A survey investigated the increasing preference for Alemannic Swiss German over standard German in public functions in Switzerland, particularly in light of Switzerland's decision in 1996 not to join the European Union, which suggests an emphasis on national independence. The history of Alemannic Swiss usage and language policy are briefly…

In an attempt to measure faculty involvement in college governance at historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs),a study was conducted in fall 1996 at a private, historically black institution in Alabama. Questionnaires, with 25 Likert-type scale items, were distributed at a faculty senate meeting; the response rate was 79 percent…

This two-part report by the Commission on Evaluation of Quebec's Council of Colleges focuses on the progress of the province's colleges in developing and implementing legislatively mandated policies concerning the evaluation of learning. Chapter 1 identifies the 107 of 112 colleges with written policies meeting the criteria established by the…

This digest is concerned with the need to develop standards and infrastructure for improving the employment, placement, preparation, and supervision of paraeducators in inclusive general and special education classrooms, Title I, multilingual/English as a Second Language, and early childhood programs. It discusses teacher responsibilities for…

This report discusses the results of a survey that examined the emeritus status of faculty and administrators at 24 community colleges across the country, with particular reference to such issues as emeritus eligibility, benefits, and coverage. It discusses the definition of emeritus in the second section. In the third segment, the rationale of…

A county with insufficient population and/or assessed valuation to qualify for a community college district may establish a provisional community college district. This proposal, prepared by the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona, intends to demonstrate how the provisional community college district is a logical and useful…

Intended to be a practical guide to the issues that arise under the First Amendment for libraries that provide public access to the Internet, this book contains the following chapters: (1) "Questions and Answers about the First Amendment: Sex, Lies, and Cyberspace"; (2) "Basic First Amendment Principles and Their Application to…

There has been much discussion about the role and nature of counseling and guidance in the schools. Thus, this book aims to help teachers and others working in and with schools by exploring the development of counseling and guidance in one school situation. The text incorporates the comments of students, teachers, administrators, and parents…

Having examined the emerging evidence and considered the doubts and cautions, the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) Study Group on e-Learning concludes that e-learning will improve American education in valuable ways and should be universally implemented as soon as possible. The primary goal of this report is to provide a…

This document synthesizes the 1999 National Center on Educational Outcomes report on special education outcomes, subtitled "A Report on State Activities at the End of the Century," and reviews the changes in states' assessment policies and practices for students with disabilities over the past decade. The report finds that despite the fact that…

This paper discusses three topics related to the issue of the changing environment for community colleges. It first explores the market forces impacting community colleges and how these forces affect organizational design. Second, the tensions that reside within community colleges and act as impediments to change are addressed. The internal…

This book has the following aims: to establish what a new culture of lifelong learning is; to see why it must be introduced; to explore what the new learning culture will entail; and to present the resourcing systems needed to carry it through. The discussion includes ethical as well as economic viewpoints. Starting from a cradle-to-grave…

The Communication Technology and Policy section of the Proceedings contains the following 15 papers: "The Virtual Sphere: The Internet as a Public Sphere" (Zizi Papacharissi); "Toward a Typology of Internet Users and Online Privacy Concerns" (Kim Bartel Sheehan); "Blind Spots of the Communications Decency Act Debate: A…

This documents consists of two monographs, first published in 1973 and 1975, which examine the purpose and functions of institutional policy in dealing with the problems and issues affecting higher education. Their focus is conceptual, and the discussion looks to the philosophical, historical, and sociocultural underpinnings of institutional…

This paper identifies issues in defining and reporting performance standards for the 2002 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). The paper describes a continuum of conceptualizations of performance standards for adult literacy extending from "technical" conceptions of performance standards, as used in the psychometric literature,…