The purpose of our mixed-methods study was to examine the motivations and obstacles associated with curricular revisions in music education degree programs. During Phase I, we surveyed a nationwide sample (N = 533) of music education program coordinators. Participants who had engaged in the curriculum revision process within the previous decade…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Organizing for Learning Improvement: What It Takes (Andrea M. Pope and Keston H. Fulcher); (2) Editor's Notes: The Leadership Imperatives for Assessment Excellence -- Imperative #2, Attracting and Retaining Talent to Support Assessment Excellence (Stephen P. Hundley);…

School principals are charged with complex responsibilities that can include developing a school vision and culture, supporting teacher effectiveness, managing challenges and crises, communicating with the greater community, and more. However, recent research and surveys of school administrators indicate that principal preparation programs do not…

School principals are charged with complex responsibilities that can include developing a school vision and culture, supporting teacher effectiveness, managing challenges and crises, communicating with the greater community, and more. However, recent research and surveys of school administrators indicate that principal preparation programs do not…

Shenandoah Valley Governor's School is an Academic-Year Governor's School sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education. In addition to state funding, three local school districts support the school's STEM and Arts and Humanities programs. Juniors and seniors from seven high schools attend this shared-day, selective regional school. This…

Inquiry-guided learning (IGL) has widespread appeal in higher education as a suite of teaching strategies that promotes learning through students' increasingly independent investigation of questions, problems, and issues using the methods of inquiry of the disciplines. Framed as especially appropriate for research universities, IGL has been…

The term "assessment" sends shivers down academic spines. For faculty, it signals marching orders from external parties who may or may not appreciate the subtle and not always quantifiable value of faculty efforts. For administrators, it means the dual challenge of recalibrating internal measures to meet external mandates but also…

Lists of project accomplishments and the complete third-party evaluation report constitute the major contents of this final report of a three-year project to assist Bedford County Public Schools (Virginia) in implementation of a model for K-14 career education. Major conclusions reported are these: (1) A comprehensive plan for career development…

This third party evaluation examines the activities of the 1975-76 school year, which were part of a 3-year program in Bedford County, Virginia, to implement the Career Education NOW! Model for Career Education Curriculum, K-14, for a Rural-Urban School District. Results of the evaluation are organized around three major information areas of…

This report documents a 2-year research and development project aimed at determining the effects of interdisciplinary teamed instruction (ITI) on teaching and learning. The study also sought to validate the effectiveness of a professional development model that would facilitate development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer…

This report emphasizes the rationale for and procedures of a high school graduate follow-up telephone survey in Hampton, Virginia, conducted on classes of even-numbered years. The survey instrument and charts of results from 1982-86 comprise over three-fourths of the document. The follow-up survey was initiated to gather information for a school…

This document presents the proceedings of the 2003 annual meeting of the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE). These proceedings record the 65th Annual Meeting of ACHE held in Charlottesville, Virginia. President Allen Varner's theme for this annual meeting was, "Continuing Education in the Era of Quantum Change." The theme…

A longitudinal study examined adult basic education (ABE) in Virginia between 1970 and 1985. (The first study was conducted in 1970, the second in 1978, and the third in 1985.) Data for the 1985 study were collected from survey instruments mailed to all state department ABE personnel, local ABE supervisors, learning center coordinators, and ABE…

The collection of articles addresses current issues in adult and adult basic education in Virginia communities. Titles include: "Goal-Setting in the New River Valley: Teachers' Perceptions and Strategies" (Sue Barton); "What Happens When ESL Students Experience Authentic Work Situations?" (Pat Bowyer); "Orientation to…