A survey of 121 undergraduate and graduate social work students and 96 field instructors found that many students had experienced verbal and physical abuse and that most instructors had experienced verbal abuse and physical violence. Although students received some instruction on safety, practicum agencies often had no safety policies. Curriculum…

Key institutional, social, and psychological factors that may be visible or invisible barriers to women and ethnic minorities seeking academic careers are examined, drawing on recent literature. Recommendations for change at the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and graduate levels are offered. (MSE)

Describes the development of an alternative preservice teacher education program that helped students realize that children learn through constructing ideas about the world and themselves and demonstrated the belief that learning to teach is a process of constructing meaning. The program encouraged student teachers to explore their potential for…

Advice for doctoral students and fledgling educational researchers presents the following suggestions: (1) use what is known about problem finding to choose a dissertation topic, (2) be persistent in productivity and in the face of discouragement, and (3) replace the typical dissertation structure with a more functional one. (SLD)

Discusses the portfolio method of student assessment in the Educational Leadership program at Auburn University Montgomery (Alabama). Highlights include the procedures, format, components, and assessment practices utilized; perceptions of university faculty, students, and prospective employers; and the future of leadership portfolio assessment.…

The first doctoral student of linguist John Swales comments on three aspects of their advisor/advisee relationship: the relaxed atmosphere in which work was done; the collegial style of interaction; and the advisor's active participation with the student in the research process. (MSE)

A study of graduate and professional student within-year persistence, based on the 1993 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, compared three models of the impact of financial aid on persistence. It was found that financial aid significantly and positively influenced within-year persistence, with comprehensive aid packages having the greatest…

Two coordinated studies involving 429 teachers and preservice teachers and 227 education graduate students were designed to develop and validate scores on an efficient self-report measure of multicultural awareness for teachers working in kindergarten through grade 12. The construct and criterion validity and reliability of the developed Teacher…

A national survey of 45 faculty and 75 deans and directors of graduate-level multicultural social work programs found that there was heavy reliance on traditional teaching methods; an increasing number of groups and topics were being covered; coursework was poorly linked to field practicum experience; and teacher attitudes were associated with…

The Center for California Studies, a unit of California State University, Sacramento, focuses on governance issues and depends on state funds for administering four fellowship programs. It exists in a borderland between academe and state government, public policy think tanks and interdisciplinary studies, graduate education and career training.…

Describes a visit to the Harvard University (Massachusetts) business school to examine how its curriculum and instruction have responded to economic, social, and technological changes in the business world. Focus is on the use of the case method and classroom discussion as central teaching techniques and the value of program participation to…

The University of Technology, Sydney (Australia) graduate certificate program in local government management grew from a desire for program flexibility and relevance and resulted in a partnership with local government. The one-year program has a variety of delivery modes, with both delivery and content negotiated by participants, employers, and…

Recounts the first year of a university/school district partnership to create Master's level cohorts of inservice teachers, describing: how the program emerged, program organization, and problems encountered. The program's initial goals are explained, and participants' voices are presented. Their goals went beyond those specified in planning. They…

Discusses the importance of preparing teachers to be leaders, explaining that the best method is to change teacher preparation curricula to provide explicit education in teacher leadership. The paper describes three preparation programs for teacher leadership, noting that only through partnerships in education will the goal of providing quality…

Reports results of a 1995 survey of 56 doctoral programs in public administration and public affairs, finding that public administration is a fragmented, interdisciplinary field, but many doctoral programs are training students for research careers. A lingering concern is whether these innovations are making a difference in the quantity and…