It is notoriously difficult to change a core curriculum. As credit hours and course requirements are revised, politics quickly come into play and turf battles arise to create obstacles. The author writes that, in her experience, there are two default approaches to curricular change. The first is simply to "tweak" an existing…

How do school leaders navigate a complex change process? Simply put: They listen. This is the contention that Shane Safir puts forth in this article. She outlines five reasons for becoming a "listening leader": Listening helps leaders tune into and shift the dominant narrative; keep their finger on the pulse of complex change; stay true…

Higher education institutions operate in a complex environment that includes influence from external factors, new technologies for teaching and learning, globalization, and changing student demographics to name a few. Maneuvering such complexity and change requires a leadership strategy that is flexible and supportive. This paper reviews two…

This concluding chapter discusses the main challenges currently facing institutional research at small- and medium-sized colleges and describes how the field may evolve.

Extension educators are increasingly using online resources in their program design and delivery. Usability testing is essential for ensuring that these resources are relevant and useful to learners. On the basis of our experiences with iteratively developing products using a testing service called UserTesting, we promote the use of fee-based…

This chapter explores the role of gender as a critical aspect of identity formation. The chapter reviews how narrow definitions of gender deeply shape campus climate, particularly for individuals who challenge norms in terms of gender identity, gender expression, and gender roles.

As the sun rises over the horizon each day, we rarely get the opportunity to consider how the new day contributes to the month that forms part of a season that culminates in the year. A year's progress guides and shapes the development of all growing things. Though not necessarily in a tidy twelve-month cycle, while developing the new standards…

The University of North Dakota (UND) Libraries have developed a multi-award winning Customer Service Program (CSP) involving longitudinal assessment and continuous improvement. The CSP consists of iterative training modules; constant reinforcement of Customer Service Principles with multiple communication strategies and tools, and incentives that…

This study reviews the application of a new training model, Sprint's Social Media Ninja program, an innovative approach to using new media to initiate change. Sprint recognized change management must occur from employee ambassadors to relevant audiences including consumers and other employees. By teaching volunteer employees the strategic message…

When students do not respond adequately to core instruction, teachers must provide instruction and intervention that is more intensive and, therefore, more effective. However, for many educators, it is often unclear what it means to intensify instruction and how intensive instruction differs from high-quality core instruction. This article…

The class visit to check out books has long been a staple of school library programs nationwide. This flexible or scheduled time allows students to take advantage of the library collection and enjoy reading based on their own interests. The library provides the perfect environment for students to self-select books based on their interests, an…

"Communication Education's" commitment to publishing rigorous instructional communication research with a diversity of methods is clear in its publication of quantitative, qualitative, and critical articles (Witt, 2012). Here, Andrea Meluch argues that the trends in the most recent research published within this journal indicate a lack…

Why does education fail to realize educational justice? Why does religious education not play a part in contributing to educational justice to some degree, as it is technically located in the logic of its handed down biblical message? On the one hand, education is socially testified as being at a crucial moment of educational justice, on the other…

To provide guidance to governors looking to advance juvenile justice reforms, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices convened leading national experts--state juvenile justice directors, governors' criminal justice policy advisors, governors' cabinet secretaries, juvenile justice experts and academics--to discuss the latest…

This study is focused on exploring decision-making and leadership in two urban principalships. The study is focused on reflections from a former principalship in Baltimore City and the influences from the former experience that influence leadership and decision-making in the present context within a District of Columbia Public School. In his work…