The author describes the aptly-named "Better Beginnings" early childhood literacy project. Conducted by the State Library of Western Australia, sponsored by the WA State Government and Rio Tinto Limited, and closely monitored by Edith Cowan University, "Better Beginnings" has been successful from the outset, with proven…

Philadelphia's Constitution High School (CHS) is committed both to the theory of education for democracy, and to its practice, as reflected by a school constitution, student elections, town hall meetings, and active student participation in school government. As its name indicates, CHS is a theme-based high school that focuses on history,…

In this article, the author explores the theme of inclusion. Inclusion is one of the themes within the recent Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) publication: "Engaging mathematics for all learners" and the author had the good fortune to participate in this project. This involved working with five schools which, frivolously, all had a…

When designed and executed properly, role-playing simulations go a long way to enhance student learning. Typically, however, simulations are divided along subfields. Most exercises, whether based on real or fictitious events, either place students in various roles within a country or have them represent the international interests of one country…

Canada emerged as a nation through a confederation of provinces beginning in 1867. Since that time, responsibility for educational endeavors at all levels (elementary, secondary, and tertiary) has been assigned to the provincial governments, a responsibility they zealously guard. The federal government's role is to provide monies or transfer…

The Assessment-Intervention of Student Problems (AISP) model provides a comprehensive process for understanding and helping students who are either having problems themselves or are causing problems for others on campus. There are three parts to the model: (1) the assessment of the student; (2) the campus intervention team; and (3) the…

This article features the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) Sustainable Development Programme, a two-week course designed for university students from a wide variety of disciplines, with an interest in sustainability and cross-cultural studies. The two-week programme provides cross-disciplinary understanding and practical experience of…

Increasingly administrators are concerned with inspiring and supporting faculty members in the creation of interdisciplinary programs in response to research and funding shifts and public need. This article presents an initiative undertaken at the University of Colorado Denver, demonstrating a method for identifying and launching a set of…

Human language is a rich and complex part of human behaviour that can be studied in many ways. The author and his colleagues are developing an application that accepts simple texts as input and presents an animated display of characters acting out the text. It mimics the human visualization of texts, the so-called Theatre of the Mind. In so doing,…

Understanding the dynamics of financial support for continuing higher education students requires an understanding of the numerous programs that support adult learners. These include basic and family literacy programs, workforce education programs, programs administered under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Title IV…

The University of South Carolina Upstate requested permission of the USC Board of Trustees in September 2007 to undertake planning to locate its business school in downtown Spartanburg. Since that request millions of dollars in private donations have been raised, including the naming of the business school as the George Dean Johnson Jr. College of…

This article features two exemplary programs in health education practice: (1) Project L.E.A.P (Learning Effective and Applicable Parenting); and (2) A program that uses a pedestrian count tool to measure environmental and health promotion efforts. Project L.E.A.P. was developed by the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities to promote…

Darien Library, where the author serves as head of knowledge and learning services, launched a new website on September 1, 2008. The website is built with Drupal, an open source content management system (CMS). In this article, the author describes how she and her colleagues overhauled the library's website to provide an open source content…

This article discusses Research Blogging, a community-run nonprofit organization that is promoting a suite of blogging software to scholars. Research Blogging itself does two things. First, it extends an invitation to a community, and it is open to anyone. Second, it requires its users to follow guidelines. The combination of rigorous guidelines…

Mike Carbone has been the principal of Kickemuit Middle School in Warren, Rhode Island, since 1990. He's seen some bad times there before a dramatic turnaround. When asked what finally got his school's engine revved and moving the school forward, he said without hesitation: "Learning walks." In this article, the author describes how…