Following the establishment of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in England and Northern Ireland in 2005, several institutions have used these to pursue specific pedagogical approaches at a strategic level, in line with and building on existing institutional strategic thinking. Technology-enhanced learning is often one of the…

In this statement, Katherine M. Iritani, Acting Director, Health Care reports that dental disease remains a significant problem for children in Medicaid. Although dental services are a mandatory benefit for the 30 million children served by Medicaid, these children often experience elevated levels of dental problems and have difficulty finding…

This report is a product of an ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) seminar on the first external evaluations of quality assurance agencies, held in Paris in July 2008. The seminar took stock of the achieved reviews of agencies to learn lessons from these first outcomes and, hence, provided a platform for…

In federal arts education policy, supporting special events means that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) promotes visiting artists in the schools or partnerships between schools and professional presenting organizations. An ideal NEA, however, subordinates that to the larger task of promoting continuous local funding for sequential,…

The components of a successful school are clear. Many educators can easily list them: high expectations for all students, a safe and orderly learning environment, strong instructional leadership, highly qualified teachers, data-driven decision making, etc. Then why don't more schools change the what they are doing to mirror them? Knowing the…

Children's access to Medicaid dental services is a long-standing concern. The tragic case of a 12-year-old boy who died from an untreated infected tooth that led to a fatal brain infection renewed attention to this issue. He was enrolled in Medicaid--a joint federal and state program that provides health care coverage, including dental care, for…

Achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) forms the central focus of many donor agencies' policies, resulting in a renewed focus on basic education. This paper explores the different perspectives of donors and the Government of Rwanda (GoR) with regard to education and training. GoR discourse mirrors the international poverty reduction…

Discusses the changing adoption field, including services needed by the children, biological parents, and adoptive parents. (DP)

The U.S. Department of Education is conducting several activities to address privacy and security issues related to education data. Earlier this year a contractor for the Department convened a group of privacy and security experts and produced a report with recommendations to the Department on ways they can address emerging challenges in…

This paper examines the discourses framing citizenship education in Ukraine and Russia from "perestroika" to the present and assesses the role of the Council of Europe in promoting democratic citizenship in both countries. We argue that there is a tension between the discourses of active citizenship, strongly disseminated by…

In this brief rejoinder to Professor St.Pierre, the author focuses on two points: the purposes, origins, and role of the National Academy of Sciences (and its constituent units); and the importance of rigorous evidence in the pursuit of education policy and reform.

The role of the staff members of California's Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing needs to be clarified. As it is now, it is difficult to distinguish whether they are to act as advocates or judges of institutional programs. (HMD)

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has no comprehensive policy and philosophy for the certification of teachers. Six issues have most relevance to a more inclusive position: The union should review its resolution regarding certification based on "general education" in light of changes in the professional and academic…

The value of national standards for state library agencies is discussed. Such standards can be used to assist in agency improvement in various states. (Author)

The part played by the serials librarian and by the subscription agent in library acquisitions is described by a serials librarian and a subscription agent. (NH)