EDUCATIONAL-REFORM AND THE TRANSITION FROM AUTHORITARIAN TO DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS - THE CASES OF ARGENTINA, COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, AND SPAIN

The transition from an authoritarian to a democratic form of governmen t marks a turning point of historic proportions in the annals of any n ation. This paper asks the question, during the first decade following such a transition, do the newly democratized nations demonstrate any common patterns of educational reform? In exploring this issue, pre-an d post-transition comparisons were made in four Hispanic nations regar ding the critical areas of educational finance, curriculum development , student enrollment, and the concentration of power. The author used a conventional field study research methodology to gather data followi ng the transitions in Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela and Spain. (C) 19 97 Elsevier Science Ltd.