The James Madison University (Virginia) experience in implementing the "Student Learning Imperative" is described. Challenges to be met in creating programs, services, and curricula focused on learning and a strong sense of intentionality are discussed including circumstances for change; compatibility of project and community values;…

Australian rural communities often suffer from psychological isolation in addition to geographic isolation. Human and social capital are powerful antidotes to psychological isolation and are closely dependent on learning. Rural schools can reverse the negative effects of isolation on educational outcomes if they first work on building human and…

Being strategic at facilitating change in the quality of accommodations employed on behalf of students with learning disabilities means focusing on teacher-specific variables. This article provides a critical analysis of these variables, presents a triadic synergistic model for implementing change, and discusses the development of software for…

The perspectives of 241 multi-discipline early interventionists were elicited by asking them to describe three wishes they would make to change early intervention to ensure quality services. With few exceptions, practitioner perspectives conflicted with accepted early intervention best practices such as family-centered interventions or provision…

Explores the meaning of going to school in Guajiquiro, a deprived rural area in Honduras. Detailed descriptions of daily experiences at an elementary and a middle school spell out the range of investments needed to improve and sustain educational opportunities for Honduran children. Highlights the importance of shared ownership and community-based…

Polish higher education is no longer a driving force for social and economic change. Barriers to reform include funding, staffing, and inefficient management. It has become necessary to enhance the role of private institutions, increase age participation, and increase income through commercialization of services. Needs include greater…

Examination of business education and management training in East Central Europe indicates that they rest on decades of tradition unique to each country, which must be taken into account when change is undertaken. Specific recommendations are made for both making change and maintaining continuity in curricular, pedagogical, administrative, and…

The appropriateness of making qualitative change in the education of developing nations by applying Western innovations uncritically is discussed. It is argued that an appreciation of the complex educational context of the culture by educators in higher education, where such reform generally begins, is more likely to promote qualitative change.…

A case study explored attempts to change the culture related to sexual orientation at a small, Catholic college. Focus was on the perceptions and experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, staff, faculty, and their allies. These participants experienced a culture filled with contradictions and paradoxes. The report delineates and…

Argues for the comprehensive revision of funding relationships and mechanisms in British higher education, based on the principle of entitlement to lifetime learning. Outlines and discusses the concept of a Learning Bank to manage funding equitably, create a credit-based system of learning, provide flexibility through individual "learning…

Investigated how intermediate students of French interacted with a computerized second language reading gloss from three perspectives: (1) the relationship between the group's choice of program options and their comprehension; (2) individual user styles; and (3) student perceptions of program effectiveness. (31 references) (Author/CK)

Reviews six challenges that community colleges must address to achieve education reform: urge students to take tougher courses; outline rigorous standards for assessment; focus on reading; help create new American high schools on college campuses; strengthen teacher preparation; and involve the community. (AJL)

Describes a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The Taking Stock/Making Change collaborative action research project supported schools as they moved toward school-based management and shared decision making. Though participating schools had some problems,…

This article describes the six components of the policy framework developed by the Consortium on Inclusive Schooling Practices to guide its training and technical assistance efforts across multiple states and districts. The framework incorporates standards-based reform within an inclusive schooling perspective. Ways this tool can be used are…

Defines inclusion and the importance of inclusive education. Suggests that reciprocity built on self-empowerment, mutual need, ethics, and rationality builds partnerships for inclusion. Illustrates creating reciprocal partnerships by describing one effort to build a developmentally appropriate classroom. Describes a seven-step exchange model for…