Prior to the late 1960s, physical education professional preparation programs in the United States were principally concerned with preparing coaches of sport and teachers of physical education. However, in recent decades, the field has spawned a number of alternative career tracks of which none has proven to be more viable than sport management.…

Between 1960 and 1975, demands for competent two-year college administrators led many universities to develop specialized leadership programs or to incorporate leadership development curricula into existing programs. The skills needed to maintain and improve a system, however, are not necessarily the same as those that were required to establish…

Graduate students are often assigned teaching responsibilities as part of an assistantship, but most have had very little or no formal teaching experience. This digest summarizes some of the literature and resources available to support graduate assistants in their teaching roles. Sections include: (1) "Attention to How Students Learn";…

Professional development schools (PDSs) were developed to provide a new model for teacher education that enables graduate students to have meaningful classroom experiences while they earn their degrees. This digest describes some of the ways that PDSs can improve the school experiences of urban students. It also describes some of the pitfalls of…

The master's degree is reviewed in terms of its current status and rate of conferral, its diversity, standards, and the dominant program models. Changes in the patterns of master's degrees conferred, by discipline, are examined, and problems associated with the proliferation of degrees are noted. Diversity in curricular models is cited as a source…

This digest is a brief summary of a longer monograph of the same title on the importance of understanding faculty socialization as a cultural process in the context of the current changes urged on higher education. A section on how faculty socialization is conceptualized adopts a view of culture in which culture shapes and is shaped by social…

Nontraditional students are the fastest-growing segment of the postsecondary population. About 41% of students are over 25, and nearly 12% are over 40. Previously, the bulk of financial aid went to traditional-age, usually full-time, students in degree programs. Today, however, the sheer numbers of nontraditional students, including distance…

This digest examines the extent and nature of Hispanic college enrollment in comparison to that of other racial and ethnic groups. Patterns of college entry and participation are analyzed by nativity, ethnicity, and age. College completion data show that while roughly 10 percent of Hispanic high school completers finish their schooling with an…

The gold-collar worker has problem-solving abilities, creativity, talent, and intelligence; performs non-repetitive and complex work difficult to evaluate; and prefers self management. Gold-collar information technology workers learn continually from experience; recognize the synergy of teams; can demonstrate leadership; and are strategic thinkers…