More than four thousand students engage in the community-based learning capstone program every year by enrolling in one of 240 senior-level courses that culminate their undergraduate education. In this article, the author shares the context and history of the program, its foundational principles and processes, and the nuts-and-bolts details of the…

The American educational system has often been the whipping boy for the woes of the country. If there is a problem, education is deemed to most likely be at fault. A change in the marketplace, coupled with both the continuing social needs and social changes from the 1960s, left the educational system looking woefully derelict. Having fully…

Various approaches to the professional development school (PDS)--each designed for its respective audience, mission, and purpose for engagement--have shaped the professional development school effort during the past 25 years. Central to these approaches is improving teacher quality in the service of student learning. This provides direction for…

In this paper we present a history of the idea of Open Educational Resources, overview the current state of the Open Educational Resources movement, report on critical issues facing the field in the immediate future, and present two new projects to watch in 2009.

This article traces the development of the OpenCourseWare movement, including the origin of the concept at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the implementation of the MIT OpenCourseWare project, and the idea's spread into the global educational community, ultimately resulting in the formation of the OpenCourseWare Consortium. The…

This article presents an interview with Chere Campbell Gibson, a professor emerita in the School of Human Ecology and graduate program in Continuing and Vocational Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gibson shares her years of experience in distance education, discusses her book titled "Distance Learners in Higher Education:…

Drawing on an analysis of the history of the area of endeavour known, in South Africa, as Academic Development and, internationally, as Educational Development, this article argues the need for a Third Generation model of Academic Development Practice in South Africa. The Third Generation model links Academic Development with quality management…

Today's vocational education program can be traced to basic principles established during the formative period of vocational education. Although the implementation of vocational education may change, basic principles continue to stand. Four points of view, randomly selected from the past 200 years, which seem to be present in vocational education…

In this article, the author introduces whole schooling and its role within: to work towards positive change in schooling. The author discusses what led educators to the idea of creating schools that are more effective, engaging, and joyful places of growth and development for children.

This dissertation provides historical insight into the design and implementation of one strategic plan of a public higher education system in an effort to inform future similar strategic planning processes. On July 1, 1994, the Board of Regents appointed Stephen R. Portch the ninth Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. The timing was…

This case study describes the Central Asylum for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb in Canajoharie, NY, a public school that existed from 1823 to 1835. The study illustrates how a small group of communities with limited funds met a need for the education of persons who were deaf. (Contains references.) (CR)

Historical essays examine the characteristics of the education professoriate and its quest for a science of education. The first paper shows how the expansion of public schooling in the early nineteenth century prompted school personnel to look for a science of education in order to improve their practice and schools, and to gain recognition for…

The author discusses the 1990s trend in schools in Lipetsk Oblast to back away from previous policies of including social, cultural, civic and moral training for students. During the same period, says the writer, parents began to show less interest in the effectiveness of instruction and upbringing. These combined trends resulted in increased…

Several factors may interfere with the effective collaboration between universities and K-12 schools, a key element in the process of establishing and operating professional development schools (PDSs). These factors relate to differences in school and university cultures and the impact of these differences on the respective faculties. Among the…

One of five articles on professional development schools in this theme issue. Describes the establishment of a professional development school reflecting Holmes Group principles by the University of Utah/Salt Lake City School District partnership. Discusses several dilemmas, including: didactic versus constructivist views of teaching and learning,…