This report summarizes the state of competition in American K-12 education. It pays particular attention to the prevalence and market penetration of charter schools, private school vouchers, and tax-credit scholarships as market reforms. The effect of added institutional competition from charters, vouchers, and tax-credit scholarships on the…

"Digital Literacy: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief" was commissioned by Adobe Systems to explore an increasingly pressing challenge for United States higher education institutions: advancing digital literacy among students and faculty. Unfortunately, lack of agreement on what comprises digital literacy is impeding many colleges…

This article presents a checklist as a guide for Extension professionals to use in research and evaluation studies they carry out. A total of 40 statements grouped under eight data quality components--relevance, objectivity, validity, reliability, integrity, generalizability, completeness, and utility--are identified to ensure that research…

This article elaborates on parent advocacy groups, a key component in meeting the needs of gifted children. The case for parent groups couldn't be stronger--or more urgent. According to Nancy Green, Executive Director of the National Association for Gifted Children, "Quality gifted education exists in places where there are strong parent groups."…

For most districts, budgeting has become a cost-cutting exercise designed to close the gap between revenues and expenses. During this process, decision makers inherently assume that existing operations are efficient and effective--an assumption that is rarely validated by facts. Cutting programs and services balances budgets but does not…

Curriculum is a crucial component of any educational process. Curriculum development and instructional management serve as effective tools for meeting the present and future needs of the local and national communities. In trying to strengthen the quality assurance system in Philippine higher education, institutions of higher learning were mandated…

Policy and program decisions typically involve selecting one choice from among a set of options, and research about the effect of those options can help inform the decision process. However, for the research to be useful, decision makers need a way of drawing accurate lessons from what often can be a large assortment of relevant studies.…

This study portrays how a male instructor, his peers, and the department head used feedback from student ratings. A case study approach was employed to provide a holistic mode of inquiry that would be consonant with the exploration of issues addressed by the study. The method selected provided understanding of the process and events taking place…

I begin by introducing Virtual Design Apprenticeship (VDA), a learning model--built on a solid foundation of education principles and theories--that promotes learning of design skills via overlay design tools. In VDA, when an individual needs to learn a new design skill or paradigm she is provided accessible, concrete examples that have been…

Developing musicianship is a vital component of success as a music teacher. Improving music teachers' level of musicianship does not necessarily equate with improving their level of performance ability. Music teachers can improve and refine their musicianship without becoming world-class performers. In this article, the author presents strategies…

It may or may not be the responsibility of a music educator to acquire or maintain the instruments used by the students in a program. However, no matter what level of involvement the educator has in this process, knowing how things are done--as well as what other options may be out there--can only help to keep things running smoothly. This…

Your name: F. Stanley Gogettum. Your job: Director of Admissions. Your institution: floundering University. Like all good admissions directors, you constantly ask yourself about your work and its effectiveness. Should you continue high school visits? Should you use Student Search Service, or maybe an unscreened (but perhaps cheaper)…

Today's teachers and principals are facing the highest accountability measures in the history of education while also grappling with the fallout of the worst economy since the Great Depression. This unprecedented combination of high-stakes accountability and diminishing resources has led to understandable fatigue and great concern as educators…

With this rejoinder, we address some of the concerns and questions raised by Ridley and Mollen (2012) and Hill (2012). Specially, we reflect upon Ridley and Mollen's commentary about whether the three theories in this major contribution can be deemed emergent or whether they are simply old thought in new packages. We also address Hill's question…

Why would schools consider partnering with a vendor to operate a pilot? Why not just wait until the final product is released? For starters, pilots provide schools with a golden opportunity to get an early look at the software, take it for a test flight, and ask for changes tailored to their operating environment and business needs. In some cases,…