Undergraduate programs in the United States range from locally funded, two-year community colleges, to state and federally funded universities, as well as private, tuition-based institutions. Assumingly most programs attempt to facilitate a relevant and balanced curriculum that prepares students for the general and perhaps specific obstacles that…

For nearly twenty years the educational community has utilized portfolios as a method of monitoring the growth and development of candidates earning certification as educators and as school leaders. Professors in the field of education have encouraged their students to share these portfolios with public school hiring officials. There is a belief…

This study investigated the impact of disclosure of invisible disabilities (physical and psychiatric) within the employment interview process. Both the type of disability and the extent of disclosure were manipulated in an analogue experimental design. Employers (N = 60) were exposed to a short interview vignette of a potential candidate and were…

The use of microworlds (MWs), or complex dynamic systems, in educational testing and personnel selection is hampered by systematic measurement errors because these new and innovative item formats are not adequately controlled for their difficulty. This empirical study introduces a way to operationalize an MW's difficulty and demonstrates the…

This article presents the results of two studies; the first of which offers insight into how three African American boys did and did not utilize a critical literacy stance to interpret texts while the second gives specific suggestions for how teachers might select and use texts in ways that foster students' critical literacy abilities. Results…

This important and much-needed book is based on a longitudinal study of fifty new teachers during their first years in the classroom. It highlights the cases of ten, whose stories vividly illustrate the joys and disappointments of new teachers in today's schools. The book documents why they entered teaching, what they encountered in their schools,…

This research brief presents results of George B. Vaughan and Iris Weisman's 2006 Career and Lifestyle Survey (CLS) of community college presidents. Data from four previous CLS studies, conducted in 1984, 1991, 1996, and 2001, are included to indicate trends over time (Vaughan, 1986; Vaughan, Mellander, & Blois, 1994; Vaughan & Weisman, 1998;…

A student's choice of a field of study is a personal decision that combines individual tastes, inclinations, preferences, and prospects related to the working life with a number of financial and academic constraints. Therefore, the analysis of the effects of degree field on job satisfaction should also address the unobserved heterogeneity among…

In the debate about urban school effectiveness and teacher quality, one proposition has emerged as indisputable: The success of urban schools depends heavily on the quality of the teachers who serve the schools and the administrators who support the teachers. Unfortunately, urban school district recruitment policies are often not aligned with…

This qualitative study investigated P-12 school administrators' perceptions of teacher education candidates' online digital portfolios for hiring purposes. Over the course of three semesters, focus group interviews and an online questionnaire gauged administrators' perceptions of selected candidates' portfolios and how they might be used to help…

To compete in a global environment, firms need people with the appropriate international knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA). Undergraduate international business (IB) majors may not be taught the specific KSA that match those business needs. This study surveyed the most active international companies in Minnesota (USA) that had recently hired…

School administrators and teachers need to recognize that most persons--including would-be censors of school-related media communications--simply do not understand the complexities germane to measuring the impact of the mass media and the specific messages transmitted to broader audiences via a variety of media channels. In particular, what most…

The proportion of high school students completing a challenging core curriculum rose significantly between 1990 and 2005--from 31 percent to 51 percent--and students are doing better in their classes than their predecessors did. However, that good news is tempered by other findings in two federal reports. The performance of high school seniors on…

"Bunko" are local mini-libraries for children in Japan, operated voluntarily by individuals or groups of parents, intended to nurture children's reading interest by offering them an inviting reading environment. In 1993, there were an estimated 4,000 bunko in Japan, with approximately 32,000 adult bunko members (90% female). Bunko…

Designed as a practical aid to staff members, this guide outlines the functional procedures in a modern school media center and offers practical suggestions for facilitating service to students and teachers. Administrative procedures are described in terms of budgeting; the selection and evaluation of materials; and the technical aspects of…