Highlights issues in teaching art curriculum courses in preservice teacher education. Discusses student self-confidence and conditions that are barriers to active engagement in art activities. Describes how preservice art teachers can develop personal autonomy and become reflective teachers. (CFR)

Reports part of the results of the Design, Development, and Assessment in Mathematics Education Project that tested the booklet on descriptive statistics called "Data Visualization" in six experimental algebra classes in Whitnall, Wisconsin. Describes examples of problems presented, use of cooperative learning during instruction, and…

Describes teaching Western political theory at Beijing University (China) in 1987, a period of political modernization. Suggests changes to enhance education and scholarship in China concerning instructional pedagogy. Notes the need for critical writing skills, finds students limited in their ability to analyze scholarly writing, and recommends…

One form of educational inequity faced by most students is that schools recognize only linguistic and logical intelligence and do not allow for forms of intelligence expressed through the arts. The performance-based assessments of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and the Kentucky Basic Arts pilot program address the multiple intelligences of…

Presents findings made by the Campus Retention Committee at Prince George's Community College in Maryland regarding the improvement of student persistence and achievement at the college. Recommends strengthening developmental course work, mathematics education, and student support programs. Includes eight data tables and 17 references. (JDI)

The formation of cooperative programs in the French and German departments of Northern State University (South Dakota), South Dakota State University, and the University of South Dakota is described, including language enrollment trends, state-level expectations and directives, curriculum restructuring, introduction of new technologies, and…

Libraries need to take a new approach to community relations and marketing to respond to demographic changes and users who need new competencies to compete in the job market. Highlights include improving access; collection development; programs and services; staff development and recruitment; funding; and evaluation of effectiveness of services.…

Considers the role of international election monitors in the political process of newly democratized countries. Discusses the responsibilities and backgrounds of election monitors and provides a personal perspective on recent elections in Haiti and Bulgaria. Briefly examines the efforts of the National Endowment for Democracy. (MJP)

Asserts that vocational education for special education students is necessary for their self-esteem, independence, and integration into society. Maintains that current training is woefully inadequate since it emphasizes manual labor skills. Advocates the use of Individual Training Plans (ITP) to coordinate vocational, social, and cognitive aspects…

Describes a university/high school/manufacturing company collaboration that offers alternative education to at-risk students. Students spend 20 hours per week as apprentices and 20 hours in the classroom at the manufacturing site, receiving pay for hours. After 2 successful years, they earn a high school diploma and have useful skills, improved…

In this article the authors describe the programmed and scripted nature of many mandated instructional and "management" programs designed to raise test scores of urban children in low-income communities. They detail the programs' dehumanizing effect on the ways teachers and students interact, and the resentment the programs instill in…

In examining the university structure, this chapter raises questions as to how institutional protocols can and should be put in place that will ensure that the commitment to urban education is being met, specifically in teacher preparation. In responding to Gutierrez and Jaramillo, these authors do two things. First, they attempt to characterize…

Despite the ethnic and linguistic diversity found in California's public schools, or because of it, in 1998 voters approved Proposition 227, a ballot initiative designed to dismantle bilingual education programs in the state. By the 2003-2004 school year, the California Department of Education reports that statewide 8,908 teachers were providing…

Over the past decade or more, educators and policymakers have sought to define new directions for teacher education in order to address widely perceived failures to prepare teachers adequately for the challenges to be faced in schools, especially those serving the poor and English learners. As colleges of education and urban school districts have…

The greening of universities has been on the international agenda for at least a decade. While there has been considerable activity at some universities overseas, progress in Australian universities has been less easily identifiable. Also, the term "greening" has often been taken to apply to the operations of a university, whereas the…