Describes switch from secrecy in the plan to realign the inconsistent system of orthography in the Dutch language by the Dutch and Belgian governments to an emotional public controversy. Explores how this struggle turned out to be less a debate on suitable spelling changes than an issue about how legitimate spelling reforms were to be reached and…

Focuses on model for implementing a primary language program in Australia. Parameters of this model were: an intensive beginners' course introduced at year 5 level; the language program be part of the mainstream curriculum and be allocated at least six hours per week; the language taught be Indonesian or French; and a maintenance program of at…

This annual report provides strategies for improving the quality of early childhood programs. Describes changes in early childhood education, changes affecting National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC's) capacity, and adapting NAEYC's existing strategies and launching new ones. Contains a 1996-97 financial summary of…

Literature is examined for its metaphors for teaching and teachers, including the teacher as custodian and steward of knowledge, as sower of knowledge, and as "trickster," a picaresque, mythical figure who offers solutions, often inadvertently. The roles of kindness and cruelty in the learning/teaching process are also considered. (MSE)

College faculty peer coaching encourages better teaching while addressing the unique nature of college instruction. It is non-evaluative, based on classroom observation or instructional materials review, and targets specific instructional techniques. Programs should have clear purposes and procedures, provide formal coaching training, provide…

Unless the higher education community itself, primarily students and faculty, responds immediately and forcefully to the issue of underfunding and widespread retrenchment, higher education as we know it will cease to exist. Problems include shrinking state financial and political support and absence of a compelling national security need.…

Describes Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and problems faced by AD/HD college students, including difficulties in concentrating and reduced self-esteem. Discusses implications for educators, suggesting that changes should be made in educators' attitudes and behaviors and in the learning environment. Argues that community colleges…

Drawing from 10 widely used freshman writing textbooks, this article demonstrates the problem of implicitness existing in regard to 2 notions central to writing instruction in the United States: "voice" and "audience." The article enumerates ways in which textbook presentations of these concepts disadvantage second-language…

Looking at structural issues that have influenced the development of Welsh and English in modern Wales, this article examines lessons gleaned from the construction of a comprehensive bilingual social order. Evidence is included from a variety of sources concerned with language and cultural reproduction. (16 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the effects of new national economic priorities in Australia and of that country's desire for closer trade and cultural ties in the area on European minority languages and Asian "priority" languages. The article argues that equity and mobility for those with a less preferred language background are best achieved via English…

This article argues that the common legislative response to rising cost of higher education, asking faculty to take on additional teaching responsibilities, is both inconsistent with maximum-work-week law and short sighted, since it does not account for the preparation needed to teach effectively and deprives the next generation of quality…

A study examined Ghana's official response to criticism of university efficiency, a budgeting system intended to reform funding mechanisms. Analysis revealed that the new policy resulted in an input-based model that neglected outcome measures, potentially causing reduced, rather than enhanced, efficiency. Lessons learned and implications for both…

The experience of the United Kingdom and other European countries in designing legal education which responds to the changing needs of the European Union is described. The three-stage British system of legal education is outlined, and the impact of European Union formation discussed briefly. Changes in undergraduate study, professional training,…

Adoption of the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1992 formalized a significant shift in federal financial aid policy from grants to loans. A case study of the federal policy-making process and the effects of incremental and fragmented decision making, this legislation illustrates how shifts in the power of actors and constraints in the…

Responds to an article on aspects of African language policy and discusses the following issues: multilingualism and monolingualism, proposed changes in language policy from the Organization for African Unity and South African initiatives, the language of literature, bilingual education, and whose interests English-language teaching is serving.…