I'll never forget my amazement when my favorite jazz vocalist, also my teacher, revealed that even as a veteran musician, she still gets nervous on the stage. "Nervous energy encourages me to take chances" she said, emphasizing that taking chances is key to the musical improvisation for which she is known to this day. I enjoy finding…

In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the skills needed to have a successful career were very different than they are today. This case study of the Hammond Area Career Center's Multimedia Broadcast Academy shows how one Rust Belt community has revamped its approach to career and technical education and is preparing students for jobs in the new economy. This…

In the past 50 years, the share of students enrolled in U.S. Catholic schools has declined from approximately 12% to 3%. In reaction, many urban Catholic schools have closed and subsequently reopened as public charter schools in order to receive governmental funding and to increase enrollment. As public schools, these Catholic- affiliated charter…

The goal of this study was to examine whether the leadership style of principals affects teacher and student performance. The study includes an elementary, middle, and high school principal along with two teachers from each school who worked at schools that were in good standing from 2007-2011. Each school made adequate yearly progress (AYP) each…

This revenue planning tool aims to help charter school operators develop a sound revenue base that can meet their school's current and future funding needs. It helps identify and assess potential public (federal, state, and local) and private funding sources. The tool incorporates a four-step revenue planning process which includes: (1)…

The Welcome Workbook is a practical resource for people working in local authorities who want to see an increase in the number of children fulfilling their right to mainstream education. By providing a clear self-review framework, The Welcome Workbook enables local authorities to audit their existing processes and map a route towards more…

A considerable amount of time, effort, and other resources go into the development and implementation of education projects. Quite obviously, the goal is to create effective projects that can serve as models of excellence. Whether the project is an hour-long endangered species talk, a family festival, a severe weather awareness workshop, marine…

The Council of the City of Sydney--like many other councils around Australia--has embarked on a whole-of-council approach to establishing sustainable behaviours amongst its residents. In developing its "Residential Environmental Action Plan"--designed to motivate and bring about real change in resident choices and behaviours--the City…

This article presents the findings from a national survey of field trip sites. It also addresses the positive instructional impact of field trips and focuses on 5 major components of the field trip experience. In addition, the article presents recommendations and suggestions for positive field trip experiences.

This article describes San Diego's capital planning process. As part of its capital planning process, the San Diego Unified School District has developed a systematic analysis of functional quality at each of its school sites. The advantage of this approach is that it seeks to develop and apply quantifiable metrics and standards for the more…

In what university officials say represents a new approach to the internationalization of higher education, Columbia University is building a network of six to eight research institutes in capitals around the world. The Columbia Global Centers, as they are called, are designed for faculty members and students from various disciplines to…

Nearly every state is projecting a revenue shortfall for both the current budget year and the next fiscal year, and few public-college officials expect to dodge the budget ax. But some higher-education leaders and state policy makers see the bleak economic outlook as an opportunity to press for broad changes in college policy and operations that…

The article concerns the increased use of self-regulated teaching in Swedish schools, where teachers perceive self-regulated teaching as an ideal way of organising schoolwork. Students make their own plans concerning time, content, grades and their own learning. What and how to learn is no longer a question for the teacher only. If self-regulated…

A gradual shift in United Kingdom research funding from blanket financing by government agencies towards more diversified income streams through activities funded by various customers is prompting academic research institutions to orient their research portfolios accordingly. Academic organisations such as university institutes are increasingly…

An identified gap in the literature associated with college student alcohol use is the exploration of the problem based on ethnicity, specifically possible differences in use between Black and White college students. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in alcohol use for Black and White college students at a small private…