Welfare Reform on the Web (August 2000): Education - Overseas
BRITAIN AND US IN SCHOOLS VENTURE
J. Kelly
Financial Times, June 6th 2000, p. 4
Reports that Britain and the US are to formally collaborate in finding ways to raise educational standards and combat poor discipline in failing schools in deprived areas.
(See also Guardian, June 6th 2000, p.?)
INCLUSION IN NORWAY: A STUDY OF IDEOLOGY IN PRACTICE
A. Flem and C. Keller
European Journal of Special Needs Education, vol. 15, 2000, p. 188-205
Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews with staff at multiple levels in the Norwegian education system in one municipality. All respondents were positive towards the idea of inclusion. The biggest difficulty in implementing the policy focused on social integration. This was much more of a concern than curricular integration. Probably because of such challenges, schools still placed students in separate settings. Factors that affected inclusion included: characteristics of teachers, classroom environment, school climate, co-operation, support from people with competence, attitudes and resources.
THE RE-STRUCTURING OF ACADEMIC WORK IN AUSTRALIA: POWER, MANAGEMENT AND GENDER
G. Lafferty and J. Fleming
British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol. 21, 2000, p. 257-267
Paper examines how the restructuring of Australia's university system and the introduction of corporate managerialism has changed the work performed by academic staff. It illustrates how the emergence of higher education as both a major export industry and a vehicle for attaining greater international competitiveness has led to a more intense regulation of academic work. Hierarchical line management, with clear divisions between different categories of academic staff, has substantially replaced collegial forms of administration. Paper demonstrates how these processes have worked to undermine the effective implementation of Equal Opportunity initiatives as women remain concentrated in the lowest paid and least secure posts within universities.
WHITE AMERICA'S FLIGHT TO EDUCATIONAL QUALITY
A. Shlaes
Financial Times, May 30th 2000, p. 27
A push to raise standards in the state schools is leading to increased racial integration of pupils as white parents abandon private education for their children.