Describes how face-to-face meetings, field trips, and Internet technology with team planning helped a teacher educator at Augusta State University in Georgia overcome barriers to preparing prospective middle school teachers as effective team members. Illustrates impact on small-group decision making, expectations for team functioning, and…

This commentary reacts to an article that presented an agenda for educational change to encourage early childhood inclusion. It calls for a leadership agenda for the nation, agreement about inclusion as a feasible program model, development and dissemination of effective practices and evidence-based guidelines, family involvement, and increased…

Examines college faculty development issues. The article discusses mechanisms for socializing faculty members to the dual model of teacher-scholar. These mechanisms include annual merit review, orientation of junior faculty members, mentoring, monetary awards, and a teaching colloquium. Systematic training of faculty prepares them for future…

Considers strategies for the implementation of quality improvement in libraries. Highlights include structured quality improvement, especially Total Quality Management; organizational change; customer focus; continuous improvement; data-based decision making; systems thinking; employee involvement in decision making; diffusion of innovation;…

Recounts the experiences of starting a new school designed, built, staffed, and programmed around the following beliefs: all students can be successful learners; all can learn at significantly high levels; research should inform the instructional process; and curriculum content must reflect high expectations for students, though instructional time…

Resistance to adoption of advanced technology on college campuses is examined, looking first at common concerns (cost, degree of change, and need for training) and then at ways in which technology already shapes modern life. Ways in which technology can enhance learning processes and knowledge production are examined, and specific advantages for…

The development and five-year history of the University of Minnesota's environmental scanning effort, a strategic approach to institutional management, are discussed. Over time, scanning efforts became less theory-based and failed to become institutionalized. Inherent limitations in the organizational structure and culture of educational…

The recent experience of the business school at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in overcoming structural obstacles to curriculum development is discussed. Drawing on an automobile industry model for organizational change, the school used an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum design and implementation. Characteristics of the…

Discusses the creation of an Employer Child Care Council and its Quality Child Care Initiative, a comprehensive plan to improve the care and education of the county's children by generating support from the business community for the accreditation of quality child care programs. Also outlines the council's strategies for successfully implementing…

Universities must become more involved in helping society address vital urban issues, and the faculty reward system should be restructured to encourage faculty involvement in urban service. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has made such a commitment, involving faculty in urban outreach, and university officers in clarifying institutional…

Early childhood intervention service providers (N=242) in Louisiana reported that their inservice training experiences were primarily of a passive nature, and few received support following training. More dynamic training strategies such as teacher modeling, small-group discussions, and opportunities to practice targeted skills were felt to more…

Perceived dangers to democratic development in the Czech society and, by extension, to higher education there, are examined, including commercialization combined with overt social stratification creating resentment and culture shock; termination of price control and guaranteed employment; withdrawal of state subsidies from popular and important…

The Department of Rehabilitation Studies at Massey University (New Zealand) incorporates attitude-changing strategies during the students' first year in the program. These strategies involve personal contact with people with disabilities, provision of accurate information about disabilities, and simulation or role playing. Students' attitudes…

The historic relationship between higher education and economic development in the United States is analyzed, and the implications of current economic changes for the individual's need for higher education are examined. It is suggested that liberal educators must provide the more autonomous and skilled workforce required in the new economy, and…

Presents a case study illustrating practical management and quality issues in the transition of a Master of Education course from traditional to distance learning format. Summarizes criteria used to define quality in the course, highlighting concerns about maintaining quality during change, and warns that the short-term appeal of entering distance…