Since President Obama declared college completion a national priority, many states have set ambitious goals to increase college-going and degree completion. But as was suggested in an earlier "Change" article, "We Have Goals, Now What?" (November/December 2012), this is only the first stage of reform. For states to reach those…

This article reports Year One of a two-year study to develop a model to accelerate compulsory basic education completion toward Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Magelang, Indonesia. The study focuses on five issues: (1) profile of MDGs in Magelang, (2) achievement of MDGs, (3) problems in MDGs implementation, (4) model of compulsary basic…

The assessment of curriculum outcomes is an essential element for continuous academic improvement. However, the collection, aggregation and analysis of assessment data are notoriously complex and time-consuming processes. At the same time, only few developments of supporting electronic processes and tools for continuous academic program assessment…

An introductory media studies course is a staple of post-secondary education. What are instructors teaching in this course, and to what extent are the principles of media literacy education being incorporated into this likely home? This article reports the findings of a small survey of instructors, who describe aspects of their course content and…

Peace education is considered a necessary element in establishing the social conditions required for promoting peace-making between rival parties. As such, it constitutes one of Israel's state education goals, and would therefore be expected to have a significant place in Israel's educational policy in general and in response to peace moves that…

According to the "religious choice case" for compulsory religious education, pupils have a right to be made aware of the religious and irreligious paths open to them and equipped with the wherewithal to choose between them. A familiar objection to this argument is that the idea of religious choice reduces religion to a matter of taste. I…

This paper presents the results of a three-year research and teaching effort that focused on measuring the perceived effectiveness of Skype as a delivery platform for presentations made to students enrolled in a Professional MBA program by nationally acclaimed authors working in the area of social media. The research also investigated the authors'…

We discuss a model of academic rigor and apply this to a general education introductory astronomy course. We argue that even without central tenets of professional astronomy-the use of mathematics--the course can still be considered academically rigorous when expectations, goals, assessments, and curriculum are properly aligned.

Recent research on history teaching has begun to focus on political motivation. This paper is the result of the author's dissertation, which investigates Latvian history teaching under the authoritarian regimes of Ulmanis and Stalin. It reveals the effects of authoritarianism on goals, curriculum, teaching materials and methods, and the teacher's…

Education is unquestionably a common necessity. Social movements demand education, as does social mobility, and may well be the expression of utopia. Individuals accept education as an expression of their own desire and validate its intervention as a legitimate criterion for differentiation. Few social sectors do not demand schooling for…

This paper provides Part C and Part B state staff an opportunity to learn about considerations that could support changing their State-Identified Measurable Result (SIMR) baselines or targets. States are required to focus on a particular SIMR. The SIMR must be a child, youth, or family outcome and cannot be a process outcome. The SIMR might be,…

The purpose of this study was to understand the organizational functions of student-affairs at Indiana University and to understand the nature of the conflict between student-affairs and the larger organization. This study utilized the case-study research design. Much of the data collected and analyzed during this case study were of a historical…

This brief case study shows how one State--Delaware--identified priority goals and reforms and plans to sustain them. The case study outlines Delaware's involvement in the Reform Support Network (RSN) Sustainability Work Group and three sustainability lessons learned by the State Education Agency (SEA): focus on what works, establish proof points…

Given the growing literature on and documented importance of workplace stress, it is suggested that this topic deserves more than a casual mention in introductory management classes. The current article reviews a comprehensive course dedicated to the phenomenon of stress in the work setting, which addresses issues such as theories, demands and…

The author has been involved in cross-national research regarding the motivations of students for studying Comparative Education. A wide variety of motivations were identified, depending on national context. This paper begins by summarizing those findings. On a recent bout as guest professor teaching Comparative Education at a Canadian university,…