The foundation degree is an intermediate-level qualification designed to widen participation in higher education while providing work-related skills and knowledge. It has a vocational focus and a pedagogic approach that integrates academic and work-based learning. Research into opportunities and the process of learning within foundation degrees is…

Background: Critical thinking is one of the very highest orders of cognitive abilities and a key competency in higher education. Asking questions is an important component of rich learning experiences, structurally embedded in the operations of critical thinking. Our clear sense is that critical thinking and, within that, critical questioning, is…

This article presents a case study of the school finance controversy in Texas with special emphasis on the results of two school finance bills enacted in successive sessions of the legislature. (Author/IRT)

Many community colleges are struggling to find alternative sources of funding. This article presents a case study of a community college that established a foundation. It examines why the foundation was begun, what factors influenced its development, and how it has evolved over time. Contains 41 references. (TGO)

What happens to fine public school systems when equalization causes expenditures to be cut back to some level that is determined outside the community? Offers a case study from the two-school New Trier High School district on Chicago's suburban North Shore. (Author/RK)

This report presents recommendations to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to guide it in assessing its initiatives in science education. The report outlines appropriate goals, procedures, arrangements, and resources necessary to establish an effective set of assessment practices that build on existing assessment activities in the Foundation,…

In supporting science education, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is, in some instances, funding the enrichment experiences of individual students, but more often it is supporting efforts to improve complex, decentralized education systems. Many feel that the Foundation's best chance for success lies in a grant support strategy that targets…

This project is concerned with the development of procedures and plans for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to use in assessing its initiatives on an ongoing basis. This work is meant to complement another review of NSF's investment opportunities by estabishing a sound basis for designing and carrying out assessments aimed at any of the…

This book presents 11 case studies of effective partnership fundraising at various institutions of higher education. After a foreword by Peter McE. Buchanan and a preface and introduction by Frank H.T. Rhodes, chapters are: (1) Successful Fund Rising at a Large Private Research University: Cornell University (Frank H. T. Rhodes and Inge T.…