Asserts that, although research can be a powerful resource in guiding and fueling grass-roots social change, the community-based research enterprise often is contentious. Recommends collaborative research studies in which the researchers and practitioners work together from the project's inception. (CFR)

The evolution of the recent discussion of quality assessment and evaluation of teaching in German higher education is chronicled. Concern began in the 1980s over the length of time to degree and has shifted to interest in improvement of teaching quality and overall system effectiveness. (Author/MSE)

Staff at a small elementary school in Quebec collaborated to develop a three-year improvement plan that outlined specific goals in implementing change and focused on the introduction of cooperative-learning strategies. Cooperative learning increased student self-esteem and positively influenced teachers' attitudes toward their careers. (LP)

A study in 12 New South Wales (Australia) high schools investigated differences in motivation for Aboriginal (n=496), migrant (n=487), and Anglo (n=1172) students. A consistent picture of the urban Aboriginal child emerged, and key variables in his decision making (self-reliance, confidence, and goal direction) were identified as well as…

Discusses the need for a commitment to the recruitment and training of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into library and information science graduate programs. Highlights include collaborative efforts between library educators and practitioners, changing demographic trends, educational attainment of minority groups, curriculum changes,…

Discusses changes over 30 years of British teacher education, noting the impact of the 1988 Education Reform Act. Qualitative changes include rigorous national accreditation structures, an all-graduate teacher population, and in-service education of teachers. (SM)

An international workshop in which higher education professionals discussed ways to meet the needs of an increasingly nontraditional student population is summarized. Issues addressed included projected trends in student demography, implications for college and university management, alternative approaches for meeting student needs, and…

School reform efforts require teaching teamwork and goal setting to school personnel. Describes a number of strategies for managing organizational change with examples at specific schools. Lists Coalition of Essential Schools materials. (MLF)

Some organizations are having difficulty with the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach. Problems appear to come from reliance on prepackaged TQM programs, large-scale, diffuse implementation, mass training programs, measurement paralysis, overemphasis on tools, process selection, outmoded reward structures, and simplistic views of change and…

The trend toward increasing numbers of poorly prepared, high-risk college students requires a variety of strategies, including strengthened school-college collaboration and networking, taking a holistic approach to retention, attention to the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods, and hiring faculty committed to great teaching. (MSE)

Issues in the evolution of Brazil's higher education system are discussed, including growth during the 1970s in the private sector, the need to improve access to education for low-income groups, and the need for a system of loans and scholarships to compensate for inequities in elementary and secondary education. (Author/MSE)

Danish educational planning has become characterized by strategic development aimed at satisfying pragmatic market demands. This emerging instrumentalism is edging out the principles of democracy and equality in education, with serious consequences for the continued development of the society as a whole, and must be monitored carefully. (MSE)

Traces development since the 1950s of the tuition agreement approach, in which Canadian provincial school boards negotiate costs and conditions of First Nations schooling with (initially) the federal Indian agency or (now) First Nations bands themselves. Recommends strategies supporting Native control of tuition negotiations as a means of…

Examines distance teaching in Australian higher education, with particular reference to predictions made in the recent West Report ("Learning for Life"), arguing that discussion of technology and change in the universities must be framed in the context of the wider educational system, considering especially the government's construction…

Metropolitan universities are in the forefront of developing new administrative approaches to support and expand minority opportunities in higher education. Three design principles are at the heart of successful efforts to institutionalize diversity: strategic planning; the learning model; and integration across goals and functions. The experience…