Teacher and principal autonomy in public and private secondary schools was studied through interviews with more than 30 teachers and administrators, observations, and document analyses. Results reveal the complexity of the concept of autonomy and challenge the myth that teachers and principals in private schools enjoy more autonomy. (SLD)

A conceptual model is proposed to describe the flow of individuals through teacher preparation programs and the workplace. The situation in California illustrates the asymmetry between teacher supply and demand--a situation which could be redressed in part through better teacher retention and closer coordination with school needs in the service…

The effect that mode of administration, computer versus paper and pencil, had on the performance of 120 middle school students on multiple choice and written test questions was studied. Results show that, for students accustomed to writing on computers, responses written on the computer were more successful. Implications for testing are discussed.…

An exploration of the roles service learning plays in universities in Indonesia and Costa Rica invites policymakers in the United States to re-examine university service, research, and teaching responsibilities. Increased faculty involvement is a key to expanding service learning as part of the university agenda. (SLD)

The organizing motif of "Out of Our Minds" is the refusal of schools to claim an intellectual mission. Schools have developed an instrumental central purpose, rather than an intellectual one; they aim to turn out patriotic job holders. Dialog is invited about what constitutes stewardship of the intellect. (SLD)

The educational research literature suggests that student evaluation of faculty (SEF) infringes on instructional responsibilities of faculty by providing a control mechanism over curriculum, course content, grading, and teaching methodology. SEF also plays a role in attacks on tenure and is a threat to academic freedom. Commentary by Michael…

A paradigm is presented for modeling the processes found in individual and group learning. Using combinations of dimensions of learner activities (by oneself or with peers) and orientation (toward the person or toward the group as the focus), four quadrants of activity-orientation learning space are derived. (SLD)

R. Haskell has suggested that the administrative practice of faculty evaluation by students is a threat to academic freedom. Whether or not this is so, it is, nevertheless, a bad practice because it undermines student faith in their teachers and can have adverse effects on teachers' practices. (SLD)

Qualitative methods are used to analyze data about how Association of American Universities institutions responded to the Reserve Officer Training Corps policies excluding homosexuals between 1982 and 1992. Seven different positions universities took, from support for the policy through neutrality and challenge, are identified. (SLD)

The relationships among student achievement, student culture, and educational practitioners' attitudes and expectations were investigated for 20 Mexican-American middle school students with the assistance of 12 teachers and 2 administrators. Findings indicate that these students, whether high or low achieving, perceived themselves, and were…

Whether there are reasonable concerns about liberty raised by standards-driven educational reform is explored, focusing on students' interests in autonomy and authenticity, academic freedom, and pluralism. A view of standards and accountability that is narrowly focused on clear public interests is crucial for educational reform. (SLD)

Nation-building, partly through systems of schooling, has done more to debase than improve rural circumstances. Rural education needs a logic of improvement that differs from that applied so far. Some sources are suggested that might help in the development of real rural educational improvement. (SLD)

The notion of "qualitative confirmation" is explored in relation to processes and outcomes of qualitative research. The framework developed by S. Miller and M. Fredericks (1994) is applied to a published report of qualitative research into teacher and principal autonomy (S. Glass, 1997) to illustrate the usefulness of this framework for…

The rhetoric and educational policies on the use of history for citizenship education in England are reviewed for the period from 1880 to 1990. The rhetoric about the contribution of history to citizenship education has been strong and consistent, challenged only by the discipline itself in recent years. (SLD)

This article suggests how traditional approaches to policy inquiry can be reconsidered in light of the research inquiry and communicative skills needed by all policy researchers. A 15-year review of both policy and discourse processes research suggests ways to conduct policy studies within a communicative framework. (Author/SLD)