To reform a special education teacher preparation program can be gratifying, difficult, complex, political, and urgently needed. The Monarch Center, a federally funded technical assistance center, was established to guide and support minority-serving institutions in their efforts to improve their teacher preparation programs. Four guidelines…

With all the trials and tribulations, the job of a university president is one of the most rewarding. Yet, like every other aspect of society, the academic presidency has changed over the last several decades. A surprise turn of events gave the author an opportunity to reflect on the "then and now" question. Having served as president of…

Realists recognize reorganizations for what they are: opportunities to do things better--to change business as usual to reflect best practices, new tools and technologies, and current challenges in the marketplace. At educational institutions, perhaps no area is as sensitive to those shifts as communications and marketing offices. The advances in…

This study examined the coverage of sexual orientation topics within 77 public university secondary teacher preparation programs across seven US states, and represented programs preparing 8,300-11,500 teachers annually. Findings indicated that 40% of programs did not address sexual orientation as a diversity topic. Further, even programs that did…

Due to expressed dissatisfaction by both faculty and administrators, this study aimed (1) to provide current data on orientation programs and procedures in Illinois community colleges, and (2) to present an "orientation model" as a guideline for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of faculty orientation programs. (Author/LBH)

This document contains focus statements, priorities statements, and lists of priority actions planned in the 1996 fiscal year and of projected actions planned for the next 1-year to 5-year periods from each of 12 public universities in Illinois. Focus statements are brief and typically address the type of student population served, the type of…

This paper contains executive summaries of the productivity-quality efforts and priorities from 12 Illinois public universities. Reports summarize the schools' goals (e.g., improved minority student achievement; greater use of technology) and initiatives in pursuit of those goals (e.g., incorporation of diversity issues into new curricula;…

Emphasizing human geography, this collection of 10 papers is designed to constitute basic lecture topics for a college level course concerned with Native American human geography and to serve as a guide to published materials and primary data/documentary sources on Native Americans. Comprised of three sections, this publication includes an…

In Chicago and suburban schools there are many teachers who have not had an opportunity to take part in either induction or orientation programs during their first year of teaching. Exposed to proper and adequate induction programs, beginning teachers may demonstrate higher performance and skill in classroom management, instruction, discipline,…