Changing expectations of major groups affected by higher education (employers, consumers of research, young people, nontraditional student groups) are compared with broader political interpretations of community needs (equality, investment, other functions) in the context of experiences of Austria, Sweden, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United…

French research in 1977 on perceptions/aspirations of upper secondary school students in France, England, and Italy about their personal and social future, further developed with 148 students in Italy in 1979-80, indicated that young people long for values and "public" and "private" dimensions of life are important for them.…

The Southwest Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) is one of ten regional committees appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to conduct an assessment of the technical assistance needs of educators, parents, and students in the region. During the period between December 2004 and March 2005 this committee, which includes…

This paper offers a focus group approach to the understanding of student perceptions of campus community. Using the Strange and Banning (2001) framework of community, the author argues that students' sense of campus community should be studied as it exists within the institutional environment. The results of the study include: 1) There is a strong…

Students benefit from a year or more gain in student achievement when urban district and high school leaders commit to the implementation of the "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") design. It is not enough to be a "HSTW" site--it is about taking effective actions to implement the design. Schools that do take action witness significant progress in…

This study investigated how seven high-poverty middle schools demonstrated strong academic improvement so they were performing at levels consistent with, and often better than, higher-income schools in their states. Schools ranged in enrollment from 291-1,010 and represented several community types and ethnic groups. Among the characterisitics…

These case studies described how seven high-poverty middle schools were able to demonstrate strong academic improvement in a short amount of time so they were performing at levels consistent with, and often better than, higher-income schools in their states. These case studies focus on procedural knowledge that may prove useful to other schools…

This book offers beginning teachers daily step-by-step plans for the first 4 weeks of school. It is based on a survey of first year teachers that examined their problems, concerns, needs, and feelings. It is also based on a task force of preservice and inservice teachers who set an agenda and tasks to find out more about beginning teacher needs.…

Student diversity is significantly different than diversity in the teaching staff. Educational leaders must identify methods to bridge the gap in teacher diversity so that students of all backgrounds see adult role models and images of themselves in the classroom. Recruiting, developing, and retaining qualified minority teachers is an important…

Concepts in this book are presented to help parents and teachers help students create a positive vision of themselves and their abilities. The first section explores the idea of institutional racism and how it affects the mind sets of people charged with educating young people, specifically African American youth. Instrumental methods designed to…

Belief in the ability to teach or to teach a particular subject can help fuel success in the first stages of a teaching career. The need for a reliable instrument with which to probe preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in the teaching of science led to the development of two versions of a teacher efficacy scale that were tested…

Based on responses to a questionnaire and interviews with 327 faculty from research universities, liberal arts colleges, a comprehensive university, British universities, and a longitudinal study concerning the transition to retirement, this study examines academic retirement experiences. An introductory chapter gives background information on the…

In New Canaan, Connecticut, several meetings were convened to communicate kindergarten expectations as they relate to the 14 preschools that feed into 3 public elementary schools in New Canaan, and to develop and systemize more effective and efficient transitional practices from the preschool arena to the public school setting. Attending the…

The transition from secondary to postsecondary science courses is characterized by low student retention rates. Student difficulties may be related to an incongruity between secondary student preparation and postsecondary faculty requirements. The purpose of this study was to learn how well matched secondary and postsecondary teacher assumptions…

This book describes New York City's Central Park East (CPE) Elementary School, which provides inner city children with the highest quality educators and pedagogy and is considered one of the most academically enriching U.S. schools. The book gives voice to young adults who emerged from poverty as a result of powerful experiences within CPE.…