Eight papers presented at the Third International Conference of the Australasian Association of Institutional Research (AAIR) are published in this journal issue. They represent the diversity and richness of the field of Planning in the Public Sector" (Jack Smith); (2) "Futures Planning for Tertiary Education: Curricula for the 21st…

One educational change that is beginning to take hold is the use of alternative ways of testing and assessment, often referred to as authentic assessment. Advocates of authentic assessment believe that conventional testing is distorting educational goals, while authentic assessment can foster good educational practices. In fact, many educators…

This 1945 National Education Association yearbook focuses attention on the post-World War II problems of rural schools and encourages national, state, and local leaders to lay plans for strengthening rural education programs. The articles examine social and economic problems faced by rural Americans, the implications of these problems for rural…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper gives an overview of sex equity issues and suggests alternative strategies for administrators in vocational education to use in reducing sex segregation and fostering sex fairness. In the first section the nature of the problem is discussed; occupational sex stereotyping and…

This second in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist notes that standard explanations for why minority students trail behind non-Hispanic whites are not good enough, suggesting that no single explanation for the gap exists, but instead a multitude of factors are influential. Poverty, though not the single most important cause,…

This newsletter theme issue includes six articles on improving math and science education, particularly for poor, Limited-English-Proficient (LEP), and female students. "Effective Math and Science Instruction--The Project Approach for LEP Students" (Joseph Vigil) describes how hands-on science projects can increase student motivation,…

The three 1993 issues of selected readings present annotated bibliographies of resources available from CHIME (Clearinghouse for Immigrant Education). CHIME facilitates public access to literature, research, teaching materials, and human resources to promote the effective education of immigrant students. The issues in this series pertain to the…

This report contains several articles that focus on the new digital divide, which is no longer just one wide gap between those with and those without computers, but is instead a series of divides that create inequities for different reasons. The first article explains how certain types of students are not getting the high-tech experiences they…

This special bulletin examines the Texas Supreme Court's January 1995 final opinion in the Edgewood vs. Meno case, the latest in a series of rulings on the constitutionality of the Texas public school funding system. The first article summarizes the majority opinion, discusses the implications of the court's 5-4 ruling, and suggests that further…

Strong local communities are the best habitat for excellence in education, and education is the responsibility of the whole community. Setting high academic standards and achieving against those standards is an important educational objective, but the quest for higher standards can be exploited to serve other purposes. This statement sets out the…

This publication contains two articles which focus on the teaching profession within the context of systemic reform. The first article, "Systemic Reform: Teachers and the Condition of Teaching," discusses the role and the preparation of teachers. The level of coordination among the various systems that relate to the teacher's role is…

Three articles describe the lifestyle of the children of migrant agricultural workers. First, Jose A. Cardenas provides an overview of education for migrant children. He notes academic performance deviations and underachievement resulting from their educational programs. Cardenas describes poor staffing, frequent segregation, curricula…

During 1983-87 the Commission of the European Communities helped fund 30 pilot projects that were intended to help young people aged 14-18 make the transition from school to work in 10 member states. The objective of these projects was to use local initiative to identify and develop innovative solutions to the problems facing young people. The…

A collection of 16 brief articles are provided as possible reprints for newsletters and bulletins in school district working to achieve Title IX compliance and sex equity. Topics covered are: children's spare time, women in nontraditional jobs, changing work patterns, females and math, tots and toys, child care and working parents, tomboys, gifted…

A new bill has been introduced in Congress by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI) that would make full-day early childhood education widely available to preschool students. The bill, labeled "Smart Start" (S. 2270) is intended to help economically disadvantaged preschool students, whose numbers have…