A survey was conducted of parents in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in North Carolina. All WCPSS parents were asked their opinions on educational quality, magnet schools options, school safety, parental involvement, school environment, and school climate. Major findings indicate that generally parents expressed positive views…

Family connections, traditional activities, educational goals, and fatalism are themes running throughout research and published observations about Appalachia. Information from 3 days of interviews with the author's grandmother, an 87-year-old Appalachian woman, is compared to these common research themes. The interviewee's experiences concerning…

This paper describes the evolution through three stages of a virtual distance learning training package used to train faculty in the skills and strategies needed to address distance learner needs. In 1996 two traditional face-to-face training programs on the use of compressed video equipment were delivered to 43 faculty. Interviews of participants…

This essay reviews 10 imperatives for higher education planning that are needed to meet the challenges of the next century. It is argued that higher education leaders must: (1) reaffirm the development of the human mind and character as education's major goal; (2) accept responsibility for educating and developing institutional leaders; (3) apply…

The author of this report, accompanied by his wife and two experienced teachers, spent three months touring European experimental schools. They visited every country that gave promise of yielding examples of experimental schools, and, while not attempting to visit every experimental school, they did attempt to visit every type in each country.…

The impact of high school and college students' prior knowledge of literary and social conventions on their attitudes toward fictional characters is examined. Differences were found in attitudes toward the teaching of literature and in evaluations of a fictional teacher's behavior. A model for research in this area is proposed. (PP)

Features of British education that provide a suitable environment for the development of global perspective are discussed. The role of the central government, the contributions of voluntary agencies, and available instructional materials are described. Suggestions are made for further improvements in global education in Great Britain. (PP)

The "two-phase" structure of teacher education programs in the Federal Republic of West Germany has traditionally separated the theoretical from the practical aspects of teacher training. An experimental program developed at the University of Oldenburg in the 1970s appeared to overcome this problem, but was short-lived. (Author/PP)

Uses a cross-cultural perspective to challenge the United States to change its educational policies. Examines Asian educational policies and strategies and their results, suggesting that they can provide useful models for policy analysts. Recommends greater support for education and a change in the policy of family estrangement from the school.…

Four journalism educators provide information on an experiential learning program that produces a weekly newspaper, a survey of public relations professionals praising educational advances in their field, reference materials for a course on the newspapers of the future, and editor-educator agreement on key issues in journalism education. (RL)

In an evaluation of Wisconsin's Five-Year State Plan for vocational education, a study undertook to determine educators', students', employers', and employees' perceptions of and attitudes toward vocational-technical education in Wisconsin. Included is a statement of goals and processes as well as conclusions and recommendations. (JOW)

To identify learning attitudes of secondary Title I students, the Des Moines Public Schools developed a scale on which students rated themselves against their own descriptions of good and poor learners. This instrument (included here) served as a pre-posttest, to determine if the Title I program influenced learning attitudes. (SJL)

Relationships among self-concept, educational attitudes, and the performance of 5l elementary school student teachers were explored. Results indicated student teacher competencies were related to educational attitudes and self-concept operating jointly. Variance in student teacher performance was significantly affected by the addition of…

Data from study of a learning community program in an urban community college are used to explore the educational character of student persistence. Analyses reveal that classroom activities influence persistence by changing the way students and faculty interact within and beyond the classroom. Implications for current theories of persistence are…

A survey of 900 individuals, 600 in cities with academic medical centers, investigated public support of academic medicine, particularly among population segments likely to be politically active. Data were gathered on approval of academic medical centers' missions, gaps in public knowledge of how the institutions function, degree of anxiety over…