This symposium brings together a range of scholars to consider what economic forces have driven the development of independent writing programs, and how such programs are susceptible to economic conditions and pressures, perhaps even more so than neighboring disciplines in the humanities. It includes: (1) "Documents of Dissent: Hairston's…

This series of papers was originally presented as a symposium at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) held between April 9, 2007, and April 13, 2007, in Chicago, IL. The authors represent school districts and departments of education across the…

Two articles present differing points of view on the evaluation of the development of a teacher education program. "Through the Looking Glass..." describes what happens when an evaluator becomes the evaluation client, and "Degrees of Strangeness" reports on the evaluator's findings and opinions. (SLD)

The six chapters of this theme issue describe and discuss many complex factors affecting teacher education throughout the world. Following an overview, two chapters focus on external factors, two relate to design decisions in teacher education institutions, and one contains case studies to examine program designs in different countries. (SLD)

African American college presidents consider how they would spend a hypothetical $30 million grant for higher education for blacks in the United States. Suggestions range from individual grants for programs and institutions to establishment of particular institutes and centers to overall support for teacher education for African Americans. (SLD)

Five articles describe the involvement of the Government Printing Office (GPO) and four depository libraries in the initial GPO Access Gateway Library Program. Technical issues and innovations are discussed, and the challenges of building such a program are outlined. (AEF)

Nine articles examine current topics in leisure programing, including program design and evaluation, program design through imagery, keys to quality leisure programing, programing with style, total quality program planning, evaluation of leisure programs, programing for older adults, and the intergenerational entrepreneurship demonstration…

This information packet contains 48 reprinted articles dealing with resources allocation in rural and small schools. A number of articles have a direct rural focus, while others cover the more general issues and principles surrounding resource allocation. The packet is divided into the following sections: (1) an overview of budget development…

Twelve articles describe developments in the field of employee health and recreation. Establishing programs, designing facilities, evaluating program effectiveness, and relating participation to productivity are highlighted, and program philosophy, participation of the handicapped, and legal responsibility for injuries are discussed. (PP)

Concept mapping is a structured conceptualization that can be used by groups to develop a conceptual framework that guides evaluation or planning. Twelve papers discuss concept mapping in evaluation/planning in terms of theory development; measurement, construct validity, and pattern matching; outcome assessment and internal validity;…

The seven articles of this special section explore evaluation in South Africa. Particular emphasis is placed on policy development in the areas of health, education, and housing and on efforts to alleviate the legacy of apartheid. Participative and quantitative efforts are described. (SLD)

Five articles examine key factors involved in the process of building and maintaining outstanding physical education programs in six school districts (supportive teacher relationships, teacher knowledge and reflection, program credibility, administrative support, and enabling factors). Each article is coauthored by a researcher and one or more…