Ethnic-studies programs, arising from a student and community grass-roots movement, challenge the prevailing academic power structure and the Eurocentric curricula of American colleges and universities. There is little uniformity or stability among 700 ethnic-specific programs and departments. The challenge is reconciling academic goals (knowledge…

Presents, in dialogue form, the differing viewpoints of two Maine middle-school teachers who developed individual methods and rationales for implementing portfolios in their subject disciplines. Whereas the English teacher has adopted a fairly inclusive, personalized format to evaluate students, the science teacher used portfolios to help students…

The Arts Director of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University offers guidelines for recruiting support for an arts program. The importance of demonstrating easily attainable initial goals and positive presentation is stressed. Guidelines include obtaining administrative support, using volunteers, finding creative funding,…

Suggestions for making the academic planning process at the higher education level more productive include being realistic about what can be accomplished; carefully reviewing past planning efforts; preparing others for change; structuring change over time; and tailoring the model to the circumstances of the changes to be made. Substantive…

New information technology is viewed as analogous to a railway network that serves many, in diverse areas, and leads users to new frontiers. It is suggested that higher education can contribute to this system by developing useful new applications, providing guidelines for appropriate "passenger" behavior, and enhancing quality. (MSE)

Includes "State Tech Prep Initiatives--A National Survey" (Hayes); "Tech Prep Evolves in Indiana" (Adcock, Suba); and NAIT (National Association of Industrial Technology) Accreditation--Tech Prep's Final + 2 Link" (Shaw). (JOW)

Describes a severely disabled child's successful integration into a class of 22 first graders at a suburban Atlanta elementary school. Katie, who experienced visual impairment, multiple physical disabilities, and moderate intellectual disability, received two hours of support from a special-education teacher assistant and additional help from…

Recognizing that families are a powerful force in preventing or intervening in negative youth behaviors, the Gridely (Arizona) Middle School's substance abuse/intervention team launched a program to promote the positive aspects of family life. Family week activities included a local teen theater presentation featuring vignettes on timely topics,…

Describes how the English department at Willamette University set out to revise the English curriculum as a participant in the MLA-FIPSE English Programs Curriculum Review Project. Shows how the faculty redesigned the curriculum, and shares three important ideas that might be useful to other departments undertaking similar changes. (HB)

It is logical for groups within the college or university to work together for the institution's common good. Student activities personnel can initiate partnerships on campus in the areas of activities planning, academic and intellectual programing, and governance. It is also important to plan program evaluation and anticipate resistance to…

A discussion of the developmental path of the Black Studies movement focuses on its struggle for recognition as an independent and dynamic discipline, indicators of progress, and barriers to recognition. The evolution of Black Studies toward departmental status at Pennsylvania State University is chronicled. (MSE)

Presented are the focus and the annotated issues from a workshop on new perspectives in population education for 19 Pacific Island journalists, both print and broadcast, from government and nongovernment agencies. The regional workshop was jointly organized by UNESCO and the South Pacific Commission during February 1990, in Auckland, New Zealand.…

Six case studies are discussed, which illustrate the experimental and pragmatic epistemological paradigms as they function independently, compete with one another, or complement each other. Researchers should consider not only the substantive goals of an evaluation, but also the epistemological goals. (SLD)

In a partnership model, all members of a higher education institution work together to anticipate and meet students' changing needs, favoring team goals and course improvement. The model should replace traditional mechanistic models emphasizing form over function and regulation over innovation. (SK)

Offers a guide to those involved in developing a writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) program to help them inform administrators about some of the basic points and know what to ask for before agreeing to take on the task. Outlines some basic procedures to follow for WAC program development. (MG)