This report summarizes activities in the AISD state-funded Optional Extended Year program for the 2003-2004 school year.

Since passage of federal legislation limiting the educational options of welfare recipients, community colleges have been scrambling to ease the impact on current and potential students. Low-income student enrollment is declining; many feel their only choice is work. Colleges are attempting to get programs on approved lists with local social…

Hong Kong universities' purpose has historically been to fulfill colonial labor force needs for economic growth. The 1997 shift in Hong Kong's sovereignty to China will bring changes in higher education's direction and philosophy, probably characterized by greater emphasis on scientific, technological, and cultural exchange with other countries…

This collection of articles on blacks in higher education includes such topics as: college endowments; black studies as a major; why affirmative action does little harm to white students; why blacks are more likely than whites to drop out of college; and how a college education acts as a defense for blacks in an economic downturn. (SM)

This article notes that recent changes in medical schools, due to funding trends and decreased demand for specialist services, have prompted dramatic changes in roles and rewards of faculty. Strategies for managing the changes are outlined for four areas: promotion and tenure, moving toward collective thinking, refining institutional mission and…

Presents a World Bank policy paper on vocational and technical education and training. Reviews the performance of vocational and technical education in both developed and developing nations. Provides four recommendations for donors who might wish to assist countries in meeting skill needs. (CFR)

The Technology Scholarship Program for Alabama Teachers (TSPAT) is Alabama's commitment to training its public school teachers in across-the-curriculum integration of educational technology. The program awards tuition and fee assistance to teachers to improve Alabama public education. Alabama is empowering its teachers by providing this funding…

This chapter uses data from the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students project to provide evidence of success among racially diverse students in the Los Angeles Community College District. Through interviews with student services personnel, it also describes the specific efforts that may be responsible for this success. In…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This June 11, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Parlez-Vous Anything?" (Germano, William); (2) "The Colors They…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This January 28, 2005 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Wasting Money: A Failed Fund-Raising Trip Makes a Development Officer…

The reauthorization of IDEA, which is now Public Law 108-446, was signed into law by President Bush on December 3, 2004. This article discusses background issues and some of the consequences of this new law for children with learning disabilities. For the first time in a reauthorization of IDEA, the rights of parents and students have been…

American Indian education has an important place in U.S. education, and grantmakers can form lasting relationships with indigenous communities that will have a broad impact on not only native education, but on education in the U.S. a whole. These relationships can yield transformational change in Indian communities and can be rewarding for…

This report presents and analyzes data from the 2004-05 school year related to the characteristics of charter schools in Colorado, including student achievement and school performance. The purpose, methodology and growth of charter schools in the state is discussed, followed by an overview of the background and mandates of the Colorado Charter…

Public higher educational institutions, where about 80 percent of all college students and 65 percent of all four-year college students are educated, appear to be in serious trouble. In order to delve more deeply into this topic, the author invited a wide-ranging team of experts to examine changes in public higher education over the last quarter…

"The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. The highlights of this issue include: (1) Report Finds U.S. Higher Education in Need of Change; (2) Meeting a Critical Need: Foreign Languages, Academic Rigor…