School improvement and reform efforts frequently involve the adoption of a new curriculum program. This article examines the factors that influence program selection when schools have freedom to choose as opposed to having programs mandated by district, state, or national education authorities. Survey and document analysis are used to examine the…

Three different "logics"--that of the internal strategies of the institutions, the economic pressures of the socialist market economy and the political policies of the state drive the development of a university. The dynamic interaction and coexistence of the three logics has determined the transformation models of teacher-education or…

Students from underrepresented groups who seek to become the first in their family to attend college confront economically and racially stratified education systems. This article reports findings from an evaluation of First Graduate, an organization that offers college advising, mentoring, tutoring, and case management to first-generation students…

Over the past decade, there has been an increased emphasis on transition planning for students with exceptional needs. This is in part the result of the mandates contained in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This increased emphasis has revealed a number of shortcomings with how transition planning is done…

Despite debate over whether or not college student suicide rates are greater or less than similar age groups not enrolled in higher education, the rates of college students experiencing suicide ideation, attempting suicide, and successfully committing suicide are indeed rising. A steady increase in these rates over the last 15 years is evidence…

The financial benefits of a college degree are clear. Philadelphians with 1-3 years of college earn a third more than high school graduates over a working lifetime, and four-year degree-holders earn twice as much. Furthermore, college-goers contribute substantially more in tax revenues to support services provided through local, state and federal…

Historically, divisions between academic and vocational education--what is now commonly referred to as career and technical education (CTE)--have been stark and consistent. Such divisions often create circumstances that sully the educational experience for teachers and students alike. With regard to CTE, many of these divisions stem from a lack of…

In the UK there has historically been a clear demarcation between the academic and vocational routes through education post-16. Generally vocational study is taken either on a part time basis or full time at Further Education (FE) colleges. Students who want to take academic qualifications such as A levels have the option to enrol in a school…

The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), "as established in 1972 to award grants to postsecondary institutions and organizations for the purpose of improving postsecondary educational opportunities." This review focused on five basic research questions: (1) To what extent did the funded projects fit within FIPSE?s operating…

The Colleges of Worcester Consortium has created a broad array of statewide, higher education access services over several decades by leveraging federal, state, local, and foundation resources. The consortium comprises thirteen diverse colleges and universities in central Massachusetts and is a nonprofit regional association of these institutions:…

The diverse higher education members of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education independently partner with the Hartford Public Schools and deliver more than forty programs in the schools. These programs are varied and include such areas as college access, professional development for teachers, technology initiatives, tutoring, and science…

The Multilingual/Multicultural Teacher Preparation Center (M/M Center), a teacher preparation program offered by the Bilingual/Multicultural Education Department (BMED) at California State University, Sacramento, is entering its third decade of operation. The M/M Center was established by a group of progressive teacher educators, most with a…

The efficiency and moral of members of college faculties are dependent in a large measure on an assurance of economic security. In order, that they may render a high standard of service in teaching youth and in discovering knowledge for the benefit of society, protection for them and their families against the risks and anxieties of the future is…

The issue of student success is a common concern in the typical community college, and no less so at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in New Mexico. As a result of a comprehensive program review of student success rates in mathematics, the Mathematics Departments in the Divisions of Arts and Sciences and Developmental Studies collaborated on…

This issue of ETS Policy Notes highlights the ETS Symposium on Latino Achievement in the Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), held by ETS, the College Board, and the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University in Princeton, NJ, November 20-22, 2005. The conference had three major goals: (1) Exploring the challenges,…