by Thomas Sowell (1992)
Our educational establishment -- a vast tax-supported empire existing quasi-independently within American society -- is morally and intellectually bankrupt, charges distinguished economist and social critic Thomas Sowell. And in this top-to-bottom tour of the mismanaged institutions, cynical leadership, and tendentious programs of American education, Sowell exposes the numerous "deceptions and dogmas" that have concealed or sought to justify the steep and very dangerous decline in our educational standards and practices across the board. Among the more serious ills of American education are the technically sophisticated brainwashing techniques now being applied to children and teenagers in so-called "affective education" programs; the special "peace" and "nuclear" education programs that actively promote "politically correct" attitudes; the "values clarification" and sex education curricula that portray parental and religious authority figures as agents of a repressive and unjust social and political orthodoxy; and the racial "mini-establishments" created on college campuses by minority demagogues and complaisant administrators that enshrine a self-serving ideological double standard, thus betraying the real interests of minority students. Sowell's exhaustively researched investigation draws particular attention to the wide array of textbooks and other instructional materials, promoted with astonishing success by a multi-million dollar industry styling itself a "secular humanist" movement, which fosters these ideas -- ideas that are not just anti-American, Sowell maintains, but essentially totalitarian in character. These sinister curricular developments, combined with often cowardly and irresponsible management more concerned about institutional image and ranking than with fiscal integrity or a commitment to educate our youth, will breed disaster unless immediate steps are taken to reform the entire educational system. - Jacket flap.
Alexey Voinov
Modeling is a key component to sciences from mathematics to life science, including environmental and ecological studies. This book shows how models can be analyzed using simple math and software to generate meaningful qualitative descriptions of system dynamics.
Lawrence L. Martin, Peter M. Kettner
Government and nongovernment human service providers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their programs work. As stakeholders demand accountability, providers are turning to performance measurement as a way of demonstrating the efficiency, quality, and effectiveness of their programs. Measuring the Performance of Human Service Programs examines the reasons why performance measurement is rapidly becoming an essential component of human service management today. The authors explain in detail how to measure and assess programs with special emphasis on the various types of outcome measures, including numeric accounts, standardized measures, level of functioning scales, and client satisfaction. As a special feature, the authors include a detailed case study with exercises to illustrate the book's concepts. . Offering guidance on how to assess client outcomes, this comprehensive volume will be ideal for social work researchers and administrators.
David Friedman and Kevin DeCorla-Souza
This guidebook is designed to help identify and evaluate risks and uncertainties with respect to fuel prices. The guide also describes tools and techniques for minimizing the impact of fuel price uncertainties over time. The guidebook introduces the concept of fuel price risk management, identifies alternative purchasing strategies, and outlines steps necessary to implement a risk management program. It defines and evaluates alternative cost-effective fuel purchasing strategies designed to benefit public transportation agencies of varying sizes, and it provides a management framework to assist transit agencies through the fuel purchasing process.
Willem Molle
"This book examines global economic institutions critically. It presents an accessible, fluid history of globalization and explains how global public goods should be defined, how global economic institutions work, and it looks at the effect that major organizations such as the WTO, IMF, UNEP, etc., have on trade, finance, the environment, and so on. Students and academics interested in international business and economics will find this book a useful tool. Researchers, business consultants, policy-makers and so forth may yet come to see this volume as indispensable."--Jacket.