This article discusses one part of the data from a larger research project that sought to identify factors that secondary school teachers of design and technology (D&T) in England felt may have contributed to the decline in entries at GCSE level within the subject. This study was designed to ensure the teacher's voice could be heard. Research…

What is the significance of closure in mentoring relationships? This small-scale study explores mentors' reflections on coming to closure in preparing to end long-term mentoring relationships. It was conducted during the final term of mentoring on a three-year accredited national programme aimed at supporting the learning and development of early…

Evaluation designs for social programs are developed assuming minimal or no disruption from external shocks, such as natural disasters. This is because extremely rare shocks may not make it worthwhile to account for them in the design. Among extreme shocks is the 2010 Chile earthquake. Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), an ongoing early childhood program in…

The Netherlands' use of an ad hoc interinstitutional committee of university board members during a period of retrenchment is described which resulted in a plan to close a number of university departments and to terminate many small and not very successful research programs. (MSE)

A nationwide process in the Netherlands is discussed in which a number of specific disciplines were concentrated in one or a few Dutch universities. The decisive roll of political arguments and consequences for future government and academic planning are addressed. Both universities and government believed that ongoing retrenchment could no longer…

How institutional research can improve the quality of institutional performance of colleges and universities in the face of funding constraints is discussed. An example of the use of instructional research to assist in documenting institutional quality in Australia is noted. Institutional research uses data collection, analysis, and interpretation…