Information technology services on campuses are in crisis, due to dramatically increased expectations and stable or dwindling funding. The situation can be improved and service effectiveness enhanced by controlling expectations, reducing work, getting help (student volunteers, experiential learning programs, local experts, consultants, faculty and…

Five focus groups were conducted with 38 family participants receiving early intervention services in Virginia. Participants expressed their perspectives on how cost and ability to pay affects the family and their decisions on services. Implications for early intervention policy and practice on the local, state, and federal level and future…

With state budgets in trouble across the United States, many school districts have already been hit with midyear cuts. Morale is the first and biggest issue administrators and school boards have to tackle. Successful leaders must be able to forecast what lies ahead and plan for the future. Good communication with staff and the public is crucial to…

Discusses recent curricular and instructional reforms, collectively called basic skills restructuring, that have developed in urban schools. Discusses these reforms as a response to various crisis tendencies in the operation of schools by dominant power groups. Discusses the causes and effects of top-down curricular reform initiatives. (JS)

An examination of the effects of economic crisis on women in higher education in Europe, Australia, the United States, and Japan looked at women's access to higher education as students, choice of subjects, employment prospects, and employment as faculty, finding that recent trends toward equalization are in jeopardy. (MSE)

Compares Egypt and United States rural school systems. Countries share financial limitations, low salaries, and teacher turnover. Discusses Egypt's national curriculum, high student dropout rate, administrative problems, and possible solutions. Concludes that countries' rural education problems are similar but differ as to cause. (TES)

Currently, 5-to 10% of beginning students do not speak English. It is time to end the bilingual education versus English-only debate and explore how improved instructional strategies can improve either approach. Promising strategies include instructional time extension, cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and California's newcomer programs. The…

A University of Maryland at College Park faculty member describes the recent retrenchment process, focusing on the role of the faculty senate and the academic planning advisory committee in decision making. The administration is credited with conducting an open and decisive process. (MSE)

This study examined the status of local gifted education programs in 19 states and reasons attributed by 1,579 educators for the status of the programs. Programs in states with gifted education mandates and good economic health were intact and expanded, while programs in states without mandates or in poor economic health were threatened. (SW)

The good news about U.S. schools (improved Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and international achievement rankings) continues to be ignored, while the bad news about the nation's real problems (crushing poverty, crumbling cities, and a faltering economy) worsens. A system that formerly functioned as a sorting machine is now expected to optimize all…

School districts dependent on outside resources must develop skills for securing educational resources, including competencies in collaborative, creative, and principled resource management. Constructive negotiations between local and provincial levels of government can improve relationships and support the development of collaborative…

England's National Health Service is described and the perceived training needs for professional medical and dental staff are outlined. The organization of a typical large medical school and its relationship with two teaching hospitals is outlined. Problems are examined, and the possible impact of proposed government policy changes is discussed.…

Describes the role of the World Bank in supporting educational improvement in developing nations since 1963. Assesses the impact of programs in curriculum development, teacher training, and nonformal education and training. Concludes with five lessons that are recommended to guide future World Bank funding. (CFR)

Describes efforts of an advocacy group of parents, outdoor educators, and classroom teachers to preserve outdoor education in Peel in the face of budget cuts. Despite efforts, a task force recommended the elimination of numerous teaching positions, resulting in reduced programming at outdoor education centers. (LP)

Describes how staff at an outdoor education center responded to budget cuts and the threat of program cancellation by encouraging outside use of the center for a fee, and by developing a partnership with the Demonstration Forest Program, resulting in improvement to nature trails and the reinstatement of day-trip programs. (LP)