Focuses on acquisition of English by speakers of Jamaican Creole. Examines historical data drawn from reports from the colonial period and highlights the systemic failure of pupils to acquire English. Discusses a recent investigation of secondary schools in postcolonial Jamaica, which finds a similar cycle of underachievement among Creole…

Chronicles development of the Baylor College of Dentistry (Texas) competency-based curriculum and outlines 11 lessons learned concerning strategic planning, external accountability, value of significant and continuing faculty participation, administrative support structures, linking planning and assessment, using multiple assessment methods,…

In an urban elementary school, teachers trained in the Comer school development approach attempted to reform school discipline practices and plan conflict resolution efforts for students. Time constraints and teachers' aversion to coping with conflicting views inhibited the open democratic discussion needed as a foundation of change and limited…

Describes a faculty-development program designed to change teacher attitudes, behavior, and instruction and, thus, improve the achievement of language-minority students in two New York state secondary schools. Examines challenges to creating and maintaining school structures that promote immigrant students' success and identifies factors that lead…

Describes proceedings of a meeting of the Association of American Medical Schools' Forum on the Future of Academic Medicine, focusing on ways in which medical schools can and are responding to changing, more competitive marketplaces for health services while sustaining their missions; the health care industry perspective; and characteristics of…

Describes pilot programs in Appalachian high schools designed to improve math and science instruction through systemic change and higher standards. Strategies include using videoconferencing for professional development, incorporating employers' expectations into curricula, bridging gaps between academic and vocational programs, integrating…

It is argued that college presidents should concentrate their efforts in five specific areas: (1) interpreting and managing change; (2) leading academic transformation; (3) balancing constituencies and their opposing claims; (4) finding financial resources; and (5) defending and promoting higher education, by meeting growing and inconsistent…

Discussion of the pressures for expansion in Norwegian higher education looks at both long-term trends (need for a better-educated workforce and rising level in parents' education) and current demographic, individual, and political forces (a deteriorating labor market, younger students, competition for admission). Whether this situation is unique…

A survey of 138 dental hygiene program directors found dissatisfaction with program assessment practices and use of assessment data. Most use alumni/employer surveys and curriculum evaluations by students, but share results mostly with faculty. They use the data for curriculum revision but not for adding assessment measures, student remediation,…

Three faculty workload planning methods in United Kingdom universities are compared, focusing on workload planning principles, computerized decision support, institutional contexts, political dimensions, and management of change. One is based on contact hours; the second on actual hours; and the third on translating supervision, teaching,…

This paper describes how the University of Wisconsin-Parkside developed a multicultural emphasis in its teacher education program, noting that implementing such a focus in a school with predominantly white students and faculty members required a paradigm shift for both the program and the faculty. (SM)

A rural Missouri school district considered student records and parents' and teachers' needs in formulating changes to accommodate its increasing Hispanic population. Teachers took Spanish classes at an area college; limited English speaking students took special English classes; small group instruction, mentors, and peer helpers were used; and a…

A common maxim in the educational profession is that one teaches the way one is taught. Indications are that preservice teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practices may be linked to previous experiences. Calderhead & Robson (1991) underscored this concern by asserting that teachers use good teachers as models for developing their own images as…

A challenge for urban systemic reform initiatives in science education has been to achieve local, state, and national standards for teaching and learning. We have collaborated with teachers in the Detroit Public School System to design project-based curriculum materials that contextualize the learning of science in meaningful real-world problems,…

Permanency planning for infants with prenatal substance exposure is challenging due to characteristics of the infants and the ongoing substance use or relapse of the parents. Visitation is a primary mechanism through which child welfare workers determine and support permanency planning. Productive use of visitation for permanency planning for…