Schools are pivoting to rebound from the negative effects the COVID-19 pandemic created for student development, academic achievement, and school culture. As all school constituencies collaborate to reinstitute normalcy, support student development, and maximize academic achievement, extracurricular activities may become more essential than ever.…

One of the most important educational objectives of high school is to teach critical-thinking skills, and no class does this better than strategic debate. Professor Mike Allen, lead author in a definitive study on debate and critical thinking, lauded debate's promotion of critical-thinking skills. Additionally, researcher Joe Bellon discusses the…

Five goals are suggested for making a choral festival benefit participants musically: (1) meet the specific musical needs of the students; (2) expose students to a guest conductor; (3) acquaint students with a challenging repertory; (4) develop performance techniques; and (5) introduce teacher-conductors to rehearsal techniques. (Author/SJL)

What should a student activities program be? What should it provide? Who should be responsible for its organization and smooth operation? Answers these questions in a discussion of this important part of every school's total program. (Editor/RK)

A definition of excellence for campus activities and some methods for achieving it are offered. Eight standards to enhance the achievement of excellence are discussed including: institutional support, philosophy statement, theoretical base, professional staff, focus on student, high expectations, student involvement, and assessment and feedback.…

Intellectualism and impersonalism are seen as making many academic activities miseducative. It is advocated that academics organize curricular and extracurricular activities to direct students toward an understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. [This issue commemorates JHE's 50th year. Reprints of notable articles (HE 511…

This review of the literature considers three issues: how out-of-class experiences of undergraduates contribute to the goals of higher education and valued outcomes; the institutional conditions that encourage students to use out-of-class time in educationally purposeful ways; and the role of all members of the campus community to foster such…

This study compared the perceptions of Boise State University (BSU) students with those of other four-year college enrollees in the areas of importance of educational outcomes, college contributions to reaching educational outcomes, personal growth in a variety of areas, and college contributions to personal growth. The study used the American…

The Association of American Colleges' (AAC) Project on Redefining the Meaning and Purpose of Baccalaureate Degrees is described. The Project has three purposes: to promote and facilitate a nationwide discussion and consensus about the meaning of baccalaureate degrees; to identify and define appropriate knowledge, intellectual proficiencies, and…

An input-output model for studying student outcomes is examined, along with the results of a longitudinal study using this approach. An Entering Student Survey was designed to measure characteristics of incoming students, including demographics, expectations, and aspirations. A Follow-up Survey measured outcomes that were relevant to the college's…

The College of Saint Teresa's value-based educational program, known as "Design for Choicemakers," is described. The program is designed to foster students' holistic learning and personal development, based on cooperation among the academic affairs, student affairs, and pastoral affairs offices. The links between the curriculum and…