Alvin Thompson, former president of the California Council on the Education of Teachers (CCET), describes how he became involved with the CCET, and how the cultural environment of the CCET shifted from a "Pink Tea" society to one of political action focused on the real needs of the schools for which teachers are prepared. Thompson…

I consider Liam Gearon's critique of what he calls the politicisation and securitisation of religious education, focusing on his criticisms of a European research project, the Religion in Education: a Contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict in Transforming Societies of European Countries? (REDCo) project funded by the European Commission…

Although calls continue to establish certification, several certifications for human resource development (HRD) practitioners already exist, although none use the name HRD. This Forum explores what those certification programs are and what their availability means to the development of the HRD "brand" (the impressions of the service derived from…

As Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Duke University since 2002, Tracy Futhey has presided over programs such as the pioneering Duke Digital Initiative and its inventive use, beginning in 2004, with the distribution of iPods and iTunesU in higher education. Before Duke, Futhey spent seventeen years at…

The purpose of this essay is to describe quality teacher induction that has evolved from "fourth-wave" (1997-2006) teacher induction program development and research. A definition of quality induction is proposed, and a set of induction goals and components are outlined. Understandings gained from fourth-wave programs are described, including ways…

With burgeoning numbers of programs available for mid-life education, accurate descriptions of program objectives and rationale can help potential participants identify the programs that will meet their needs. (SK)

A growing body of literature on community gardening, watershed restoration, and similar "civic ecology" practices suggests avenues for integrating social and ecological outcomes in urban natural resources management. In this paper, we argue that an environmental education programme in which learning is situated in civic ecology practices…

Applying the business technique of management by objectives to high school business subjects calls for students to think about and set class goals for themselves, with teacher guidance and encouragement. Difficulties may include the additional time needed for the program and evaluations of different individual objectives. (MF)

Though extensive research has been conducted to measure educational outcomes in terms of quantity and cost, there has been little discussion or analysis of educational quality and its measurement. Quality may be defined in terms of whether a service or product meets or exceeds prespecified standards and can be measured in relation to defined…

An environmental education-oriented global studies program to promote attitudes of environmental stewardship can be implemented in K-12 rural school systems, as an integrated part of social studies instruction, without overburdening the curriculum, by using the Curriculum Organization and Program Evaluation (COPE) model. The model provides…

In this book comprised of six chapters, multiple aspects of competency based education (CBE) are discussed contextually by various authors in terms of the current educational climate wherein the primary emphasis is upon learning outcomes rather than the process of learning itself. To illuminate the notion of competence, Chapter 1 presents:…

Discusses outcome-based education as it has affected a high school district in Illinois. Discusses how journalism students could validate most of the required "general learner outcomes" through journalism courses and publications experiences alone. (SR)

The Music Performance Trust Funds (MPTF) is a national agency that sponsors live musical performances in schools, hospitals, clinics, senior citizen centers, penal institutions, and the like. In this interview a trustee for MPTF talks about the group's history and its commitment to quality performances in the schools. (RM)

Discusses the interplay of short- and long-term goals in developmental education, suggesting that long-term goals should provide the focus, stability, and motivation for short-term goals. Indicates that successful programs utilize strategic approaches to learning and use means which meet both sets of goals simultaneously. (MAB)

Describes a virtual workshop where participants across the United States learn by interacting with their own computers. Highlights the program's goals, audience activity, goals versus accomplishments, CPU usage, consulting, and effectiveness. (Author/VWL)