As the incomes of affluent and poor families have diverged over the past three decades, so too has the educational performance of their children. But how exactly do the forces of rising inequality affect the educational attainment and life chances of low-income children? In "Whither Opportunity?" a distinguished team of economists,…

Project management covers a wide range of skills and is one of the best forms of staff development available for the development of skills by doing. This publication is for the use of staff involved in e-learning development projects. An introduction and overview includes discussion of e-learning projects in general and why they are undertaken;…

"Music Techniques in Therapy, Counseling, and Special Education" is the culmination of the first author's research in the skill development of prospective music therapists and music educators during graduate and undergraduate preparation. Standley studied the abilities and progress of students across multiple clinical music therapy and music…

Authors David L. Gray and Agnes E. Smith have written a book of cases to give prospective school leaders opportunities to resolve complex issues in K-12 school settings through reflective questions, activities, and authentic assessment tools for skill development. "Case Studies in 21st Century School Administration" presents thought-provoking case…

Leadership is often described as something that is learned from experience. However, experiences do not often occur within a controlled environment where learning and its impact can be evaluated. In this paper, we investigate the efficacy of two types of learning experiences. University students received leadership training of equal length through…

Pedro Hernandez-Ramos, James L. Koch, Albert Bruno, and Eric Carlson describe the online collaboratory planned for the Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI), an international education program designed to serve social benefit entrepreneurs working in the fields of education, health, economic development, the environment, and equality around the…

This paper explores the extent to which students and teachers are able to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of a shift in the approach to teaching and learning from a traditional, teacher-centred perspective towards project- and learner-centred education. It reports on a case study aimed at exploring students' and teachers' perceptions of a…

This study examined critical thinking instruction in a required introductory communication course (N = 324). Experimental group participants received enhanced instruction using various active learning strategies, activities, and assignments. Results indicate significant improvement in their critical thinking skills. Implications for pedagogy and…

In this article, the author examines the validity of performing assurance of learning (AOL) activities at the degree program level (e.g., bachelor's level) and the major level (e.g., accounting, finance). She examines 3 learning goals: management-specific knowledge, problem solving, and communication. The results strongly suggest that the AOL…

During a six-month naturalistic study, the author conducted an ethnographic examination of a seventh grade hypermedia unit. Beginning with the global question, "In what ways are computers used to support the education of middle school students?" the researcher coded and analyzed observations, interviews and projects. Three themes emerged: the…

This longitudinal case-study aimed at examining whether purposely teaching for the promotion of higher order thinking skills enhances students' critical thinking (CT), within the framework of science education. Within a pre-, post-, and post-post experimental design, high school students, were divided into three research groups. The experimental…

National assessments of U.S. high school students' writing and other verbal abilities do not show that literacy has declined substantially in recent years. In fact, scores have been relatively stable since the 1980s. The proportion of students with solid writing and reading abilities has held fairly steady but remained small during the past 25…

This qualitative study used data from semi-structured interviews with eight school counsellors working with adolescents in secondary education and asked them how they perceived counselling interventions as helping to raise achievement. The present context in secondary education is perceived as results led. This adheres to government policy as…

This paper introduces the subject of communication apprehension and presents five group-based exercises for the basic public speaking course. The paper notes that communication apprehension can affect people's personal and occupational lives, and that visualization, skills training, and systematic desensitization are methods that can help control…

This book is designed to help novices get started in providing services to patrons of their library. By separating professional tasks from others, an indication is made when expertise is needed above and beyond the use of common sense and natural organizational skills. The book covers the realm of a librarian's responsibilities, offering advice on…