In her former role as primary editor at the Times Educational Supplement, the author met the great and the good of the educational world and monitored developments in schools, always with interest, often with concern, and--sometimes--with bemusement.

Community colleges in a number of states are expanding their roles to include baccalaureate degree programming. While the lower cost for delivery of these programs is often a motivating reason for community college baccalaureate, other factors also make these programs attractive alternatives. This article reports the findings of a case study that…

The image of the schools and the teaching profession according to the media is usually negative. The negative picture is one reflecting the social problems of society and the failure of schools to educate, that is, drop-outs, teenage pregnancies, substance abuse, guns, knives, and attacks on students and teachers. Occasionally, the positive…

The present study investigated the relevance of the "aspiration-expectation gap" and traditional gender differences among urban youth in middle school and high school (N = 294). Results failed to indicate a significant difference between the occupational prestige levels of aspired and expected careers, but did indicate a significant difference…

Although, by the time of her death, Louise Rosenblatt was highly respected in the fields of composition and reading theory, she did not enjoy the same status among literary theorists. In this article, the author argues that Rosenblatt should be taken seriously as a literary theorist. The author shares her views on Rosenblatt's "Literature as…

Arguing that professionalism constitutes a method according to which journalism is able to consolidate its position in society and gain the confidence of governments and the public, this paper discusses some theoretical parameters that can serve as a conceptual basis for journalistic professionalization. Noting that according to the sociology of…

Presents experimental tests of assumptions about the ways in which readers distinguish fact from opinion in a defamatory context. Examines differences in impact on readers based upon their perceptions of whether a report is fact or opinion. Finds that opinion causes more harm to reputation than does fact. (MM)

The ideology of community college leadership dominant in the professional literature is examined using discourse analysis techniques. It is concluded that strong, often militaristic description perpetuates an image of leadership that is exclusionary, narrow, and inappropriate for community colleges, which serve diverse constituencies. Development…

Data pertaining to the reputations, self-concepts, and coping strategies of secondary-school Volatile Solvent Users (VSUs; n=31), ex-VSUs (n=44), and non-VSUs (n=48) in Western Australia were obtained. Findings reveal that differences between the groups were more attributable to reputation enhancement than to self-concept or coping strategies.…

Surveyed business students about the role of institutional image and reputation in the formation of customer loyalty. Found that the degree of loyalty tends to be higher when perceptions of both institutional reputation and image are favorable, and that interaction between the two also influences loyalty. (EV)

Describes how Modesto A. Maidique, president of Florida International University, uses his business savvy and his connections in an effort to push it higher among the ranks of research institutions. (EV)

A model of gradual reputation formation through a process of continuous investment in product quality is developed. We assume that the ability to produce high-quality products requires continuous investment and that as a consequence of informational frictions, such as search costs, information about firms' past performance diffuses only gradually…

Reasons school psychology students choose to pursue a specialist or a doctoral degree were examined. A survey was mailed to 350 school psychology students whose names were provided by the National Association of School Psychologists. Survey items were subjected to a principal components analysis and scores from the resulting 10 scales were…

This study examines the publications in refereed professional journals that ranked American schools of social work for a 13-year period. The trends are contrasted with those reported in the most widely disseminated rankings of social work schools, namely, "U.S. News and World Report." Substantial differences emerge when findings from the 2 data…

In this article, I examine patterns of literacy use in the daily life a rural community in the Papua New Guinea highlands. It is demonstrated that many of these practices do not correspond to the ways in which agencies responsible for imparting literacy, particularly the local school, intend. Instead, village concepts of prestige, chance, and…