Provides an overview of political corruption and its place in Japanese culture and society. Discusses recent scandals and efforts at political reform. These efforts are moving Japan from a "boss-patronage" system to a "civic-culture." Includes a table of post-war Japanese prime ministers and corruption scandals. (MJP)

Examines the geographical and political forces that are central to the process of legislative redistricting. Reviews the historical background of the redistricting process and discusses the importance of minority representation. Briefly looks at some of the alternative systems of representation that have been suggested to improve the quality of…

Offers five themes from political geography that could be incorporated into college geography courses: historical specificity of geography; (2) interconnectedness of regions; (3) interpenetration of the human and natural worlds; (4) centrality of culture in social reproduction; and (5) use of political economy to uncover social relations. (MJP)

Presents a conceptual framework that embeds ideas from world-systems theory within the larger context known as the theory of dissipative structures. This perspective reflects the interconnectedness of individual and separate places into a larger global system that is a single functioning spatial entity. (MJP)

Maintains that spreading poverty in Europe has weakened social cohesion and now threatens the construction of the European Community. Initially centered on issues concerning the distribution of resources and goods, the discussion increasingly has focused on the breakdown of social relationships and the question of citizen's rights. (MJP)

If community colleges are to shape their own futures, leaders must address these trends: growing public skepticism of higher education; program downsizing to cut costs; increased sectoring within state systems; refocusing of mission on the economy and workplace; demand for developmental education; demographic shifts; and anxiety about the economic…

Examines students' initiations during teacher-led read-alouds of information books in an urban first-grade classroom. This process allows students multiple opportunities to share authority and direct the classroom's work and talk, thus allowing teachers to view them as knowledgeable, capable discussants speaking as experts about information books.…

The University of Maryland's Intergroup Dialogue and Leadership Program (IDLP) is coordinated by the Office of Human Relations Programs (OHRP), an arm of the Office of the President. Because of this organizational location, OHRP has campus-wide scope which has been foundational to its ability to adapt the Intergroup Dialogue Program (IDP)…

Although accurate assessment of bullying is essential to intervention planning and the evaluation of bullying prevention programs, assessment has been called the "Achilles' heel" of bullying research (Cornell, Sheras, & Cole, 2006). Problems have been cited about variations in definitions and time frames used, whether or not to…

A 5-year study, conducted in two schools on the Texas-Mexico border, is investigating the effectiveness of peer coaching as a professional development strategy for teachers in two-way bilingual education programs. A group of 24 teachers, half bilingual and Hispanic and half monolingual and Anglo participated in the study. For each, classroom…

The 13 papers in this book deal with issues concerning sexual harassment on college campuses including the abuse of power and ways to set up policy statements and develop effective grievance procedures. Part 1 examines legal, methodological, and conceptual issues of harassment; Part 2 considers issues of abuse of the power of the professoriate and…

Although more than 52 percent of the current college and university student body is comprised of women, institutional leadership is still dominated by males. This digest summarizes the issue from an institutional context and identifies factors that contribute to the gap. It suggests that the organizational and societal concepts of leadership be…

The majority of current succession planning practices reflect the viewpoint of only a linear career direction for ambitious people. They are based on the premise that competent people have and want only one career direction--an upwardly mobile one. In today's work force, however, a "bottom-up" process works better in succession planning. This…

A critical ethnographic study followed six preservice teachers throughout their teacher education program at a medium sized state university in West Virginia. This segment of the study situates their student teaching experience within a broader social context and addresses the ways, as well as the extent to which, the student teachers' experiences…

In this book, the former coordinator of the Technical Assistance Project of the African Association for Literacy and Adult Education (AALAE) provides an insider's account of the corruption, political management, and organizational mismanagement of the AALAE in 1991-1996. Chapter 1 introduces six myths regarding nongovernmental organizations…