This article discusses the outcomes of a project that used a community development framework to implement change in early care and intervention services in two culturally diverse communities. It describes how community forums and parent leadership training assisted in change efforts and lessons learned from implementation and evaluating reforms.…

Identifies five interlinked and interdependent issues characterizing institutional transformation in South African higher education: (1) democratizing institutional governance structures; (2) increasing access for educationally and financially disadvantaged students; (3) restructuring the curriculum; (4) focusing on developmental needs in research…

Reviews key literature on rural education, 1974-98. Describes characteristics of rural schools and communities. Discusses the results of 100 years of efforts to urbanize and homogenize rural schools, and the question of whose interests should be served by rural schools. Examines ideas about the nature of appropriate rural school improvement, and…

Describes the Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico Rural Systemic Initiative (UCAN RSI), which aims to improve and integrate science, mathematics, and technology education for the primarily Native American and Hispanic students of the Four Corners region. Discusses UCAN RSI's focus on community engagement, cultural sensitivity and relevance, and…

A thorough review and revision of curriculum at San Jose State University (California) illustrates that the modern university can achieve major internal academic reforms when two important conditions are met: legitimacy and energy. These two concepts are defined and practical illustrations are drawn from the institution's recent experience in…

Despite pessimistic predictions that America is re-segregating, there is evidence that America is continuing to become a more integrated society. However, recent trends in higher education paint a bleak picture for institutionalized integration, particularly in the most competitive institutions, and the end of affirmative action has reduced the…

Discusses the medical student characteristics associated with graduates' entering generalist careers, including initial specialty preference, geographic background, gender, age, ethnicity, economic/lifestyle factors, attitudes and personal values, service orientation, and premedical academic performance. Presents strategies medical schools can use…

Describes the development of a technology infrastructure at a Catholic school in southeast Dallas. The plan consisted of four phases: (1) updating the computer lab; (2) updating the office and administration; (3) introducing networking and e-mail into the classrooms; and (4) adding Internet access. An advisory council and family members…

The standards movement has caught on in most states, but critics point to a shortage of support for teachers and overreliance on high-stakes testing, which can lead to teaching to the test. Developments in Northwestern states are discussed, as well as criteria for determining how well tests align with standards, and change strategies observed in…

This article presents findings from an exploratory study that compared and contrasted leadership succession planning in two large Ontario school districts with focus on three themes: (a) leadership succession planning, (b) recruitment and selection, and (c) professional and organizational socialization of school administrators. Among the findings…

The author summarizes trends in infant-toddler child care before 1960 and describes how interdisciplinary meetings on early development at the Mental Health Study Center of the National Institute of Mental Health in the 1970s led to the founding of The National Center for Clinical Infant Programs (now ZERO TO THREE) in 1977. Periodic legislative…

Among the great scientific discoveries of the 20th century, attachment theory provides an explanation for the intense and enduring bonds which are formed in infancy and extended and developed through childhood and adult life. Those early attachments, formed within families, provide people with a framework for understanding themselves and others…

A profession has been defined as a calling requiring specialized knowledge and intensive academic preparation. At the University of Missouri-Columbia, specialized knowledge and intensive academic preparation have been the hallmarks of its program since its inception in 1839. The University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) is the flagship and land-grant…

The George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida is currently undergoing a major renovation. Library West, the building that houses the humanities and social sciences collection, will be gutted and expanded. The collection will be moved to off-site storage and the staff will be relocated for a two-year period. The reality of these…

This article presents the experience of Circulation Services at Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University, during a 31-month relocation to temporary facilities while the building was undergoing renovation. The move to temporary locations presented new challenges and required unique solutions. Issues such as the rationale for the move to the…