Criticizes the idea of grouping the arts together in a single curriculum. Argues that such practice further marginalizes arts education, makes it easier for administrators to cut one generic budget, and ignores the distinct characteristics of separate art forms. Cautiously supports integrated activities while adamantly condemning integrated…

This practical guide is one of a series aimed at assisting academics in higher education in researching specific aspects of their work. Focusing on small-scale insider research in colleges and universities, the handbook covers contemporary issues, research methods, and existing practice and values in the area of assessment and evaluation. Issues,…

This paper, written from a British perspective, looks at "new" methods of learning that are transforming higher education teaching and learning and at some issues in quality control that arise from these rapid changes. The author notes that in the past new methods have often mistakenly been hailed as the panacea of current educational problems but…

This paper suggests that the current wave of educational reform carries with it a conception of "excellence" derived from concern for the productivity of the nation's human potential. First, differing concepts of excellence are addressed, followed by a discussion of recent educational reforms that are perceived as threats to students who…

A reanalysis was conducted of Saunier's research (1985) on sources of variation in the National Research Council (NRC) reputational ratings of university faculty. Saunier conducted a stepwise regression analysis using 12 predictor variables. Due to problems with multicollinearity and because of the atheoretical nature of stepwise regression,…

Mississippi's Education Reform Act of 1982 calls for developing a performance-based school accreditation system that applies research findings on school effectiveness. This paper describes the conceptual model, the proposed accreditation process, and the field testing plan developed by the Performance-Based School Assessment Task Force. The model…

Principals can influence teachers and instructional behavior by working through linkage mechanisms within the organizational structure of the school. Two types of linkages are identified: bureaucratic and cultural. Principals have access to linkages of both kinds; using linkages effectively, they can generate a common purpose in their schools. (MD)

Presents a laundry list of problems and difficulties facing elementary and secondary education in post-Soviet Russia. These include truancy, delinquency, increased infant mortality, debilitating health problems (both mental and physical), and ethnic conflicts. Follows this with a brief discussion of corresponding efforts by the state to correct…

This study compared the ideas of researchers with those of practitioners in higher education regarding what is considered significant and useful literature in terms of content, methodology, and format. The findings were interpreted in terms of theories of action research and the quality movement. Data were compiled using focus groups of…

This report summarizes the proceedings of a conference at which delegations from 40 Commonwealth countries and 7 dependent territories gathered. The principal theme of the conference was "Improving the Quality of Basic Education." The first part of the report presents the findings of ministerial committees on four theme topics: (1) better schools…

The final report of the congressionally-mandated Special Study Panel on Education Indicators (SSPEI) that was transmitted to Congress as required by the Hawkins-Stafford Education Amendments of 1988 is presented. This report is divided into two sections. Part I--"Education Counts"--presents the SSPEI's overall conception of how an…

This paper presents organizational strategies and implementation methods for conversion to middle school organization (scheduled to take place in 1988) in the Johnson City, Tennessee, school system. Carried out by the district in partnership with local institutions of higher education, the study focuses on what is educationally best for the child…

This report comprises papers delivered at a conference assessing the impact of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education 30 years after it was passed in 1954. The following papers (and authors) are included: (1) "Reflections on Brown after Thirty Years" (Linda Brown Smith); (2) "School Integration and the…

Data provided by the 1981-82 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were used to study the citizenship and social studies achievement of rural 13-year-olds. The NAEP extreme rural sample included 901 13-year-olds from schools in areas with less than 10,000 people and many farmers or farm workers in residence. School size in this sample…

Outlines some of the main reasons given in support of a core curriculum in British higher education and challenges these arguments with particular references to geography. Arguments against a core curriculum include the changing nature of knowledge within the field and the strength of geography as a broad discipline. (MJP)