Offers a brief overview of school restructuring, describing the levels at which it can occur, fundamental shifts required, and three lessons learned from school restructuring in New Zealand. (SR)

Discusses in a panel forum how to prepare applied linguists for the future. Focuses on the background and skills needed, work to be undertaken, and the best type of doctoral program. Statements from six college faculty panelists are presented, and responses to these statements are sought for inclusion in future issues of this journal. (10…

In opposition to the dominant economic agenda in adult education, a new cultural psychology of learning and development emphasizes learning as a social goal and fosters understanding of how people survive, rebuild, and learn through difficult times. Reflective conversations with an unemployed man illustrate the emotional and social processes of…

Summarizes 10 lessons learned by the authors during 3 years working with high schools that are restructuring the school day. (SR)

Describes how two middle schools in Hawaii have used a six-step inquiry-based approach to make dramatic improvements in their learning environments. The steps are: (1) inquiry, clarification, goal-setting; (2) examination of alternatives; (3) development of innovation; (4) consideration and adoption; (5) implementation of innovation; and (6)…

Explores the concept and definition of best practice and how it relates to organizational concepts such as benchmarking, leadership, innovation, and managing change. Describes the six steps of best practice: (1) identifying areas of need; (2) assessing the need areas; (3) establishing profiles; (4) looking beyond the organization; (5) establishing…

Shows how language policies may superficially remain the same over a short period of time, while their meaning or value may change. Using the University of Cyprus as an example, shows how within the same country, different policies can be claimed to serve the same function and how the same language policy can be interpreted differently, depending…

Discusses changes in library instruction programs to focus on information literacy and describes the process at Emerson College that was designed to help librarians who teach library instruction. Explains goals and activities that culminated in a retreat for teaching librarians that addressed faculty relationships, successes and failures in…

Discusses the need for academic and public libraries to confront the challenges and inevitability of change to retain their relevancy in the information age. Visioning, strategic planning, TQM (total quality management), and Preferred Futuring are considered. (Author/LRW)

Public confidence in the schools and educators can be restored through the thoughtful, appropriate application of systems thinking. This process requires the destruction of traditional power structures to create vehicles for truly continuous improvement that empowers all stakeholders to create appropriate learning systems. Change happens when…

A study investigated the motivation of five gifted American Islamic women. Five key aspects of the development of gifts were revealed: a sense of social motivation, a sense of spiritual motivation, a focus for change, a role for study and learning, and barriers to change. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Contends that strategies commonly used to persuade decisionmakers to direct more resources to early childhood education are not effective. Presents the Stand for Children's strategy, an intensive organizing approach used over the past 3 years in Oregon, Idaho, Tennessee, and Maryland. Describes efforts of Stand for Children to reinstate children's…

Presents a teacher knowledge approach to school portfolio development that was used with teachers on five campuses involved in a major national reform movement. The narrative method shows how teacher knowledge is made public and shared through school portfolio making. Particular emphasis is placed on the connections between and among reflection…

The Harvard Project Zero research group has been examining the curriculum content issue through the lens of the multiple intelligences (MI) theory, which emphasizes humans' highly varied capacities. This article describes the MI theory, some related research projects, and the theory's implications for elementary and secondary education. Includes…

Examined effects of a slide presentation prepared by an independent living center to members (N=135) of civic, fraternal, and human service organizations. Determined slide presentation appeared to significantly affect both attitudes toward people with disabilities and knowledge about the center's services. (Author/ABL)