Trend watching reports are an indispensable resource in the e-learning domain. Many HRD departments consider these reports as essential cornerstones for the development of their e-learning strategy. But what is the quality of the forecasts made in these reports? In this article, several methods of forecasting trends are discussed, resulting in a…

This article presents a synthesis of an unfinished dialogue on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) scenarios for education in the twenty-first century and on the position of education that these scenarios question. The first part of this article brings together some of the core considerations put forward by the members…

This article reports on the federal education law's focus in 2004, which is the school district performance. More than two years after President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the far-reaching federal education law is beginning to bear down on school district performance. After a focus mainly on individual schools, 2004 is the…

This article discusses the continuing growth of student participation in the Advanced Placement program and how schools increasingly recast the program as being within reach of any student willing to do the work, regardless of academic standing. The Advanced Placement program was established in 1955 to give high-achieving students access to…

A carefully developed, comprehensive professional development plan takes time, energy, and coordination of resources, but when it's done well, it can seem as effortless as a perfectly pitched curve ball. Seven steps, each with a set of guiding questions, can help planners meet the goal and create a program that produces results. [Appended to this…

During 2003, Monash University Library conducted a comprehensive quality review as part of the university's program of reviews. A quality management group was established in September 2002 to drive the process. All staff were given the opportunity to contribute input to the initial self-review. Methods of collecting data, collating responses and…

The purpose of this document is to assemble in a single volume the latest available data on current trends and projections of births and enrollments. It is intended to assist school management in decisions relating to facilities planning, staffing, and finance. Demographic statistics on trends and projections regarding enrollments and the number…

Quality schoolyards provide opportunities for the physical challenges, exercise, sensory play, fantasy play, organized sports, and unsupervised free play that allow for healthy, well-rounded development. Schoolyards should be safe places where children practice social skills and develop an appreciation for the feelings of others and the…

The Samuel Brighouse Elementary School, located in Richmond, BC, a city adjacent to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada, is a five-hundred student elementary school. When completed in September 2011, it will replace an existing older school on the same site. This project was identified early on as an opportunity for the Richmond School Board to…

The learning landscape is changing quickly, and education institutions are hard-pressed to make sure their academic facilities are meeting the evolving needs of teachers and students. Within a universe of continual change, though, school facilities still need furniture. Furniture selection goes beyond color or size. Furniture must be flexible and…

Many people narrowly focus on energy efficiency when defining a "high-performance" school--a school building that is economical with respect to heating, cooling, and electric lighting. That is certainly true, but in the broadest terms, a high-performance school is designed to minimize reliance on fossil fuels--and provide a comfortable, healthful,…

As more two-salary families join the already large number of working single parents, and more people want to stay at home with their children but need a steady source of income, family day care--caring for other people's children in one's home--is often viewed as the answer to both trends. This guide and resource manual, updated from the original…

This report reviews a proposal by the State Center Community College District to establish a State-approved education center in the city of Fresno. The center would be named the Willow-International Community College Center, and it would replace an existing Clovis operational outreach center that is considered by the district to be insufficient…

School construction remains high, but not as high as it has been over the last eight years. Projections for the future (projects expected to be completed and/or started in 2009) show a significant decline. Capital budgets may be in place, but the economic hard times and forced cuts in many local school programs are having an effect on construction…

Like homeowners with limited budgets and a long list of repairs, school districts often must make tough choices when it comes to deciding what building systems to modernize, renovate, or repair--or when to build new facilities. With $44 billion now available for states and schools under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, stimulus…