Interviews with Australian teachers educated in other countries raise questions about central issues of education, discipline, and the teacher's role. The dilemma faced by Australian teachers from overseas is to reconcile positive and negative aspects of both systems so that they can work in Australia without rejecting their own beliefs. (SLD)

A discussion of why Asian students rank high on international assessment tests in science and mathematics reveals that Asian schools stress rote memorization and test taking to the extent that children don't have the opportunity to be children. The U.S. educational system's encouragement of critical thinking and nonacademic activities contributes…

Examines how the World War II veterans' influx into higher education changed the perception of that institution in the minds of the public and its portrayal in popular media. Previously characterized as an upper-crust indulgence, college became an acceptable symbol of social mobility. Includes reproductions of magazine advertisements. (MJP)

A study examined the effectiveness of the college preparatory curriculum in preparing rural students for college. Surveys of all 1995 graduates of four rural Pennsylvania high schools found that 73 percent of students in the college preparatory program were not greatly successful. Few students had graduated with academically competitive…

We propose a multidimensional model that can be used to formulate a research agenda that aims to explore how innovations in teaching and instruction influence the science of learning within educational contexts. This model depicts the complexity of relationships between variables within: classrooms, the total school program, and inside and outside…

This paper discusses whether liberal arts colleges are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their traditional curriculum as they compete for students, as well as strategies that may enable these institutions to survive while maintaining their liberal arts identity. It observes that many liberal arts colleges award less than 40 percent of…

This study examined the educational practices of eight secondary schools in Victoria, Australia, that contributed to improved student retention rates and achievement levels. Schools were selected based on identification of graduates of La Trobe University who had completed their studies in a minimum amount of time. Interviews were conducted with…

This paper presents the remarks of the President of Indiana University (IU) concerning the state of the university in 1995. It discusses excellence in education and research at IU, noting the contributions of various nationally-recognized faculty, graduates, and current students. The speech also reviews the rapid growth of IU in recent decades,…

This report examines factors that influenced low-income Mexican-Americans from homes with little formal education to achieve high academic status. Although over one third of students in California's public schools are Hispanic, only a small fraction of these students complete a university education. Fifty Mexican-Americans (30 men and 20 women)…

The cultural and gender factors affecting the experience of Latino/Latina graduate students in the United States are examined. An introductory section offers background information on Latino participation in higher education, drawing on some recent literature, and on the Council of Graduate Schools' Latino Project, a qualitative ethnographic study…

A study examined the changing nursing competencies considered essential to meet the patient/client needs in hospitals and community settings in the United Kingdom. First, literature on the following topics was reviewed: required competence at the point of nursing registration; changing nurse roles and competencies; adult nursing in community…

This case study examines factors that enabled a black female to achieve a significantly higher educational status than her parents. "Susie" was born in 1942 to parents who were poor sharecroppers. Her family included an older sister and three younger siblings. Out of concern for their oldest child who was handicapped, Susie's parents decided that…

Factors affecting companies' readiness to implement workplace training were identified through a survey completed by 50 selected partner companies of the 44 National Workplace Literacy grantees during 1995-1996. Selection of the business partners to whom the survey was administered was left to the grantees' discretion. A 25-item questionnaire…

This study examined the relationships among college students' perceptions of their personal (constructivist-based) learning environments, the extent to which they viewed selected teaching and learning activities as enhancing their personal learning, and their personal learning efficacy. A total of 2,190 students in 145 evening classes offered by…

Based on an ongoing study of rural and urban Appalachian adolescent girls, this paper examines ways in which culture, class, ethnicity, and place influence girls' developing sense of self and beliefs about their lives, schooling, and futures. The 65 girls in the study are participants in "Rural and Urban Images: Voices of Girls in Science,…