As part of a conference on education in the South, this session looks at the past, present, and future of southern education. The session comprises four panels and eleven papers. The three papers in the first panel discuss the history, literature, and culture of the South, touching on the South's historical uniqueness and variety, trends in…

This paper presents a snapshot of concerns in the field of Indigenous education in the late 1960s as compared with those of today, highlighting areas of improvement. Indigenous people's aspirations are not being met and the gaps between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations on all major educational indicators are unacceptably large. These…

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2003), in 2002-03, the number of students with disabilities between the ages of 6 and 21 who were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 5,946,202. About 80% of students with disabilities were educated in general education and resource room settings. In contrast, only…

Class size reduction has been shown to, among other things, improve academic achievement for all students and particularly for low-income and minority students. With the No Child Left Behind Act's heavy emphasis on scientifically based research, adequate yearly progress, and disaggregated results, one wonders why all children aren't enrolled in…

Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) is a publicly supported comprehensive college serving the Iowa counties of Cherokee, Crawford, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, and Woodbury, which have a combined population of about 170,000. This fact book presents statistics, such as the following: (1) 7,113 WITCC students earned over 89,311 credit hours during…

This plan for San Antonio College (SAC) (Texas), a college of the Alamo Community College District (ACCD), offers vision and mission statements for both ACCD and SAC. In addition, it details the Institutional Effectiveness process and philosophy for SAC. The document also includes SAC strategic goals and initiatives, and unit strategic objectives,…

Nearly one in three of America's school-age children attend public schools in rural areas or small towns, and more than one in six go to school in the very smallest communities. These children, their schools, and their communities matter, and they deserve more consideration than they get in the national debate over education policy. This report…

The Excellence in Delivery and Productivity (EDP) Working Group, comprised of members from the State Board of Higher Education, community colleges, and the business community, came together to address education concerns affecting the entire state. It was determined that all initiatives discussed in the EDP working group must have "face…

This 2001-02 Progress and Achievements Report for San Antonio College, Texas, is divided into the following three sections: (1) College Strategic Objectives: Interpretations and Recommendations; (2) College Strategic Objectives: Anecdotal Responses; and (3) Unanticipated Activities. The fourth part contains appendices to the report. Some of the…

A study of science and math education systemic reform in rural schools aimed to help educators understand and build upon the inherent strengths of rural schools and communities that support systemic reform. The first phase of the study involved developing a system of indicators for each of six drivers of educational system reform: 1)…

With escalating tuitions, the return to college quality remains an important consideration for students deciding whether to spend more money for a higher quality college education. This paper examines how students that transfer credit for an introductory-level course perform in a subsequent intermediate-level course. Using rich administrative data…

At the time of this writing, little was being done in the area of educating mentally and emotionally handicapped children in the United States. The author details this problem, reports on what is currently being done, and offers solutions and recommendations on further combating the issue. Contents include: (1) The problem. (2) State provisions…

Reviews the debate during this century over the optimal size for an individual school in terms of efficiency and student outcomes. Current consensus correlates small schools with school effectiveness, community and school identity, and individual fulfillment and participation, and large schools with school inefficiency, institutional bureaucracy,…

Quality indicators of secondary schools were defined through ratings made by 754 school district superintendents in Texas. The top five indicators identified were attendance statistics; student attitude information; dropout rates; college placement; and computer literacy. Standardized testing criteria did not rate highly. (SLD)

Before the second world war, pupils in Czechoslovakia were expected to conform to discipline and to accept the teacher's style of teaching. Selection was accepted, with the highest attaining pupils siphoned off at age 11 to academic schools. After 1945, the countries of the Soviet bloc adopted the Soviet system of single-stream comprehensive…