Test security is not an end in itself; it is important because we want to be able to make valid interpretations from test scores. In this article, I propose a framework for comprehensive test security systems: prevention, detection, investigation, and resolution. The article discusses threats to test security, roles and responsibilities, rigorous…

This article describes the creation of a First Year Experience learning community in a teacher education program. The First Year Experience model was adopted by the university because of declining enrollment, retention, and graduation rates and has been generally successful in the education department. With little information available for teacher…

This feature has told stories of high school physical educators who have refused to accept the status quo of high school physical education programs. They have identified problems, initiated innovations in their own classes, implemented changes beyond their classes, and moved toward institutionalizing improvements throughout their programs and…

To reform a special education teacher preparation program can be gratifying, difficult, complex, political, and urgently needed. The Monarch Center, a federally funded technical assistance center, was established to guide and support minority-serving institutions in their efforts to improve their teacher preparation programs. Four guidelines…

In response to the rapid development of digital libraries over the past decade, researchers have focused on the use of metadata as an effective means to support resource discovery within online repositories. With the increasing involvement of libraries in digitization projects and the growing number of institutional repositories, it is anticipated…

Areas of our country are headed toward significant social and political unrest if education ignores the demographic trends reshaping our schools. This article describes how one teacher training program in South Carolina examined its cultural context, accreditation standards, and course offerings to restructure its curriculum to address cultural…

When the bell rings at the end of a school day, millions of children are left to their own devices while they wait for their families to return home at the end of the work day. Findings from a study conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, "America After 3PM," show that 15.1 million children are unsupervised when the school day ends. The…

The credibility of universities is at stake over the issue of athletics; college and university officers must exercise control. Ten guides to action are presented including: accept responsibility, establish campus rules, reject justification for shoddy practices, and know what is going on. (MLW)

Feeling that social studies has been sidelined by a test-driven focus on math and English/language arts, subject-matter specialists from more than a dozen states met last week with representatives of content-area groups to brainstorm ways to improve academic standards in that subject. The two-day gathering in Charlotte, N.C., is the third convened…

Based on informal discussions with personnel at selected federal agencies and private sector organizations and on additional research, this publication addresses issues and problems of software maintenance and suggests actions and procedures which can help software maintenance organizations meet the growing demands of maintaining existing systems.…

As a CIO leading an IT department through change and reorganization, the author developed the Enterprise Compass--a four-point guide to reaching goals and focusing achievement. The Enterprise Compass directs staff to look forward to future accomplishment, back for performance assessments, across campus for better understanding of practical working…

Transition planning for young people with special educational needs is a crucial but often overlooked element of social inclusion. While there is now considerable official guidance on how to manage the school leaving process for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, little is known about how to make effective transitions…

If out-of-school-time (OST) programs are to achieve success in promoting positive youth development and learning, they must attract young people and maintain their consistent participation and long-term attendance. It is generally perceived that recruitment can be difficult, especially as youth grow older. A commentary on several recent large…

In order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, states must collect valid data as needed to report annually to the Secretary of Education. This requirement, combined with those set forth in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, has led states to collect and analyze data about their programs, districts,…

In an effort to be comprehensive, schools often outline sweeping plans for improvement in multiple goal areas. Although well-intended, the efforts may be either too diffuse to have much impact, or so overwhelming that staff become immobilized. A school that chooses to proceed in too limited a manner, on the other hand, may run the risk of…