In this article texts by scholars from South Africa, Sweden and Great Britain are analysed. They contributed as invited speakers to a conference in Sweden in 2009 on changing societies, values, religions and education. Here a South-North dialogue on diversity and the future of education is constructed through the way their conference contributions…

Countries around the world refer to twenty-first century education as essential to maintaining personal and national economic advantage and draw on this discourse to advocate for and embark on educational reform. This paper examines issues around education reform, particularly in British Columbia. It argues that reformers should give careful…

In November 2004, Calvin College was reviewed for reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In its final report, the review team, as it has in evaluating many other colleges, faulted Calvin for insufficient progress in assessment, made some recommendations, and asked for a…

Preparing the technology proficient learners to meet the needs of 21st century has emerged as a critical challenge facing education in our country. The teacher has to prepare the young generation to fit in to the technology intensive society of the 21st century. Instructional design (ID) is the systematic process of planning events to facilitate…

This paper provides background on planning and organizational culture change in libraries and describes a grassroots planning process taking place at the Ohio State University Libraries. Now in its third phase, the process aims to create a long-term plan for the organization while fostering a more collaborative, innovative culture.

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions: One Small Change Can Yield Big Results (Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana); (2) Voice of Experience: Jerry Weast--Leading a System…

Performance funding--the linking of allocation of resources to accomplishment of certain desired outcomes--is an idea that is once again finding favor with policymakers. It has intuitive appeal; what's not to like about paying for results? While it is a notion that makes common sense to most decisionmakers, it is an idea with a very checkered…

Students with emotion dysregulation have significant difficulty modulating emotional reactions, particularly in response to frustration or challenge. These children can present with a variety of DSM diagnoses in schools, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), major depressive disorder (MDD),…

This essay reviews the progress achieved in media literacy education over the past decade and emphasizes the importance of assessment, interdisciplinarity in furthering developing the field. The author says that it's nearly impossible to predict what may be possible for the future of the field over the next 10 years. In another publication, she…

This article focuses on one individual's perspective about the reason she has continued to work with college students over the course of many years and what has influenced her own commitment to character development and values-focused education. Using her love of Negro spirituals for inspiration, three themes, responding to injustice, facing…

Persuasive leaders in higher education have advocated using evidence to support teaching under the guise of scholarship of teaching and learning without much success. This article explains why scholarship of teaching and learning has not been accepted as the standard practice in higher education. Instead, faculty may accept the concept of…

Navigating the world of government relations and public policy can be a little like predicting the weather. One can't always be sure what's in store or how it will affect him/her down the road. But there are common patterns and a few basic steps that can help one best prepare for a change in the forecast. Though the forecast is uncertain, early…

When the author was a child 50 years ago, nobody planned her outdoor environment. Her home was close to flower-filled meadows that she could explore freely, and her preschool and elementary school classrooms opened onto beautiful woodlands that children used as an important part of their day-to-day learning. The last time she visited her old…

Many small institutions face difficulties, and the person who bears the brunt of dealing with those challenges is the college president. While each situation is unique, presidents can learn from the experiences of others, and at the very least, commiserate with each other regarding the challenges they face, especially when their institutions are…

As teachers learn new pedagogical strategies, they crave explicit demonstrations that show them how the new strategies will work with their students in their classrooms. Successful instructional coaches, therefore, understand the importance of modeling lessons to help teachers develop a vision of effective instruction. The author, an experienced…