This article reflects on my 28-year tenure editing "The Elementary School Journal" ("ESJ"). During my tenure as editor, the educational system was in constant reform, from a Nation at Risk to No Child Left Behind. Considerable evidence suggests that these various reforms, which consumed vast resources, were not successful in…

Today's school business officials are more aware than ever of the importance of making every dollar count. As they scour their budgets for possible savings, they may be tempted to reduce investment in school infrastructure, perhaps by deferring maintenance, renovations, and replacement of outdated facilities. However, school business officials…

The purpose of this study was to explore the current state of information literacy (IL) training and to identify the strategies and methods used by Canadian public libraries in improving IL skills for their staff and patrons. Also, the study sought to identify problems associated with the development of IL training. This study employed document…

This study is a secondary data analysis of the USEIT data to inform school administrators and policymakers about the factors affecting instructional technology use in elementary classrooms. Researchers developed a predictive multilevel SEM model for teacher-directed student use of technology (TDS). The model depicts relationships between factors…

In 1997, the Government of Sri Lanka launched a comprehensive set of education reforms designed to promote equitable access to basic education and improvements in learning outcomes. The package of reforms arose as a political response to widespread youth unrest in the late 1980s and attracted considerable "political will", a vague but…

This paper reports the results of a survey of more than 2000 managers examining perceptions of skills gaps in a range of Australian firms. It finds that three quarters report a skills gap, and almost one third report skills gaps across the whole organisation. Firm size and industry differences exist in perceptions of the effect of the skills gap…

The Laptops for Teachers scheme in New Zealand provides teachers whose schools opt into the scheme access to a laptop for their exclusive use. This paper reports on the findings of the three-year evaluation of the impact of the laptops on secondary teachers' work. The findings indicate that school leadership has been pivotal to the provision of…

Although many of the recommendations in "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education" (the Spellings Commission report) have still to be implemented, policy makers' insistence that American colleges and universities measure student learning outcomes in a way that permits comparisons seems unlikely to go away. Nor…

Despite extensive and on-going efforts, people from a low socio-economic background continue to be significantly under-represented in Australian higher education. In response to this situation, a two year action research project explored the broad issue of higher education access for young people from low socio-economic backgrounds in South East…

Recent educational attainment targets set by Australian governments recognise education and training as pivotal to the economic and social well-being of Australians. The targets seek to close the gaps in attainment that socially and economically divide the population, and, in doing so, raise the levels of skills of the workforce and improve the…

The paper is based on a qualitative study of 66 skilled workers comprising drivers, tailors, electricians and also murtikars, a traditional craft group. All of them had taken informal training through family, apprenticeship or self-learning. The paper reflects on access, quality and relevance issues arising from such training. The findings reveal…

Outdoor education has received greater attention in the United Kingdom with the launch of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto. However, teachers' lack of confidence and competence appear to be key factors underpinning the extent of outdoor learning provision in schools. This paper reports on a partnership project in which student teachers…

This paper brings together the findings of a series of studies that explored the impact of curricular changes on students' approaches to learning. The findings, which were initially surprising, are confirmed by the identification of similar patterns across four different medical educational programmes within Australia and Sri Lanka. The four…

This paper describes a phenomenological study that explored the experiences of off-campus high school graduates. Twenty students participated in individual, tape-recorded interviews, during which they described their experiences, yielding written protocols that were thematically analyzed. Results from this study revealed five predominant themes…

Whenever educators are asked to identify the major problems they face, behavior management is near the top of the list. Research shows that effective teachers are able to build relationships with students and implement well-developed classroom procedures (Holt, Hargrove, & Harris, 2011, p. 18). Yet schools give scant attention to developing…