Purpose - To examine the role that corporations can and are playing in removing restrictions to a college or university education for their employees - the educational glass ceiling. Design/methodology/approach - An interview format is used with an experienced academic, and learning and development practitioner, drawing upon experiences and…

The paper is a reflective account of the design and implementation of mathematical tasks that evoke uncertainty for the learner. Three types of uncertainty associated with mathematical tasks are discussed and illustrated: "competing claims," "unknown path or questionable conclusion," and "non-readily verifiable outcomes." One task is presented in…

The theme of the 2006 MWERA conference, Teaching and Learning in an Electronic Era, offered an opportunity to reflect on opportunities and challenges created by new technologies. This paper focuses on applied educational research and identifies a set of interrelated research opportunities enabled because of the Internet. While these opportunities…

Democratic schools are schools that result from explicit attempts by educators to put in place arrangements and opportunities that will bring democracy to life. These arrangements and opportunities involve two lines of work. One is to create democratic structures and processes by which life in school is carried out. The other is to create a…

For nearly 20 years, since the 1990 Jomtien Conference, the Academy for Educational Development has been working to expand access to achieve Education for All. As more and more children enroll in school, AED's concern has increasingly turned to the quality of their education. AED's sights are now set on Quality Education for All. This shift in…

This policy brief summarizes the Higher Education Amendments of 2008 (HEA 2008) and the evolution of the Higher Education Act since 1965, particularly the evolution of federal and non-federal forms of financial assistance aimed at increasing educational opportunity and attainment in the United States. Because the act's extensive academic support…

In 2002-2003, 1 million students participated in AP by taking at least one exam. Five years later, nearly 1.6 million did--a 50+ percent increase. But is growth all good? Might there be a downside? Are ill prepared students eroding the quality of the program? Perhaps harming the best and brightest? To find out, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute…

An epidemic of obesity has been developing in virtually all OECD countries over the last 30 years. Existing evidence provides strong suggestions that such epidemic has affected certain social groups more than others. In particular, education appears to be associated with a lower likelihood of obesity, especially among women. A range of analyses of…

School science instruction that connects to students' diverse home, cultural, or linguistic experiences can encourage lifelong participation in the scientific dilemmas that impact students' lives. This dissertation seeks effective ways to support high school students as they learn complex science topics and use their knowledge to transform their…

The purpose of this position paper was to explore the challenges faced by principals in creating equitable opportunities for English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. We questioned "To what extent are educational leaders encouraged to create environments that value cultural diversity and the promotion of English language…

A critical/creative paradigm in contemporary English carries with it an imperative that students should be given opportunities for deep engagement with texts relevant to what matters in their everyday lives. In this paper, I argue that the materiality of everyday life includes the physical and geographic places where we live. When students live in…

The internal processes of higher education have implications for the cohesion and shape of societies as well as for the quality of life of individuals. The comparison of the historical evolution of access to higher education in the American and European/Romanian contrasted countries reveals the presence of several norms successively constraining…

Today as part of the network of globalization, the United States is trailing through the 21st century on the note of an unfinished past. As a legally segregated entity of United States citizenry from 1896-1954, people of African descent largely would be on their own when it came to creating a positive self-image. Those who genuinely sought to…

Most economists expect the current economic downturn to be one of the most severe since World War II. In fact, there is a very real danger that the changing circumstances of students, families, state and federal governments, and educational institutions could interact to significantly diminish educational opportunity in the United States. The most…

This study explored the perceptions of Mexican senior government agency officials with regard to the impact of NAFTA on training and development practices in Mexico. This study was conducted using a phenomenological tradition within qualitative research. The major findings of the study indicate that Mexican senior government agency officials…