The origins, changes, and trends in institutional structures within secondary education in Central and Eastern Europe are examined and compared for 14 countries. Issues discussed include formulation of government policies, compulsory school attendance, articulation with elementary and lower secondary education, transition from compulsory education…

This article identifies reasons for the crisis of Czechoslovak higher education including centralized administration, political screening of personnel, destruction of teachers' research and educational activities, and the perceived decreasing importance of higher education. Also considered is the new Higher Education Act of 1990 involving radical…

The increase in student numbers, resulting adaptation of the curriculum, and changes in the profile of teacher-researchers in France from 1950 to 1980 suggest the need for changes in graduate study in the 1990s, including increased interdisciplinarity, development of discipline-based research centers, and improved industry-university cooperation.…

Forces inhibiting change in Greek university education are examined, and trends in university curriculum development are analyzed, using four disciplines as examples: chemical engineering; physics; economics; and history. The extent of influence of government populism and state patronage on the university curriculum is explored. (MSE)

The effects of Norway's government-driven policy changes to improve efficiency and quality in higher education on graduate study are examined, particularly as they affect the social sciences and humanities. Patterns in degree production until 1993 are examined, and the consequences of the recent market orientation are discussed. (MSE)

Trends in vocational education and training (VET) reform in Italy, Spain, and Portugal are examined in the context of European Community developments. The paper describes common problems (such as a low average qualification level), each country's current VET system, and specific strategies for structural change and program development. (DB)

Western Europe's demand for quality higher education at lower cost is discussed. It is argued that the criteria for quality are determined by external interests, including governments looking for economic development through an improved labor market. The situations in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom are considered.…

Recent trends in Finnish higher education are examined, from the formulation of national policy since the 1980s to recent experiments in financing and accountability, efforts at promoting efficiency, and the conflict between traditional academic collegiality and imposition of government decision making. (MSE)

Changes in the Chilean system of higher education brought and intended by reforms begun in 1980 are outlined, and their effects on system-level operation, institutional administration, educational quality, internal efficiency (enrollment and graduation rates, costs and expenditures), and equality of educational opportunity are examined. Mixed…

The mid-1980s period of dormancy in French higher education is coming to an end, and a policy for higher education has begun to emerge again. This occurs at a time when the stakes and challenges in change are enormous, partly because of the delay in responding to them. (MSE)

At a time when many countries are slowing expansion, Finland continues to provide for growth in funding, particularly research, until 1991. Pressures for reform include the growing number of students seeking higher education, the need for highly educated manpower, and pressure for international comparability of degrees. (MSE)

A discussion of British higher education policy in the 1980s looks at the relationship between government, public institutions, and citizens in conservative ideology; to what extent this strategy confronts the peculiar traditions and weaknesses of British higher education; and how it compares with other European approaches. (MSE)

In the late 1980s, Norwegian higher education has been characterized by increasing political interest, focus on universities and long-term research-oriented education, a growing student population, and a market orientation. Growing unemployment is also a factor. Despite opposition to Norway's joining the European Economic Community, integration at…

Danish educational planning has become characterized by strategic development aimed at satisfying pragmatic market demands. This emerging instrumentalism is edging out the principles of democracy and equality in education, with serious consequences for the continued development of the society as a whole, and must be monitored carefully. (MSE)

The 1989 Dutch Higher Education and Scientific Research Act contains a new set of rules for universities and technical institutes and also a new policy approach, characterized by a system rather than institutional orientation. Several problems are seen in this as yet underdeveloped strategy. (MSE)