In the United Kingdom, the number of mature students studying in higher education is diminishing. This is also the case within the subject of art and design. This article reports on a project "Mature Students Matter," a study that aims to widen participation in art and design education within a small specialist university. The approach…

A research report from the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe shows that investing in languages education in the UK could return more than the investment cost. Researchers explored a gap in the evidence relating to the economic benefits of extending languages education and found that an increase in secondary-school pupils learning one of four…

Whereas major research universities may accommodate programs of study in Arabic, Chinese, or Persian, regional universities and liberal arts colleges have struggled to adapt to a wider and more complex array of world languages and literatures in the 21st century. Many have been forced to choose between radically restructuring or closing programs…

Northern Ireland has achieved political stability and its devolved government is now tackling public policy issues neglected during periods of sectarian violence. Notwithstanding the prevailing political optimism, one legacy of the conflict is a deeply divided society. This is particularly manifest in the education system where around 90% of…

To alleviate poor subject-matter preparation of science teachers and stem declining enrollment in both secondary and postsecondary science programs, the University of Western Ontario faculties of science and education are collaborating in a new honors undergraduate program in science. The interdisciplinary program offers a broader selection of…

Six case studies of foreign language programs in diverse Australian secondary schools conducted as part of an effort to learn the state of secondary level foreign language instruction are presented. The studies were conducted through administrator, teacher, and student interviews, on-site observation, and verification of the final report by the…