HOOVER INSTITUTION WINTER 2004 NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER FALL RETREAT TAKES ON TIMELY TOPICS PRESIDENT BUSH WITH SPEAKERS, PRESENTATIONS NOMINATES KORET TASK FORCE MEMBERS TO NATIONAL BOARD onstitutional law, education, racial discussed the strengths and weakness of quotas, nuclear weapons, tax U.S. leadership. In his talk, Ferguson FOR EDUCATION SCIENCES Cpolicy, and the future of California explored how far the Anglo-American hree members of the Hoover Insti- were among the many timely topics ideals of free markets, rule of law, and rep- tution’s Koret Task Force on K–12 addressed during the Hoover Institution’s resentative government can be maintained Education were nominated by Pres- Fall Director’s Retreat, October 26–28, and how far they can be exported or glob- T ident George W. Bush to the National 2003. continued on page 8 Board for Education Sciences. Hoover senior fellow Victor Davis Nominated were Eric A.Hanushek,Car- Hanson discussed “The War on Terrorism oline Hoxby, and Herbert Walberg. in a Classical Context,”and,in the course of Hanushek, who was nominated to a his talk, examined mythologies surround- two-year term, is the Paul and Jean Hanna ing war, their causes and how they are Senior Fellow in Education at Hoover. resolved. Hoxby, who was nominated to a four- “Wars are hard to start,”said Hanson, a year term, is a professor of economics at noted classicist and author, “Most states Harvard University and director of the know exactly what they’re doing and they Economics of Education Program for the take these precipitous steps because they National Bureau of Economic Research. think the risks are not as great as advan- Walberg , who was nominated to a three- tages accrued…and if one side perceives year term, is a professor emeritus in educa- that the other has lost deterrence.” tion at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Also addressing international issues was continued on page 2 Hoover senior fellow Niall Ferguson, who Victor Davis Hanson • INSIDE • THE BIG SHOW IN BOLOLAND IS ERIC HANUSHEK AWARDED FORDHAM PRIZE FOR COWINNER OF PRESTIGIOUS 2003 SCHOLARSHIP. 3 MARSHALL SHULMAN BOOK PRIZE CHANGING IRAN FOCUS OF CONFERENCE . 4 he Big Show in Bololand: The American Relief Expedition Q & A:WILLIAMSON EVERS to Soviet Russia in the Famine of 1921, written by Hoover ON ASSISTING IRAQ’S T research fellow Bertrand M. Patenaude, was named co- EDUCATION SYSTEM . 6 winner of the 2003 Marshall Shulman Book Prize. EXHIBIT ON IRELAND’S ‘TROUBLES’LATEST OFFERING continued on page 2 AT PAVILION. 15 HOOVER INSTITUTION News by and about Hoover fellows and the Institution updated daily. ONLINEONLINE Visit us at www.hoover.org KORET TASK FORCE ON K–12 EDUCATION continued from page 1 The Institute of Education Sciences is analysis of education policy. Task force The nominations were announced on within the Department of Education but activities have focused on and produced November 19 by the White House. functions as a separate office under the ideas and materials concerning school The National Board for Education Sci- direction of the newly established National reforms that are likely to succeed. ences, which was established in 2002 under Board for Education Sciences. The Task force members also ser ve as the Education Sciences Reform Act, is National Board for Education Sciences is editors, contributors, and members of the charged with overseeing the work of the composed of fifteen members appointed editorial board of Education Next: A Institute of Education Sciences. by the president. Journal of Opinion and Research, published This act overhauled the Office of Educa- The Koret Task Force on K–12 Educa- by the Hoover Institution. tional Research and Improvement and tion is the centerpiece of the Hoover Insti- The full text of the press release on the replaced it with the new Institute of Educa- tution’s Initiative on American Public Edu- nominations may be viewed at tion Sciences, which is designed to develop cation. Supported by the Koret Founda- http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/ and coordinate high-quality research, tion, the task force consists of a group of releases/2003/11/20031119-3.html gather statistics, evaluate programs, and national educational experts with estab- disseminate information. lished careers in systematic and scientific BOLOLAND IS COWINNER OF 2003 MARSHALL SHULMAN BOOK PRIZE continued from page 1 fairs/newsletter/02091/bololand.html and at the Stanford University Press web site at The award was made by the American http://www.sup.org/cgi-bin/search/ Association for the Advancement of Slavic book_desc.cgi?book_id=4467%204493. Studies (AAASS), in conjunction with the Also winning the Marshall Shulman Harriman Institute at Columbia Univer- Book Prize was Ted Hopf, associate profes- sity, on November 22 in Toronto, Ontario, sor of political science at the Ohio State Canada. At that time, AAASS presented its University for his monograph on the inter- annual awards for distinguished contribu- national behavior of the countries of the tions to Slavic studies and five book prizes. former Communist bloc, Social Construc- The AAASS is the leading private, non- tion of International Politics: Identities & profit organization dedicated to the Foreign Policies, Moscow, 1955 & 1999, advancement of knowledge about Russia, published by Cornell University Press. Central Eurasia, and Eastern and Central Founded in 1948, the American Associ- Europe. ation for the Advancement of Slavic The Big Show in Bololand is based on Studies, a nonprofit, nonpolitical, scholarly materials in the Hoover Institution society, brings together over 3,000 scholars Archives and was published by Stanford interested in the culture, history, and lan- University Press. It portrays an American guages of the region’s peoples, and their relief expedition to Soviet Russia in 1921 to Bertrand M. Patenaude economic and political systems, and gives mitigate the impact of the famine that coherence to a field that covers a multitude killed millions. The award committee underpinnings and consequences of the of academic disciplines and diverse praised Patenaude’s work for being “an out- rescue mission.” interests. standing example of lively and engaging Information about the book is available prose, impressive historical research, and on the Hoover Institution web site at persuasive analysis of the diplomatic http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaf- 2 ERIC HANUSHEK AWARDED member of the Koret Task Force on K–12 Education and a professor emeritus at the FORDHAM FOUNDATION PRIZE University of Virginia. The Thomas B. FOR DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARSHIP Fordham Prize for Valor is awarded to a leader who has made major contributions ric A. Hanushek,Paul and Jean scholar who to education reform via noteworthy Hanna Senior Fellow, has been has made accomplishments at the national, state, Eawarded the Fordham Foundation’s major contri- local, and/or school level. 2004 Prize for Distinguished Scholarship. butions to The press release on the award may be The announcement was made on January education viewed at the Fordham Foundation site 26. reform via http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/g Hanushek, a member of the Hoover research, Eric A. Hanushek lobal/page.cfm?id=199. Institution Koret Task Force on K–12 Edu- analysis, and At http://www.edexcellence.net/doc/ cation,was cited for his passion to improve successful engagement in the war of ideas. FordhamEducationPrizes2004.pdf is a full the education of disadvantaged and In 2003, the first Thomas B. Fordham profile of Hanushek, his work, and his life, minority children, beliefs about the K–12 Prize for Distinguished Scholarship was along with that of the winner of the Foun- education system, challenge of conven- awarded to Paul Peterson, a member of the dation’s 2004 Prize for Valor, Howard L. tional wisdom about schooling, and deep Koret Task Force for K–12 Education and a Fuller, distinguished professor of educa- commitment to the cause of public professor of education at Harvard Univer- tion and founder/director of the Institute schools. sity. for the Transformation of Learning at The Thomas B. Fordham Prize for Dis- The recipient of the first Fordham Prize Marquette University. tinguished Scholarship is awarded to a for Valor in 2003 was E.D. Hirsch Jr., also a AUTHOR, ACTIVIST PHILIP HOWARD CALLS FOR RETURN director John Raisian and Hoover overseer Tad Taube, president of the Koret Founda- TO COMMON SENSE IN USE OF LAW DURING TALK tion, to address the national debate over AT KORET TASK FORCE DINNER public education. The task force is a joint endeavor of the ducation reform has come to be the law is rigid, when we have too many Hoover Institution and the Koret Founda- viewed as a legal problem, a perspec- rules the law is overarching, and so-called tion of San Francisco, its primary sponsor. Etive that encourages frivolous law- due process—to protect individuals against Task force members are Hoover fellows suits that breed distrust of the law and the government power—is being misused. Williamson M. Evers, Chester Finn, Eric U.S. education system, according to Philip “If you are running a school, you need to Hanushek, Terry Moe, and Paul E. Peterson Howard, attorney, author, and activist with have authority and discretion. We need to and Hoover distinguished visiting fellows the organization Common Good. restore this authority to have good schools John E. Chubb, Paul Hill, E. D. Hirsch Jr., “We have lost the ability to make good and not misuse the law,”he added. Caroline Hoxby, Diane Ravitch, and choices,” said Howard,who spoke to a Howard, the chairman of the ground- Herbert J. Walberg. dinner audience gathered on January 15 breaking bipartisan legal reform organiza- The Koret Task Force forms the center- during meetings of the Koret Task Force on tion Common Good, is also the author of piece of the Hoover Institution’s Initiative K–12 Education.