Our society cannot afford to wait for research results before acting to reduce the high school dropout rate. Schools should focus on those students who are most likely to drop out. (MD)

A random selection of course examinations, classified by Bloom's cognitive taxonomy, revealed a pattern of differences between the questions asked at more selective liberal arts colleges and those asked at less selective ones. A framework for describing academic rigor and standards that is based on these findings is presented. (Author/MLW)

Gordon discusses the increasing role of state legislatures in addressing issues and passing laws regarding curriculum, testing, graduation requirements, and other areas with an impact on colleges and universities. Discusses the background and effects of the Gordon Rule in Florida, which establishes humanities, writing, and mathematics requirements…

Institutional controversies regarding the admission and subsequent education of academically inadequate students are discussed. Educational practices aimed at remedying these deficiencies are identified. Vassar's and Cornell's efforts to develop working relationships with emerging secondary schools are considered. (Author/MLW)

The College Board has issued standards for academic preparation in high schools for college-bound students. The standards identify skills areas that apply in all subject areas and desirable outcomes in six major discipline areas, including social studies. The significance and impact of the standards for social studies are discussed. (RM)

Two crucial factors in collegiate athletics are identified: revenues and the innate human compulsion to compete. All of the problems of college sports are seen as being related to financial pressures, with an inequity existing between revenue-generating and rule-setting institutions. (MLW)

The emphasis on control and standards in current educational reform reports is a reaction to past permissiveness, but new business community studies suggest an emphasis on human resources development. Thus, the educational community should concentrate on stimulating unusual effort from ordinary students and teachers, rather than selecting those…

Examines state high school graduation requirements from the perspectives of academic effectiveness and educational equity. Predicts that minimum competency testing, which is now widespread, will gradually be replaced by further increases in academic credit requirements. (KH)

The propositions for tuition tax credits have changed since the fifties. The current bill (SB 528), the major issues, and their implications are reviewed. (MD)

A major cause of the decline in student achievement is the lag time between the rise of teacher unionism and the more recent rise of effective school management. Recommendations for improving educational quality include administrator leadership and refusal to be intimidated by unions, concentration on teaching the basics, and testing newly…

Article discusses reforms for the preparation of teachers adopted by the Ohio State Board of Education which involved fundamental structural redesign of teacher education institutions. (Author/RK)

The rapid growth of the external degree movement has had its problems, and in a recent study called Legal Constraints to the Development of External Degree Programs, the author discussed the decision making process regarding the regulation of postsecondary external degree programs. (Author/RK)

Because educators are recognizing the contributions that typewriting can make as a tool of communication, greater numbers of personal-use typewriting courses are being offered in which students will develop an effective skill for personal use, as well as gain a sound foundation for further study in a vocational course. The major issue is one of…

A survey of 20 instructors at Broward Community College revealed faculty concern about underprepared students, grade inflation, de-emphasis of cognitive learning, falling academic standards, instructor evaluation by students, and objective testing. Suggestions for reform to accommodate diverse students while maintaining academic standards are…

On April 5, 2002, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) entered into a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to bring the state into compliance with the provisions of the following federal laws: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1994, P.L. 103-382 and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)…