The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, "Computer and Internet Use by Students in 2003" (NCES, 2006) reveals that the digital divide continues to exist, particularly along demographic and socioeconomic lines. Though an exact definition remains elusive, the term "digital divide" generally refers to the…

Concerns about higher-education access and affordability have emerged as significant issues in the immigration debates. As is true for immigration issues in general, public opinion is divided on how states should respond, and emotions run high. Passage of proposed federal legislation would clarify the states' authority over tuition policy and the…

Open, distance and elearning institutions of higher education often face ethical issues relating to their distinctive mission, especially where the core role is to open educational opportunities to under-represented groups while maintaining academic standards. Openness is surely a "good thing"; and yet there are often tensions relating…

Several years ago, leaders at Vanguard-Sentinel Career Centers, located in northwestern Ohio, began looking at the issue of student motivation. They were concerned that some students, even in their career-based programs, were falling through the cracks. For a variety of reasons, these students were not successful in the traditional high school…

The Penn State Libraries' Open House activities for incoming students find Access Services staff extending beyond their everyday routines to creatively help relieve students' fears of the library and understand how Access Services can help them. Serving on the Access Services Open House Committee offers staff many opportunities for development as…

This article addresses the many ways in which schools can provide physical activity opportunities for students by taking advantage of hours that students might otherwise spend waiting for school to begin or playing computer games after school has ended. The article presents creative strategies for engaging students in activities that are…

There is perhaps no more pressing issue in school policy today than the achievement gap across social lines. Achievement differences between well-to-do children and poor children and between disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities and majority whites are large when children first begin school, and they increase over time. Despite years of study…

This article describes the emerging field of metagenomics, a potent new tool that vastly expands the ability of scientists to study the myriad capabilities of microbial communities and the as yet unrecognized relationships and interactions of microbes with other forms of life and the environment. The birth of this exciting new field provides the…

International service-learning (SL) and study abroad (SA) courses are increasingly part of university curricula. A literature review shows these two types of experiential learning share similarities that offer potential synergies for the growing numbers of both types of experiences. This possibility is explored further by analyzing results from a…

This article begins with an introduction to the context and general situation of transnational higher education (TNHE) in Asia, especially in East and Southeast Asia. It then examines development of TNHE in some selected Asian countries from different perspectives and provides a detailed description of TNHE in China. The article concludes by…

Fueled by optimism and driven to succeed, middle- and upper-middle-class families--and those who aspire to join their ranks--are cherished by public schools. It is easy to see why. Better educated and more affluent, middle-class families tend to send their children to school ready (and eager) to learn. And, as 45% of American voters, middle-class…

Educators in today's classroom face increasing challenges which include the changing complexities of student needs, the intricacies of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the demands of high stakes standardized state assessments and the continuous and often widely publicized issues associated with budget constraints. With all of these challenges,…

Virtual environments (VEs) are growing in popularity among educators and have unique potential for online learning. This paper describes the unique characteristics of VEs that make them an effective venue for online learning due to increased environmental presence. Unique characteristics of VEs include nature of visual stimuli, control of the…

This article examines the legacy of segregation and desegregation in the town of Parsons, Kansas. We argue that school desegregation, the goal of which was to increase access and equalize educational opportunities for African Americans, did not have that desired affect. Fifty years after the closing of the all-Black Douglass School, Parsons'…

This annual report reviews leadership and service activities provided by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) to its 20 member institutions. Messages from the COU's Chairman and President comment on the challenges presented by Ontario's Social Contract Act and by the Resource Allocation Review conducted by the Ontario Council on University…