With goals of fostering an intellectual atmosphere, building relationships, and increasing students' involvement on campus--and, ultimately, their rates of retention--universities around the country, including Elon, Michigan State, and Southern Methodist, are looking to residence life. House systems, residential neighborhoods, and living-learning…

A major task of social work doctoral programs is preparing the next generation of researchers and educators in the profession. To develop competence in generating new knowledge relevant to social work practice and disseminating it to future practitioners, doctoral candidates need to master a broad and complicated set of theoretical, empirical, and…

Most of the scholarship on gifted Black children focuses, legitimately, in a disproportionate way on underrepresentation, namely, identification and placement issues, barriers, and recommendations. Comparatively speaking, less attention has focused on socio-emotional (or affective) and psychological needs and development of these students.…

This article discusses how teachers in child care and elementary schools learn to work with Reggio-inspired pedagogical documentation. While teachers grasp the value of such documentation theoretically, it is most challenging but exciting to use in practical settings. Documentation illuminates teacher theories about children's understanding:…

Literature on retention for first-year students appears to focus on the emotional, interpersonal, and financial problems these students face when beginning their post-secondary education. The article accepts the importance of these issues and their effect on retention. However, the article suggests that there are other issues that should be…

Surveys of employers continually highlight the need for better communication skills among recent college graduates. Yet, writing instruction in higher education serves far more than a transactional purpose. Writing facilitates learning, helps students gain skills in analysis and synthesis, and supports a range of other personal and intellectual…

The purpose of this paper is to provide an operational definition of college readiness that differs in scope from current representations of this concept. This paper suggests that, although much has been learned about this phenomenon, particularly during the past 20 years, few systematic attempts have been made to integrate the various aspects or…

This essay argues the importance of teacher preparation programs establishing holistic programs that have a solid intellectual, philosophic foundation that goes beyond a set of prescribed outcomes. In holistic programs, understanding "why" becomes as important as knowing "how." Teacher education students have a right to expect to go beyond…

Most American students enter college at a time when they are still forging their identities and seeking a place in the world. Yet many or most of today's students are increasingly dependent on their parents and stay more firmly connected to previous support networks via the "electronic tether" than did their predecessors. In this article, the…

Racial and ethnic disproportionality in gifted education is a persistent and perennial inequity in many school districts. This report describes the root causes of this disproportionality and discusses ways in which this issue can be addressed. Whereas most of the attention has been paid to assessment, specifically the use of nonverbal tests to…

Dominion High School opened its doors in fall 2003 in the highly diverse, fast-growing region of Loudoun County, Virginia, with a student body of nearly 700 students in grades 9-11. A dedicated faculty and a supportive community welcomed students to the school and began working toward a collaborative vision that promoted the success of every…

Although high-needs schools rarely provide extensive scaffolding for beginning educators, liberal arts colleges that are committed to the moral and intellectual development of teachers can serve a pivotal role in helping their candidates choose such schools and commit to serving in them for the long term. This article describes ways in which…

This study is a follow up to the Last Best Chance report published in 1989. A task force of 29 education leaders was challenged to help chart the course for middle level education in North Carolina. While examining middle level education (ages 11 through 14), task force members continuously asked, "What should it look like in order for all…

Reviews deep structure learning objectives that are capacities and skills required for critical thinking. Explores the implications of the sociology curriculum as well as strategies that foster deep structure learning. Examines ironies that instructors can use to enhance critical thinking. Includes references. (CMK)

Honors programs are reviewed that use diversity in presentation, approach, and educational context to foster intellectual development. They individualize instruction and encourage students both to form partnerships in learning and to develop their own strategies for integrating information. (MSE)