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,…

Preschool educators represent a unique population for which to design professional development; as a result, innovative professional development models are necessary. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of training preschool teachers to use a Shared Reading Innovation Configuration (IC) tool on their planning, implementation, and…

There's no disputing that an effective, organized, and engaging onboarding program is a necessity for achieving organizational success. But are today's organizations doing a good job of rolling out the welcome mat for their new hires? Some 73 percent of responding organizations have an onboarding program in place, but only 51 percent of them feel…

The stately collegiate gothic buildings that define the iconic West Campus at Duke University evoke a strong sense of stability and the status quo. Like all institutions of higher learning, Duke faces many potential challenges to campus equilibrium--some of which could prove devastating to the university. Risk is inherent in academe, yet colleges…

How can parents help their children develop the sensitivity and compassion of people like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Rachel Carson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.? Participation for gifted students in service-learning programs, both in and out of school, may be one helpful method. In the last two decades, there has been a resurgence of…

A critical component of strategic planning is creating a shared-awareness among library staff of the potential societal, political, economic and technological changes that will influence how future users will create and consume scholarly materials, what will be expected of library services, and how facilities will be used. The ACRL Futuring…

Existing data sets can be an efficient, powerful, and readily available resource for addressing questions about developmental science. Many of the available databases contain hundreds of variables of interest to developmental psychologists, track participants longitudinally, and have representative samples. In this article, the authors discuss the…