominate "authority/knowledge-based" view of education are identified as major reasons for the failure of…

Discusses the history of seven reform proposals made since 1959 regarding reducing the degree of specialization in upper-secondary education in England and Wales. Analyzes the reasons for their failure, finding that lack of any control (central or local) of curriculum has inhibited efforts to determine actual school happenings and has made…

Considering the consequences of the 1981 Education Act for the integration of children with special needs, Swann examines national trends in special school placement. Introduces new methods to measure segregation, identifying sources from which special school pupils come. Finds only slight evidence of a trend toward integration since the Act's…

Examines quality control mechanisms within West German dual system for training young workers: entry qualifications, quality/qualifications of trainers, methods for curriculum renewal, etc. Comments on weaknesses in the dual system and briefly discusses two British initiatives intended to improve the quality of the education and training of young…

Argues that developments in educational research and teacher education, which have yielded many new ideas and procedures, have also yielded a confusing proliferation of educational ideologies. Questions whether the educational enterprise should be autonomous or subservient to prevailing ideology. Examines contemporary European philosophy on the…

Examines the concept of practical argument, considering how rationality manifests itself in teaching and whether the values of theoretical reasoning (universality, logical order, explicitness, and completeness) translate to the practical domain. Discusses some major philosophical difficulties in analyzing practical reasoning that must be…

Argues that (1) curriculum construction on the basis of "a priori" reasoning about the partitioning of knowledge is misguided; (2) serious curriculum planning should be underwritten by an account of the purpose of education; and (3) there is a bewildering variety of such accounts. Contends that curriculum is formed without sound educational…

Examines the controversy surrounding two established practices in British education: the support of religious denominational schools by government grant and the provision of religious education and collective worship within maintained non-church schools. Explores arguments which appeal to the changing character of British society to conclude that…