Describes how private philanthropies are abandoning higher education, citing other priorities and a sense that colleges are not needy. (EV)

Discusses the debate among experts over why New York University's for-profit venture went under--the changing economy or bad decisions? (EV)

Little solid evidence is available to gauge whether the federal government's multibillion-dollar Reading First initiative is having an effect on student achievement, but many states are reporting anecdotally that they are seeing benefits for their schools. Among those benefits are extensive professional development in practices deemed to be…

A freeze on $3.28 billion in requests for aid under the federal E-rate program has left hundreds of school districts scrambling to pay for their technology needs--and, in some cases, crippled classroom instruction. The E-rate program, which has disbursed more than $8 billion since its inception in 1997, helps link public and private schools as…

This brief and accompanying Funder's Sustainability Assessment Tool is intended to help foundation leaders address the challenges of sustainability. The brief begins with a framework for thinking about sustainability, introduces an assessment tool funders can use in a variety of ways to support sustainability in their grantmaking, and concludes…

Research into higher education is an expanding field, but it is notable that, while certain kinds of research get funded, undertaken and reported, others generally do not. Thus, articles that critique developing national policies are commonplace, as are reports evaluating the positive effects of innovations in course design or institutional…

This article reports that more colleges are dropping the SAT as a requirement for admission and, in many cases, these institutions are attracting a larger and more diverse pool of applicants. According to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), 740 schools have made the SATs optional. The list includes some of the nation's most…

Describes how, anticipating fees announced by the librarian of Congress in June, many college radio stations have shut down their Webcasting transmissions. (EV)

Discusses how the direct-lending program, popular with colleges, may be doomed; a lawsuit and changing political fortunes pose threats to the system. (EV)

Discusses how, as many universities shut down their nuclear reactors used for research and training, the Energy Department considers moving its support to regional facilities, a change that might lead to more shutdowns. (EV)

Documentary films that have become classroom classics are running into problems, because their expired rights are preventing schools from obtaining copies. No totals are available on how many films' rights have expired, or how many may soon expire, but the viewing public--including educators--has cause for worry. When rights expire and copies…

Explores how the for-profit, computer training chain Computer Learning Centers continued to operate, enrolling thousands of students and qualifying for millions of dollars in federal student aid, despite three years of legal and regulatory turmoil. (EV)

Considers how human performance technologists (HPTs) can move toward the hard science, or management, arena of an organization. Topics include measuring meaningful outcomes to quantify performance improvements; measurable criteria for workers; essential skills for HPTs; dropping ineffective programs; and defining interventions. (LRW)

The brief narrative report on the impact of the elimination of the educational computing program, which was implemented at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in the fall of 1985 and discontinued after the spring semester of 1986, considers the likely effects of this decision on the campus mission, students, faculty, the University of Maine as…

By terminating 26 degree programs, 3 departments, and 3 schools and colleges, the State University of New York at Albany generated a pool of resource for reallocation to programs with greater need and priority. The difficulties of accomplishing this and the lessons for other campuses are described. (Author/MLW)