Using a qualitative case study design, this article explores the different meanings of quality that stakeholders brought to the process of planning online degree programs for a university system distance learning initiative and examines the impact of those different meanings on the resulting planning process and the resulting online degree…

Strong, supportive, mentoring relationships between adults and children at risk for social and academic failure have been associated with improvements in academic performance, school attendance, and self-image. One of the variables associated with strong, supportive, mentoring relationships is the practice of matching children with adult mentors…

Increasingly, "collaboration" between business, non-profit, health and educational agencies is being championed as a powerful strategy to achieve a vision otherwise not possible when independent entities work alone. But the definition of collaboration is elusive and it is often difficult for organizations to put collaboration into practice and…

This pilot study was designed to evaluate the feasibility and the impact of a smoking-cessation program that would meet the specific needs of high school students. Feedback from focus groups conducted with adolescent smokers at a Connecticut high school was used to develop a tailored intervention. Intervention components included commonly used…

A new project-based lab was developed for third year undergraduate chemistry students based on real world applications. The experience suggests that the total analytical procedure (TAP) project offers a stimulating alternative for delivering science skills and developing a greater interest for analytical chemistry and environmental sciences and…

Service-learning opportunities are prominent on many college campuses. The process of designing and implementing service-learning experiences, especially for students of gerontology, however, has rarely been addressed. The current article briefly reviews the background and utility of service-learning in gerontology courses, describes our…

The process of teacher identification, selection, initial training, and on-going professional development that has developed at the Illinois Virtual High School (IVHS) over the past seven years is described and discussed in this article. Validation was based upon existing practices and research. To provide background the creation and initial…

The athlete role model has emerged as the new pastor invested with the task of leading young people classed "at-risk" from entering into self-destructive pathways. The logic invested in the athlete role model is that young people identify with their sporting heroes and in the process try to emulate them. This holds for the major sporting…

This paper reports on the processes experienced in the development of a language programme in a high school in the western suburbs of Sydney in 2006 and represents the ideas and views of the two key participants. We consider the different perspectives held by the key participants on the project and how these need to be worked through in order to…

This paper explores methodological issues of recording, revisiting and portraying women's life experiences and their connections to the past, to their families and to their communities. It examines the personal histories and collective memories of a group of low-income Hispanic women, through the application of an innovative research tool that…

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, together with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, set in motion policy changes that have allowed many thousands of children and youth with disabilities in the United States the opportunity to gain the educational and vocational skills needed to transition to living, working, and participating as…

If professional learning communities offer opportunities for improving the teaching and learning process, then developing strong professional development school (PDS) partnerships establish an appropriate framework for that purpose. PDS partnerships, however, can be less than effective without proper planning and discussion about the aims of those…

This paper describes the University of Utah's recently revised Ed.D. program and reports the results of several program-evaluation efforts conducted since its implementation. In particular, the most recent evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the field-based doctoral program in educational administration in linking theory and research to the…

This study assessed Head Start grantees' and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) staff's experiences during recent program expansions and their ability to handle future expansions. A random sample of 80 regional and American Indian Head Start grantees and delegates, along with staff at…

This paper describes a faculty-designed program evaluation procedure established at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, focusing on the Communication Department. The assessment potential of this process is examined and, following an explication of the process itself and the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) Report, the five elements…