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Despite hazing being illegal in South African education institutions since December 2002 and post 2002, newspapers and research reveal that it is still practised. It seems as if popular, rather than elitist opinion and debate or research findings perpetuate hazing practices. The aim of this article is to identify popular discourses on hazing in South Africa. This paper draws on the theories of cognitive dissonance and dominance. A content analysis of 26 letters to the editor on a specific hazing incident and its aftermath provides an empirical window into nonelite public debate on the topic. The study highlights the existence of conflicting popular discourses on hazing. These conflicting discourses centre on the individual and the newspaper which exposed the incident; the plight of hazers and their victims; the role of the school in addressing hazing; and hazing per se. It is concluded that hazing practices will continue as long as a non-elitist discourse in favour of hazing exists. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

Gender differences in mathematics learning have attracted sustained attention in Australia and internationally. Over time, female participation in academic fields and careers long considered male domains has improved. Yet recent mathematics achievement data reveal that gender gaps favouring males appear to have re-opened. In our study we explored the Victorian general public's views on gender issues and school mathematics. In general, boys were considered to be better at mathematics than girls, that is, vestiges of the male mathematics stereotype persist. (Contains 1 table and 3 footnotes.) [This report was supported by the Faculty of Education at Monash University. For the complete proceedings, "Shaping the Future of Mathematics Education. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (33rd, Freemantle, Western Australia, Australia, July 3-7, 2010)," see ED520764.]

This pilot study examined the relational-behavior model (RBM) as an HIV/AIDS assessment tool for at-risk college populations. Based on this theory, a survey was constructed to assess the six areas associated with HIV/AIDS prevention: personal awareness, knowledge deficiency, relational skills, HIV/STD stigmatization, community awareness, and health distrust. Based on the pilot sample, a descriptive profile analysis suggested high levels of health distrust and knowledge deficiency. An exploratory correlational analysis also suggested gender differences in relational skills and HIV/STD stigmatization. Additional studies examining the validity and reliability of the RBM survey was discussed. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

In a geopolitical context, the means of establishing deterrence is premised on the military capability of a country and the perceived willingness of a leader to use force as a means to achieve policy goals. A key function of rhetoric is to establish the personal ethos of a leader regarding their willingness to use force. During the Cold War the rhetorical context of geopolitical discourse was premised on a rational choice model of decision-making based on a strategic calculation of the relative strength of each country. This paper argues that rhetorical strategies need to change relative to the strategic situation facing each leader. Further, the rhetorical burden of building and maintaining strategic credibility inversely increases relative to a country's military power. This paper explores Richard Nixon's innovative rhetorical strategy of cultivating irrationality and uncertainty as a means to maintain and enhance "deterrent credibility" during a period of national decline.

This essay examines Presidential rhetoric and popular culture practices in light of the stages of grief enumerated by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. The authors find a consistent retrenchment of grief into the anger phase, where the pain of losing national invulnerability is transferred to externalized aggression. Reconciliation is suggested by means of enriching appreciation for formalized rituals associated with grief and loss.

Less than a year after his inauguration, U.S. President George W. Bush secured passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the cornerstone legislation of his administration. It was signed into law on January 8, 2002 and cost taxpayers $26.5 billion, the largest dollar increase ever in federal aid. No Child Left Behind is a revised version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It represents the central federal law in pre-collegiate education and mandates requirements in almost every public school in the United States. Public opinion of pre-collegiate public education in the U.S. has not been well documented by researchers, perhaps because conventional wisdom holds that public opinion has little impact on public education policy. This paper examines whether conventional wisdom represents an urban myth or a fair assessment of the relationship between public opinion and educational policy. The paper focuses on the impact of public preferences on the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. It begins with an overview of public opinion theories and briefly examines the historical public opinion of U.S. public schools. The paper discusses the historical opinion of the U.S. public about school vouchers and, to a lesser extent, about mandated student achievement testing. It presents an overview of the provisions included in the No Child Left Behind Act. The paper concludes with an analysis of public opinion and major components of the act. Using the January 2001 CBS News Monthly Poll and multivariate analysis, it examines the relationship among demographic, attitudinal, and environmental factors and support for three provisions of the act: (1) school vouchers, (2) mandatory testing, and (3) basing federal education funds on mandatory testing results. (Contains 29 references, 1 figure, and 1 table.) (Author/BT)

This public opinion poll examined the public's esteem for and beliefs about the responsibilities and social status of K-12 teachers in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, focusing on gender issues. Interviews were conducted with 982 people age 18-70 years from April-June 2001. Results indicated that all teachers were highly valued, particularly early childhood and elementary school teachers (the most feminized area of education). There was no decline in the status of teachers in early childhood, elementary, and lower secondary school, and only a small decline in the status of teachers in upper secondary school, in comparison to 1979 and in comparison to other occupations. Results also indicated that the teaching profession was characterized by inconsistent status. The respondents believed that teachers at each level of education fulfilled an important social role, but at the same time, respondents indicated that teacher salaries, and to some degree social status, were not in balance with teachers' important role. Results suggested that the public did not perceive the growing number of women teachers as a problem for the quality of education. (Contains 42 references.) (SM)

This paper examines ways in which context influences the implementation of high-stakes accountability systems. The trajectory of implementation efforts has followed a familiar course, with the emergence of scattered opposition prompting officials to "refine" testing systems in predictable ways. These efforts placate critics while softening the coercive impact of accountability. Whether these revisions eviscerate the larger system depends largely on the balance of political pressure. The paper addresses such questions as "Why do high-stakes accountability systems launched to widespread acclaim meet growing pockets of resistance even as student performance soars? Why are accountability provisions softened or made more flexible in predictable ways? and What are the implications of these issues for the promise of accountability-driven reform?" The paper outlines the general political dynamic by discussing the minimum-competency-testing push of 2 decades ago. It then surveys more recent efforts in California, Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia to distill some insights regarding the role of context in the politics of coercive accountability. It argues that the fate of high-stakes reform turns on the willingness of the public and officials to accept high levels of concentrated costs and on the relative strength enjoyed by key critics. (Contains 101 endnotes.) (RJM)

This study used high-profile research on a school district to construct a case study of how a political context that presents urban schools as unsalvageable has also resulted in a research stripped of critique. The study compared published reports about district (District 2) accomplishments to data on school achievement and school demographics on state and city reports and analyzed the data in light of the authors insider knowledge as a parent-activist. The examination reveals important aspects of District 2s record that have not been explored, the most glaring of which is the intense social and racial stratification among the schools and the lack of clear evidence that its implementation of an instructional delivery system built on national standards has been successful. Comparison of schoolwide achievement between District 2 and District 25 (Queens, New York) indicates that the description by some researchers of District 2s model of systemic reform as exemplary is, at the least, questionable, and may have obscured hard questions about District 2s ability to diminish achievement differentials that correlate closely with segregation, race, and poverty. (Contains 6 tables and 25 references.) (Author/SLD)

The world is dominated by the technological applications of scientific ideas and by the naturalistic empirical way of thinking characteristic of science. Also in this world, many people rightfully place great importance on their faith in a supernatural being and their membership in a church. The U.S. is a highly pluralistic society represented by many different religions and perspectives even within a particular religion or denomination. The exploratory investigation presented here represents a pilot study to inform further research and provide potentially useful insights for science educators. The views of eight Christian minister/priests were examined concerning evolution, creationism, science, and religion. The purpose of the pilot study was not to create generalizable data or conclusions. Rather, it was to create a questionnaire/interview protocol that would (1) determine clergy views about evolution, creationism, science, and religion; (2) potentially give useful information to give to students of colleagues struggling with these issues; and (3) begin the process toward a larger study which would create generalizable data or conclusions. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/MVL)

The goal of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study has been to examine, in a comparative framework, the political socialization of adolescents as they prepare for their roles as citizens of democracies. Approximately 90,000 students from the modal grade for 14-year-olds from nationally representative samples in 28 countries were tested during 1999. This paper focuses on the predictors of four different types of political engagement: (1) electoral, (2) partisan, (3) volunteer, and (4) protest. The potentially influential factors examined were knowledge of democracy and skills in interpreting information, sense of trust in government-related institutions, and aspects of the schools (perceptions of curriculum, sense of efficacy developed in the school culture, perceived encouragement of discussion in the classroom, and current participation in organizations). Countries profiled in the paper include Australia, England, Greece, Norway, and the United States. Between-country and within-country patterns indicated multiple modes of engaged citizenship resulting from the political socialization process inside and outside school. By teaching knowledge, emphasizing civic topics in the curriculum and imparting beliefs in the importance of various adult activities and by ensuring a participatory culture, schools can make a difference in preparing students for citizenship. A role for organizations, both in general and those specifically related to political and voluntary activities, is also indicated. The theoretical base for the paper is E. Wenger's work on communities of practice. Includes five tables. Contains 25 references. Information about the database of the IEA Civic Education Study is appended. (BT)

This paper discusses the planning processes and plans of school principals in Israel. It describes how educational planning processes often expose educators to a dilemma: public expectations pressure principals to create quick solutions for complicated educational issues, whereas their professional obligation is to produce plans that will address the complexity of these issues in an adequate and effective manner. To examine this dilemma, 163 Israeli school principals in 4 different districts were asked to define time perspectives for planning processes and plans related to 4 central policy issues in the Israeli educational agenda. The principals were also asked to prioritize future planning. The study was conducted shortly after a large influx of Ethiopian and Russian immigrants. The results indicate that the principals believed that the four issues were highly complex. However, principals tended to simplify the complexity of issues when the urgency related to these issues is high. Public education was characterized by mixed-typed situations that presented dilemmas for educators. These dilemmas exposed educators to a contradiction between their desire to meet social and political interests and their professional duty to perform planning processes that enable them to address properly the complexity of educational issues. (Contains 30 references, 3 tables, and 1 figure.) (RJM)

A random selection of 700 parents and teachers representing rural central Tennessee schools was surveyed in order to make their opinions available to policy makers. Usable responses were returned by 196 parents and 224 teachers. Parents opposed increasing public school funds through a lottery; teachers approved. Both groups believed that prayer and Bible reading should be permitted in school, and both opposed the establishment of charter schools in Tennessee. Parents strongly favored inclusion; teachers very strongly opposed it. Parents opposed paddling of unruly students; teachers strongly favored it. Both groups strongly agreed that school superintendents should be elected by the citizens, and that zero tolerance laws are not too strict. Parents did not think that teachers need more legal protection from harassment by parents and others, while teachers almost unanimously felt that they do need such protection. Both groups favored block scheduling in high schools, and both felt that smaller classes resulted in students learning more. Parents and teachers felt that discipline in school is worse than 10 years ago, but neither group felt that law enforcement officers should be placed in all high schools. Both groups thought that schools are safe. Parents thought achievement tests improved student learning, but teachers did not. Parents felt that they adequately supported decisions by principals and teachers concerning their children, while teachers firmly stated that parents did not adequately support them. Parents reported that varsity athletics are not given too much emphasis, but teachers believed that they are. The use of street language in required reading materials was strongly condemned by both groups. Parents felt that tenure is not needed to protect teachers, but teachers almost unanimously felt they needed such protection. (Contains questionnaire and survey data.) (TD)

This research, based on nationwide telephone surveys of voters, state legislators and legislative staff, and high-level business executives, addressed the priority that respondents place on computers/technology in public education, the perceived benefits--and drawbacks--of computers in public education, and the expectations that respondents have about the effectiveness of computers in the public schools. The following key findings are discussed: (1) voters are committed to assuring that schools are properly equipped with computers and technology; (2) voters strongly believe that computers can play an important role in improving the quality of public education; (3) legislators do not perceive the same pressing need for funding computers in education as do either the public or business leaders; (4) voters concerns about uses of computers in education focus on the lack of adequate funding, rather than on questions about their effectiveness as an educational tool; (5) voters support funding these efforts despite the absence of concrete proof of their effectiveness; and (6) business leaders voice the strongest support for investments in learning technology, based on the belief that the increased use of computers and technology in classrooms will improve the quality of their workforce. Twelve figures illustrate results. Survey questionnaires with tabulation of responses are included. (AEF)

To determine how Hispanic Americans in various professional roles prioritize the importance of school desegregation and its continuation, a brief survey was conducted with approximately 20 people in January 1998. The school segregation of Hispanic students has a long history in the United States, and Hispanics have waged efforts comparable to those of African Americans to desegregate public schools. A questionnaire was designed for the study containing three open-ended questions about segregation and one asking for suggestions. Nine responses were received, from researchers, school superintendents, professors, a lawyer, and a school trustee. The overall view, held by all respondents, was that school desegregation was no longer as high a priority as it was at its zenith, around 1966 at the time of the Keys case in Colorado. At that time, school desegregation was viewed by the Hispanic community as a major legal strategy to improve the educational experience of Hispanic students. Today, the strategy considered most likely to improve education for Hispanic students is the allocation of more resources through equitable funding. The respondents who were educators thought that efforts to improve funding and instructional practices should be pursued more aggressively. Although their focus has shifted, respondents continue to concentrate on the original purpose of desegregation, the improvement of education for Hispanic Americans. Teacher education and early childhood education programs were among the initiatives respondents thought should be the focus of new resource allocation. (Contains one table and eight references.) (SLD)

A study examined the concept of the "hero" in a qualitative manner. It aimed to synthesize the subjects' personal definitions of the concept in a "consensus" definition and to compare and contrast stated heroes/heroines across generational lines for notable trends or patterns. Subjects, 80 persons (40 males and 40 females) who ranged in age from 10 to 90 years old were divided into four life span phases based upon their ages and interviewed separately. Each subject was asked to define the term "hero/heroine" and to name any personal heroes/heroines and why they were chosen. The majority of the younger subjects in phase 1 and several of the subjects in phase 2 viewed their heroes in terms of fortune and fame, choosing mostly media and sports figures. The older subjects in phases 3 and 4, with the advantage of being able to look back over two or three life phases, took a far more comprehensive look at their heroes and their definitions. The humanitarian factor consistently appeared as comments forging a norm for their definitions. Many of these older subjects also noted that the school environment had established and nurtured many of the heroes described as "traditional" during the phase 1 years of their lives. Through the promotion of "real" heroes, social studies educators are in a prime position to assist their students in developing an understanding of citizenship and its 21st century responsibilities. (Contains 5 tables of data and 23 references; appended is an alphabetical listing of heroes/heroines by category.) (BT)

An initiative was undertaken to introduce technology-enabled and distance learning to the Defense Information School (DINFOS), Ft. Meade, Maryland. The effort to introduce instructional technology reflected the need to find a creative solution to Armed Forces requests for increased student quotas, reduced pool of military instructors, and an expanded career field curriculum. Additionally, reduced travel dollars suggested the need to apply technology to minimize resident training. The expansion of technology into resident training would be justified by both greater instructional efficiency and superior instructional effectiveness. A three-phase approach was adopted to ensure that the processes of plan, do, and check were thoroughly completed before implementing a technology-enabled program to the DINFOS curriculum. Phase I gathered information about instructional technology and distance learning programs. In Phase II, a pilot project evaluated use of selected technologies with learners, instructors, and curriculum. The revised Public Affairs Officers Course, Reserve Component was selected for the pilot. Initial steps in the design and development of the pilot were taken with the intent of allowing evaluation of: (1) effectiveness of selected training media and technologies; (2) critical factors in administering a joint Armed Services distance learning program; and (3) the Services' response to the different delivery systems. (YLB)

This study used the case study method and focus group interviews to examine: (1) which of the economic impacts of a small liberal arts college on its community are important; (2) whether economic impact can be estimated economic impact studies; and (3) whether such studies influence public opinion about the college's economic impact. Two focus groups, each with nine participants, were conducted. The participants were community leaders in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, the home of Iowa Wesleyan College. After the first focus group, an economic impact study was conducted and its results disseminated via the local newspaper and a local radio station. Following dissemination, the second focus group was held. Both groups identified consumption benefits and college-related local business volume as the most important positive economic impacts of the college, and foregone real estate taxes as the major negative impact. The economic impact study had little or no effect on focus group attitudes and no participants in the second group mentioned hearing or reading about the study results. Results suggest economic impact studies may be ineffective for public relations since they do not promote consumption benefits, they estimate unimportant impacts, and they do not change attitudes about the economic importance of colleges. (Contains 14 references.) (DB)

The experience of Maryland in implementing large scale assessment in the context of school reform is explored. The ways in which the state Department of Education has worked with divergent groups to build a continuing and strong school reform program are discussed. In 1987 Maryland's governor created a Commission on School Performance. This was the first time that a major educational reform in the state was not directed by the education community. In carrying out recommendations of this Commission, the Department of Education has faced challenges in the following areas: (1) the changing nature of learning in the information age; (2) changing expectations of the public; (3) increasingly large amounts of state and local money needed to fund education; (4) changes in the student population and increased student diversity; and (5) the national politicalization of education. Support from the state's governor, its Board of Education, the legislature, local school systems, teacher, parents, the community, the Religious Right, and businesses has been crucial to the implementation of reform, including the reform of assessment. The process known as reconstitution makes Maryland schools accountable for test results, and a strong test security program makes students accountable for individual results. Sustaining reforms will require a strong focus on public understanding and support and the involvement of the state legislature and the state's teachers. (SLD)

A model of educational policy development is reported that is democratic without being egalitarian. It provides a process for gathering information from all interested groups in a school district to construct a policy that is uniquely suited to that district. It was designed to help a small committee construct a teacher evaluation policy for a school district with 2,800 students. The steps of the model incorporate the beliefs of every sector of the school community without ignoring the experience and beliefs of others. The development process began with a committee of teachers and administrators who made plans for a committee of stakeholders that would include teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community representatives. This committee then asked questions of teachers, administrators, parents, and students about existing policies and, for groups other than teachers, their opinions of good teaching. Six areas of teacher competence were expanded to 14 standards. A scoring rubric incorporating the standards was developed and refined, and the final policy was presented to the school board for approval. In its second year, the policy appears to have met its goals for inclusion of the local vision of teaching and research on teacher development and evaluation. The development approach illustrated that not all groups have the same areas of knowledge, but all have a legitimate interest and some expertise to contribute to policy development. An appendix presents criteria for useful feedback developed through teacher response, the parent survey, and a questionnaire for students. (Contains 4 references.) (SLD)

This study investigated the perceptions of various stakeholders concerning the current and future roles and functions of the Middle East Technical University (METU), a leading large public university in Turkey. The data used in this paper were derived from a larger research project that was designed to assess the quality of various dimensions of METU. Personal interviews with a semi-structured format were conducted with a randomly selected group of 80 individuals representing faculty members, students, administrators, graduates, parents, and managers of public and private agencies were conducted. Overall, the study found that in the three domains of teaching, research, and service, METU was seen as adhering to the typical university in the West. Teaching was rated as the primary current function of the university by most respondents. However, interviewees' expectations on the university's future functions rates the three domains almost equally. Interviewees also ascribed to the university the additional roles of providing leadership in economic and social development, in international or global orientation, and in student character formation and development. (Contains 29 references.) (Author/JLS)

This paper summarizes the results of a university case study that explored the process of demonstrating institutional trustworthiness and factors that influenced the institution's bid for trustworthy status. Interviews were conducted with 14 administrators and faculty, while volumes of institutional history, archival documents, and press coverage were reviewed. It was found that strategies for demonstrating institutional trustworthiness centered on a consistent portrayal of the institution as trustworthy because of its attention to realizing high-priority public goods, its institutional engagements for responding to societal needs, and the integrity and personal regard embodied by representatives on behalf of the institution. As respondents sought to demonstrate this trustworthiness, however, they were mindful of conditions or circumstances often beyond their direct control--that could facilitate or hinder perceptions of trustworthiness. A generally positive influence on public confidence in the university was respondents' involvement in the community. The administration's perceived lack of faithfulness to academic traditions of collegiality and faculty self-governance led many to question institutional integrity and trustworthiness. Virtually all respondents expressed concern about accurate media coverage of the university and its effect on public trust. (Contains 35 references.) (MDM)

Long Island, New York, including Nassau and Suffolk Counties, is a patchwork of small ethnically, racially, and economically segregated towns organized into 126 school districts. School funding patterns and problems conform to racial, ethnic, and class lines. Predominantly minority school districts generally have higher property tax rates, fewer commercial properties, lower per-pupil spending, and the least satisfactory academic performance as measured by standardized tests. During the last decade, active anti-tax, anti-government, conservative political groups, elected officials, and school boards have emerged in a number of Long Island communities. These groups tend to oppose increased school funding, but support the local property tax system because it allows for greater local control over spending and tax rates. In many communities, the overwhelming issue is the objection to paying to educate "other people's children." Support for costly microdistricts (taxpayers are also opposed to district consolidation) and local control over schools on Long Island is also a result of deep racial and class division. The system that promotes inequalities in education reflects the desire of relatively affluent predominantly White and Asian communities to avoid responsibility for problems in neighboring communities where students are largely African American and Latino. The situation on Long Island has national significance, in that the pattern and politics of Long Island's public school system may well be replicated on a broader scale. In this unjust system, school funding that wins majority support denies equal education to minority children. (Contains 45 references.) (SLD)

This paper discusses the results of a Phi Delta Kappa study (1996) of core values in the schools, focusing on student and teacher perceptions of alcohol and drug use and sexual behavior among high school students. The study involved 2,125 teachers and 2,429 students. About three-fourths of the students were white, Catholic, middle-class, and attended parochial schools. It found that 79 percent of teachers thought that students would answer affirmatively that they sometimes used alcohol when encouraged to do so by friends, that 51 percent of teachers thought that students would answer affirmatively regarding drug use, and that 69 percent thought that students would answer affirmatively in regard to engaging in sexual activity. Student responses indicated that 32 percent of parochial students and 22 percent of public school students reported using alcohol, 15 percent of parochial school and 18 percent of public school students reported using drugs, and that 38 percent of parochial and 59 percent of public school students reported engaging in sexual activity. The paper discusses the results in light of public, media, and teacher perceptions of alcohol and drug use and sexual behavior among teenagers, along with the morality of such behaviors. (MDM)