Universities play an irreplaceable role in the process of harmonious society construction. It becomes a critical task to construct harmonious university because of strain relations among universities, governments and society, and internal unbalance of universities. To construct harmonious university demands internal and external endeavors:…

This state policy guide looks at partnerships between charter schools and community, faith-based, and for-profit organizations as one way for these schools to access essential goods and services. Each type of partnership poses specific challenges and opportunities, and, based on a review of charter school legislation and interviews with state…

Under the leadership of the University of Cincinnati, a unique, systemic collaboration of educational, business, nonprofit, civic and philanthropic organizations from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is addressing the challenges facing urban children and youth. Called Strive, it seeks to create a seamless educational pipeline beginning at birth,…

This article summarizes discussions held by 23 scholars from research universities in the USA, who are committed to civic and community engaged scholarship and working to advance this work on their campuses and in their communities. This meeting was second in a series first convened by Campus Compact and Tufts University to advance civic…

For some time, the author and his colleagues at the Kettering Foundation have been concerned that the public schools are losing their connection to a democratic public and that citizens are losing their sense of ownership and responsibility for these schools. Lately, they have also begun to worry that the connection between professional educators…

This article profiles Carole Colburn, a technology literacy teacher whose mission at Highlander Way Middle School in Howell, Michigan, is to help her students to learn--and to be empowered to help others--by working on projects that immerse them in their community. Technology is simply a conduit to make that happen. One such undertaking is…

In an interview conducted shortly after assuming the presidency of the National School Public Relations Association, Marsha Chappelow shared her insights and vision for the association. Her vision stresses the importance of ensuring that the association remain a relevant resource for school district leaders as the expectations on schools intensify…

The paper discusses the concept of schools as "multi-purpose learning centres", proposed by the European Commission in the year 2000 as part of the Lisbon Strategy to improve competitiveness. This concept was arguably the "European vision" for school education and was meant to drive the modernization of school education.…

This paper reports on a qualitative case study undertaken in a remote part of Queensland, Australia. While there is some modest agreement about the capacity of contemporary information technologies to overcome the problems of schooling in areas of extreme remoteness, generally, children educated in such contexts are considered to be disadvantaged.…

This article reports that a Virginia Tech professor whose wife was among 32 people killed by a student gunman last year will become director of the university's new Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Jerzy Nowak will give up his job as chairman of Tech's horticulture department to take the new post on July 1. His wife, Jocelyne…

This article is drawn from a qualitative study of the role that school building leaders play in building parent and community involvement in their schools. The article focuses on four of the principals involved in the study who--with their students, staff, parents, and community members--developed inclusive, meaningful, and transformative…

This article provides a case study of a project by the University of Delaware and the City of Newark to apply an environmental model to address the excessive use of alcohol by college students. Data about changes in the behavior and experiences of students over a 10-year period are compared. The authors discuss some of the practical implications…

We teach earth, ecological, and environmental sciences in and about "places" imbued with meaning by human experience. Scientific understanding is but one of the many types of meanings that can accrue to a given place. People develop emotional attachments to meaningful places. The "sense of place," encompassing the meanings and…

For much of the 20th century, it was the engine that powered one of nation's most massive retail operations. By the beginning of the 21st century, the historic building was no longer needed to supply energy to what remained of the once bustling Sears, Roebuck and Co. campus on the West Side of Chicago. The original purpose of the Power House, as…

The goal of the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) is to document, describe, and monitor student engagement in secondary schools nationally. HSSSE is a powerful tool in the assessment arena that can complement performance tests and stimulate discussions on teaching and learning. This overview report highlights findings from across…