In a world conditioned by what Margaret Meade and others have called an underlying system of inherited inequalities, it is natural that educators in particular should try to promote at least some semblance of equality of opportunity. Because the creation of an elite of some kind seems to be a natural and unavoidable by-product of every society,…

Articulation between public and private, for-profit (proprietary) schools can help reduce costs without reducing the number of options available to students. Articulation can assume many forms, including contracts to offer classes for other institutions, combined (dual) enrollments, shared facilities and/or faculty, enrichment programs, 1 + 1…

The Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Act, enacted by the Minnesota State Legislature in 1985, allows 11th- and 12th-grade high school students to take courses, for credit, in colleges, junior colleges, and vocational-technical institutes despite opposition from high school authorities. Students may use credits from these courses to count toward…

The Regional High School of Excellence in northern Chautauqua County, New York, was intended to be a school for gifted students from throughout the region. Six committees made up of teachers, administrators, school board members, local business leaders, parents, and students from participating school districts studied and planned different aspects…

Questions how academia can continue to engage in knowledge production without producing and legitimating dominant discourses. Maintains that academia must accept that individuals live in a time of multiple perspectives, an absence of embracing consensus, and the deconstruction of any absolute or foundational principles of truth. (MJP)

Examines the conflicting conceptualizations concerning the status of high school honors chemistry and the actual importance of the class. Reveals that standards of behavior and learning are actually less in the honors class. Examines this phenomenon from a sociological and anthropological perspective. (MJP)

Maintains that although Canada's private schools attempt to reproduce dominant cultural ideology, meritocracy and recruitment have created paradoxical effects. Academic competition results in fewer private school graduates being admitted to top universities. Further studies reveal no correlation between private school and financial success. (MJP)

Reports on a class project that combined an examination of social class and political power with an introduction to sociological research. The project consisted of compiling biographical profiles of cabinet members from the Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton administrations. Introduces students to issues of conceptualization,…

Explicates the mercantilist ideology of the Japanese elite and its impact on Japanese trade policy. Offers a textured portrait of the world view of a particular elite: Japan's technocrats. Reveals a nationalist ideology that is not advertised by its adherents, especially to foreign observers such as in the United States. (MJP)

Examines changes in the foreign policy of Portugal from their transition to democracy to more recent years. Maintains that emerging democracies go through a period of change where nationalist cultural and political ideas give way to more internationalist concerns. Reviews the major players, actions, and political theories that have dominated…

Describes a game designed to impress upon undergraduates the difficulty of economic mobility for minorities. The game involves two groups, "Majorities" and "Minorities," and their efforts to build a simulated social network with string. Minorities receive shorter lengths of string and cannot leave their seats. Discusses follow-up exercises. (MJP)

Traces the changes in educational philosophy and practices that occurred within England's civic universities. The original intent of the state supported public universities was to provide professional and technical training for the growing middle class. Discusses the reasons that the civics eventually adopted the curriculum of the elite private…

Observes the ideological evolution of the Likud party in Israel. For years the Likud labored in the shadow of the predominant socialist party structure, emerging in 1977 as a major political force. Although united in their core belief of sovereignty for Jewish settlements, the party recently has suffered political fragmentation. (MJP)

Utilizes German archival records to illuminate crucial post-war events at Heidelberg University. The university became the focal point of attempts to define the theoretical and practical meaning of "geistige Umerziehung" (spiritual reeducation). Discusses the conflict between U.S. authorities and such esteemed German scholars as Karl…

Discusses concepts of social agency, cultural mediation, and constitutive action for understanding inequality in schools. Describes the sociolinguistic argument about the structure of language, the interpretive school, and the demands of capitalism. Urges transcending the macro-micro or structure-agency dualism by demonstrating the situated…