Recent events in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) public schools show how purchasing practices can get out of hand--especially in the high-stakes educational technology market. Before a temporary freeze on purchasing, teachers and principals were under siege by vendors bypassing the district's central purchasing program. A new policy governing…

Early announcements show many colleges are raising tuition 5 to 11 percent, squeezed by pressures to keep costs down and spend more to improve educational quality. A federal investigation of possible tuition price-fixing at 56 institutions has also increased anxiety among administrators. (MSE)

A New Jersey high school administrator explains how he kept the school board from slashing the educational technology budget. A committee of administrators, teachers, parents, and students had students videotape computer and other activities and present the videotape at a board meeting. By targeting outdated equipment, the committee obtained…

"Family Circle" magazine editor visits a Brooklyn elementary school as "principal for a day" and learns about lighter and darker sides of school administration. Behind cheerful daily activities are some sad realities: children left at school long after final bell and teachers' realization that school provides only security and…

After spending 9 years as assistant superintendent of a 3,600-student district, the new superintendent of a suburban Chicago district offers some perspectives concerning his first year on the job. Whether lobbying for sufficient funding, making staff cutbacks, or dealing with problem students, the new superintendent remains optimistic and…

Investigated psychosocial stressors experienced by 498 driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders prior to arrest. DWI arrestees were more likely to have experienced certain stressors (financial problems, new job, job loss/unemployment, conflict at home, illness/death of family member, separation/divorce, being in accident, arrest) in previous year…

Presents an institutional strategy for effective alumni charitable giving that can effectively help finance public higher education. This may be accomplished by addressing federal and state appropriation trends to higher education, breaking down the financial burden that higher education places on families, determining the essential, growing arena…

The charter-school movement radically changes the existing system, deeming it unrescuable. The superficial conceptual rationale for creating these complex new settings will engender implementation processes that practically guarantee charters' failure. Matters are not helped by enthusiastic proponents who egregiously underestimate the consequences…

Describes the efforts of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity's barrio residents to protect, represent, and help its troubled youth in Puerto Rico. Discusses various projects and activities created to involve youngsters in the community parish. (YKH)

Explores how U.S. higher education's number one position over the last century is threatened as institutions struggle to deal with rising expectations from students and employers, which are producing chronic fiscal problems feared to be eroding the quality of teaching and research. (EV)

Although the rules for public-employee pension funds vary, they operate under the same guidelines. Throughout their careers, teachers and other state and local employees contribute portions of their salaries into retirement funds managed by states and municipalities. In almost all cases, the employers also pitch in a percentage of the employees'…

The treatment of uncertainty in the business classroom has been dominated by the application of risk theory to the utility-maximization framework. Nonetheless, the relevance of the standard risk model as a positive description of economic decision making often has been called into question in theoretical work. In this article, the authors offer an…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Institutional researchers have undertaken many studies of student attrition in the past but mainly focusing on the quantitative dimensions. No doubt it is important for institutions to be aware of their attrition rates and how this may vary by demographic and other variables in order to develop strategies to minimise drop-out rates and thereby…

House Democrats recently unveiled draft legislation for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Widely touted as an economic stimulus package, the $825 billion draft legislation included as much as $142 billion for education. This includes the creation of a $79 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to assist state governments in…