In post-war contexts, education is widely regarded as essential not only for civic reconciliation, but also as a key force for gender equity. In Sierra Leone, however, despite enhanced educational opportunities for girls, much of the emphasis on post-war educational reconstruction is unlikely to rectify gender inequities that remain entrenched…

The new reality of higher education contains a fundamental shift in student demographics. More non-traditional students are seeking educational opportunities and traditional students are seeking out and expecting alternative modes of curriculum delivery. Students, especially older, non-traditional ones seek course delivery through distance…

In the context of aging populations, governments in Australia and in other Western nations fear that slower growth in the numbers of people of working age (15-64 years) will have a dampening effect on economic growth. They are thus considering how to encourage older workers to remain in the workforce beyond the point at which many currently…

This progress report describes the work currently underway toward improving the success of First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) students in Alberta. It provides an update on the progress made since the release of the Framework in 2002 and the 2004 Progress Report up to December 31, 2007. Since the release of the Framework, a new Ministry of…

This report is the result of a policy research initiative that was identified as a priority by the Board of Directors of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) in recognition of the increased demand for programs and services that address the needs of disadvantaged and low-skilled learners. The goal of this study is to facilitate the…

In a recent ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court in "Parents v. Seattle" (Parents Involved, 2007) determined that race cannot be the sole factor in the assignment of children to public schools. The court also identified the conditions which would justify the use of race in assigning children to schools. In this article we (a) provide a…

Developments in communication and information technologies in the last decade have had a significant impact on instructional and learning activities. For many students and educators, the Internet became the significant medium for sharing instruction, learning and communication. Access to knowledge beyond boundaries and cultures has an impact on…

The debate in the UK about gender equity and equal opportunities for girls and boys has been "captured", in the last two decades, by an overriding concern with the issue of boys' apparent under-achievement. More recently, however, there has been a reaction to essentialist approaches related to "boy-friendly" pedagogies and…

For the last year, an independent panel chaired by Sir Adrian Webb has been evaluating the role of the further education (FE) sector in the delivery of education, lifelong learning, and skills in Wales. The challenges facing the panel were considerable and its remit broader than that of the Foster review in England. In response, the final report…

No Child Left Behind Act accountability pressures and calls to close achievement gaps between groups of students have challenged school districts to achieve systemwide instructional improvement. These policies create learning challenges for classroom teachers and for school and district leaders. This article engages questions about organizational…

This survey study explored gender differences in transition imperatives and opportunities for youth with disabilities (N = 521). Results indicated that males and females differ in terms of the adult outcomes they hope to achieve, transition training opportunities they have received, and their access to teachers and other nonfamilial adults to…

In order to help teachers negotiate the changing contexts of foreign language education, the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) at Iowa State University began offering summer institutes in 1994. The authors were surprised at the intense interest in the institutes focused on technology. Since then the NFLRC has offered 36…

This article explores the use of scoring rubrics in the context of deteriorating material conditions of writing instruction. The author hopes to offer a consideration of rubrics that enables a revision of rubric designs, in order to facilitate teacher response to student writing, and that offers suggestions for uses of rubrics that account for…

This participatory action research project responded to the needs for educational reform and involved cooperation between Mahasarakham Municipality, which provided primary school education, and the Faculty of Education at Mahasarakham University, which played a role as academic mentor. The project aimed to improve the quality of education…

This paper is based on a participatory research project with four Nepali high school students. This study provides analyses and perspectives of the "insiders", unlike most research on higher education, which is produced through the government. These student testimonies not only expose some of the deep inequalities in educational quality…