This document, the annual report of the United States Department of Education for FY 1984, provides a comprehensive account of departmental activities for the year. The opening report of the Secretary details major accomplishments of the Reagan Administration in education for FY 1984. This is followed by a report from the Office of Private…

Faced with the fact that over 50% of its citizens are illerate, and recognizing the link between illiteracy, poverty, and disease, the government of Kenya, in 1963, created an adult literacy program. The program's objectives were (1) to train literacy teachers, (2) to produce materials for teaching and learning and for continuing education after…

Catholic high schools do not generally have a reputation for serving students with special needs. This article, using primary sources related to one high school's history, demonstrates how even an academically elite school can meet the needs of a wide range of students. Specific strategies are suggested that can help Catholic high schools be more…

Chinese educationists since 1949 have attempted to continue the Confucian educational tradition, emphasizing attributes which are compatible with Marxism. (MH)

This paper, presented at an international conference, tries to put the unique problems of providing access to postsecondary education in the context of the social, economic, and political climate of the United States. The paper notes that since 1979 students are assuming a growing share while taxpayers have reduced their relative contributions to…

This paper proposes a model in which the rural school becomes an active agent in community economic development through leadership development and civic education. Families, school, and community are the three pillars of public education, and the concept of community engagement is crucial to rebuilding this educational partnership and creating an…

This paper reviews several articles with language-based teacher empowerment themes, discussing empowerment in relation to secondary school language teaching (particularly less commonly taught language teaching) and teacher development. The paper extrapolates from the ideas proposed that second language teachers can be empowered, or at least set on…

This paper explores the potential pitfalls associated with the new federal accountability role precipitated by the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. The paper presents worst-case scenarios with the assumption that it is worthwhile to consider the potential for unanticipated consequences so as to avoid problems before they occur. After…

In 2002 the Supreme Court decided that tuition vouchers for private and religious schools do not violate the First Amendment's establishment clause. With "Zelman v. Simmons-Harris," the case in question, the Court put the school-choice debate back in the political arena, where it belongs, according to this position paper/policy brief.…

This report on the educational systems in China and South Africa compares the policies and processes of the two countries as they attempt to expand and improve rural education. Both countries experienced a major political upheaval, and even though there is a 50-year time lag between these events, political changes ushered in radical educational…

The research reported in this document was undertaken to determine the relative costs of educating a child in a charter school and a traditional public school in Michigan. To assess the costs, the following research was done: a review of the laws that govern public schools in Michigan; a review of the statutes that govern the funding of public…

The Kyrgyz Republic--a remote mountainous region--is one of five former Soviet states in central Asia. This case study begins with a brief overview of the political and economic situation of the Kyrgyz Republic and its relation to aims of Soviet schooling in the 20th century. A critique of the Soviet schooling model by foreign academics before and…

Poland, reconstituted as a result of the war, comprises the territory formerly divided among the great powers of Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Prussia. Its area extends over 149,140 square miles and its population, according to the census of September 30, 1921, is estimated at 27,160,163, of which two-thirds are Poles. The remainder comprises…

John Lee's little-known 1984 study "Tomorrow's Teachers" shows that potential teachers' grade-point averages during 1974-83 did not decline or differ from other majors' GPAs. A 1996 UCLA study documents resistance to outcomes-based education at 10 schools. Well-educated parents of former high-track students pressured administrators to resegregate…

Investigates the financial structure of Russia's educational system and finds it wanting. Social, political, and economic changes have rendered the old Soviet system dysfunctional and irrelevant. Authorities, however, have failed to create a replacement. Discusses several possible reforms, including creating a national banking system for…