The goal of this research study has been to develop, implement, and evaluate a school reform design experiment at a continuation high school with low-income, low-performing underrepresented minority students. The complexity sciences served as a theoretical framework for this design experiment. Treating an innovative college preparatory program as…

This is the first in a series of articles which will examine the results of a qualitative, longitudinal study of school improvement initiatives from the perspective of school stakeholders. The article captures the responses of students from a low socio-economic status school in NSW, Australia to a school initiative that restructured the learning…

This study evaluated attitudes toward interdisciplinary education by appraising the Interdisciplinary Health Communication (IHC) Certificate program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a case study. Sixteen affiliated faculty and thirteen students enrolled in the IHC program as of 2008-2009 were surveyed. Although the attitude…

This study uses a mixed methods approach to examine a new type of curriculum configuration that supports students' transitions to college: career technical programs of study (POS). Interview and survey data were collected from a college and its feeder high schools in each of three well-established ("mature") sites in geographically…

This paper examines how this mega-university offers increasing access to cost-effective, equitable and flexible higher education by analyzing data from primary and secondary sources, identifies challenges impacting the continued growth of enrollment in distance education, and outlines opportunities for increasing access to higher education through…

Virtual Enterprises International is a high school program that teaches students about business by having them create and operate their own virtual firms. The program enables students to learn about careers, develop interpersonal and organizational skills, and use technology. The New York City Virtual Enterprises (VE) Central Office invited the…

This paper describes the most recent phase in a mature e-learning project, in the area of reusable learning objects, that has attempted to bring about technological and cultural change. Following an overview of the project and organisational context, an institutional change model is described that helps managers and stakeholders to identify…

Describes a successful school-wide reading program at one high school which sought to change students' attitudes toward reading. Discusses envisioning the program, promoting it, gathering momentum, and ensuring its continued success. (SR)

The major objective of the Improving Citizenship Education Project (ICE) of the Fulton County (Georgia) school system was to improve the knowledge and attitudes of K-12 students about political science and citizenship. The ICE program is described as a model for other school systems. (RM)

Describes the design and evaluates effectiveness of a program at a private college to change freshman (n=615) attitudes about date rape and sexual assault. Intervention for the experimental group involved viewing a play performed by students; the control group viewed an alternative play addressing multicultural issues. Results indicated improved…

A study was designed to assess the attitudes of principals, guidance counselors, home economics teachers, and male students about male participation in home economics. Projects, activities, and strategies that can be developed and used in most schools are described. (JOW)

Proposes a role for institutional research in changing institutional attitudes about priority placed on student retention efforts. Identifies organizational/attitudinal barriers to improving student retention efforts relative to theory on stages of grief (denial, hostility, bargaining, depression, acceptance); outlines tactics for moving the…

Behavior Clinics are now being used in an urban-rural area of five secondary schools as substitutes for suspension. Various infractions of school rules which can lead to placement in the behavior clinic are: truancy, fighting, use of obscene language, smoking, disrespectfulness, and/or suspension. During the 1975-76 school year, a random sample of…

All incoming students at the Defense Language Institute now participate in a 3-hour workshop to prepare students better, psychologically, for the experience of learning a foreign language in an intensive program. The workshop includes an attitude survey constructed by researchers, discussion of a questionnaire on the myths and realities of foreign…

A three-year joint project of the Community College of Philadelphia and Beaver College (Pennsylvania) sought to raise transfer aspirations and improve the related skills of minority and low-income students, through a five-week residential program including two interdisciplinary courses co-taught by faculty from both institutions. Most powerful…