Reform of teacher preparation is once again in the air. In his first major speech about education, President Obama said that "recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers" will be one of the new administration's top priorities. The priorities set forth in the stimulus package, as well as the Congressional debates about the…

Just 1 percent of East Carolina University undergraduates study overseas. But thanks to a pair of enterprising faculty members, a growing number of students are having international experiences without ever leaving the Greenville, North Carolina campus. The university's Global Understanding program uses inexpensive and relatively unsophisticated…

New regulations may expand the thicket of student-privacy law, but the U.S. Department of Education hopes that an in-depth guide will help colleges and universities find their way. Last week the department released new rules on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Ferpa), which governs the disclosure of student records. The regulations…

Research-oriented doctoral programs in education vary widely in quality, and a significant number of them should close up shop, according to a report released last week by the Education Schools Project. The new document, "Educating Researchers," is the third in a series of reports on schools of education from Arthur Levine, who served as president…

This article reports on higher education's failure to enforce rules against drinking that leads to tragedy. Like most parents of college-age children, the author was unaware of the Federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. It only became significant to him when local police told him and his wife that their daughter, Kristine, had died in a…

Since 2003, the Teachers College of Columbia University has maintained a policy of evaluating students based on their "commitment to social justice." Before last summer, Columbia could blame the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the main accrediting body for schools of education, for those evaluation criteria. The…

The recent release of "Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education", by the American Association of University Women, presents an opportunity to review the extraordinary success of women in education over the last four decades. The release also presents an opportunity to review the failure of the entire education system--from…

This article discusses exclusive deals between colleges and student-loan providers and the U.S. Education Department's initial move to solve the conflict. The Higher Education Act, which governs most federal student-aid programs, prohibits colleges from requiring their students to borrow from a specific bank or student-loan company. The law does…

The role of the Holmes Group education deans in effecting the group's recommended reforms for teacher education is discussed along with issues raised by group members and colleagues about the financing and consequences of the proposed reforms. (MSE)

The pressure on colleges to train teachers who can use new technology effectively is increasing from state and national sources, but few colleges of education have incorporated computers into the curriculum outside computer literacy or instructional technology courses. Experts agree computer use should extend to methods and subject courses. (MSE)

Many colleges and universities are trying to improve both the quality of their education school's curriculum and the caliber of the students they enroll. In the last five years, 85 percent of the schools have taken some action in this direction. Some examples are: (1) the University of South Carolina has eliminated undergraduate degrees in…

The Holmes Group, a committee of deans of education in several dozen large universities, have published a report urging major U.S. universities to provide leadership in reforming teacher education and the teaching profession. (MSE)

The text of the main sections of "Tomorrow's Teachers: A Report of the Holmes Group," is presented, which recommends extensive reform of teacher education and the teaching occupation in the United States. (MSE)

The Holmes Group of leading teacher educators has suggested colleges of education make urgent changes or shut down. It faults teacher education for a poorly designed curriculum, inadequate minority recruitment, and overuse of part-time and graduate student instructors. A professional development school modeled after a teaching hospital is…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This March 25, 2005 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "The Walkable Campus" (Sparling, Phillip B.); (2) "The Sitting Is…