Leadership, like diversity, is often used in education as an all-encompassing notion, applied to a wide variety of situations, or at times, used rather loosely. The danger with such an approach is the lack of specificity. Yet, specificity can set the boundaries so narrow that one is led to believe one approach is better than another or that "one…

This article describes a developmental systems approach to applied developmental science (ADS), which provides a framework to design and evaluate technology-rich programs that promote positive development by emphasizing the strengths and assets of young people instead of focusing on diminishing or preventing risk-taking behaviors. Until now, most…

The critical incident that drove this article involved a single mother who was on probation for drug offenses. Her two daughters were sent home from their Title I urban elementary school on a frequent basis because of head lice. This situation prompted several questions: Can we and should we be able to legislate and enforce cleanliness? Is…

This article is based on the author's experiences observing a Korean family that immigrated to the United States. This two-income, middle-class family (a mother and father, a grandmother, and a son) lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago, where a large Korean community is located. As in many of the neighboring homes, Korean is spoken frequently,…

In this new feature of the "Academe" journal, work by faculty members is highlighted who are mobilizing in support of academic freedom on their campuses and beyond. This September-October issue of the journal includes the following brief reflections from faculty all relating to the central theme of "fighting back": "Free…

Federal and state education policy relies on the belief that student achievement will improve if schools have incentives and disincentives--rewards if they succeed, sanctions if they fail--to raise test scores in math, reading and science. But even if this were a practical way to elevate such scores, a test-based accountability system is still…

In this article, the authors show how higher education converted to occupational education--called professional education to distinguish it from lower-level vocational training. The vocationalization process has always had dissenters, those who complain that the dominant focus on vocational goals undermines education's moral, civic, and…

What do we know about education and diversity, and how do we know it? This two-part question guided the work of the Multicultural Education Consensus Panel, which included the eight scholars named above. The panel's work was sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington and the Common Destiny Alliance at the…

This article charts the promissory notes and concerns related to college-level online education as reflected in the educational literature. It is argued that, to appreciate the potential and limitations of online education, we need to trace the issues that bind online education with distance education. The article reviews the history of distance…

As Butler University President Bobby Fong was reviewing applications a few years ago for a national fellows program that grooms future leaders of higher education, he casually asked how many Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) were under consideration. None. The reason was that not one applied. A disappointed Fong urged the American Council on…

Focuses on the Sisseton Wahpeton Community College, a "tribal college" of the Dakota Indians in Sisseton, South Dakota. Comments from college president William Harjo LoneFight regarding the philosophy of the institution and its integration of the Dakota language and tribal cultural values. Looks at various programs and institutions that…

This chapter explores how theory, activism, and practice around sexual orientation and gender identity come together, as viewed through the lens of queer critical postmodernism.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a degenerative disease of the retina that causes the severe impairment of visual functioning similar to low vision, leading, in many cases, to blindness. Because the construct of self-concept plays a key role in personality, this study was designed to measure self-concept in a group of young adults with RP. The…

This paper develops a conceptual basis for a model on the teaching of socio-scientific controversial issues for secondary or high school students. I argue that the teaching of controversial issues needs a stronger theoretical base. Drawing on a liberal democratic conception of possible sources of conflict, three strands are developed that provide…

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), originally established to serve as an advocate of ethical practices in the recruitment of students and awarding of scholarship dollars, now recognizes the ethical dilemmas admission counselors face in the current competitive marketplace. This article presents the details of a…