A Reading-for-Empowerment project used a critical social science approach. Phase I of the project was an in-depth study of successful lives to discern the critical factors which lead to success. Four graduate counselor trainees at South Carolina State University examined the autobiographies of Maya Angelou, Zora Neal Hurston, John H. Johnson, and…

Since the introduction of child-centered thinking in educational research, discussion has continued on whether the purpose of public schools is to teach students predetermined, set subject matter or to allow them more control over their education. Traditionalists have asserted that scientific methodology must be used to develop learning…

Excellence in education of gifted children is the focus of this journal theme issue. Two articles are featured: (1) "Making Connections for the At-Risk Gifted Child" by Mary Kay Finholt and Kathy Peckron, describing an exemplary support system developed for at-risk gifted students in the Rockwood School District in Missouri, which…

Few descriptions of the graduate school experience are taken from the viewpint of the graduate student. The comments and real life experiences presented in this paper are not intended to dissuade potential students but to promote a serious discussion about the role and expectation of the graduate student. The paper opens by sharing thoughts on…

Sound philosophical principles of coaching can enhance forensic programs as a whole while providing fulfilling student experiences. A forensic education philosophy involves recognizing the place and function of such values as freedom of expression, honesty, and creativity. Promotion of surface skills alone is an inadequate rationale for…

Curriculum reform in Indonesia during the past 2 decades has been marked by several themes. These themes include an increased emphasis on educational outcomes, greater standardization in instructional practices, improved teacher quality, and increased locally relevant curricula. Some problems recognized include an overloading of instructional time…

Outcome Based Education (OBE) is a holistic process for districtwide educational improvement. The Outcomes Driven Development Model (ODDM) is a means of implementing OBE that is used in 16 states and more than half of Utah school districts. A study of the impact of OBE in Utah reviewed grant applications and awards as well as state and district…

A review of the literature suggests that African-American and minority students bring a diverse culture to "traditional" college life. As a result, many institutions of higher learning have designed their student services, student-support programs, curricular, and extracurricular to meet the special nature and needs of its nontraditional…

The literature affecting the growing profession of student development can be broken down into three basic forms: text books and text/practitioner books; refereed and non-refereed journals; and monographs and Jossey-Bass New Direction Series paperbacks. These printed materials are directed to and serve a very disparate audience of about 50,000…

This review offers a theoretical reformulation of student development useful for policy and research and critically assesses four bodies of theory for developmental models addressing the family, the individual, complex organizations, and the interaction between the individual and the environment, respectively. In each category several models are…

This monograph provides an intensive examination of the student development movement in college student affairs. Chapter I examines student development as a reform movement within the field of student affairs in higher education. Chapter II challenges the assertion that student development as conceptualized in its seminal documents represents a…

Retention of students began soon after the introduction of graded elementary schools in the mid-1800s. As early as 1911, research started to show that retention failed to remedy the difficulties of academic achievement and social adjustment exposed through graded schools. Educators today have a number of options other than retention designed to…

This conference presentation interprets the historic-cultural meaning of giftedness-as-potential. In this view, giftedness is seen as a gold mine, and good education results in the mining of the precious golden essence that is buried deep within individual students. The historic roots of this metaphor can be traced back to Plato's plan in "The…

Despite educational expansion, girls and women still face unequal educational and training opportunities. A fundamental cause is the perpetuation of assumptions, beliefs, and prejudices that ignore, belittle, and hinder the aspirations, needs, and capacities of girls and women. Since educational and vocational guidance can promote equal…

Guidelines for and obstacles to focusing on student learning outcomes as the primary educational goal are presented in this paper. Five obstacles that impede the focus on student outcomes are the beliefs that: learning should be normally distributed; education's purpose is to select talent; the purpose of testing is for evaluation only; curriculum…