Describes instructional and departmental forces creating the following problems for undergraduate creative writing teachers: (1) they hold an uneasy position in the English department hierarchy; (2) courses are radically different from creative writing courses in either high school or graduate school; and (3) instruction has lagged behind…

This review of the literature on the department chair position in institutions of higher education examines critical issues related to the chair position. It concludes that research has provided a clear picture of who is involved in the chair position but has not clarified ways to improve the effectiveness of the position. The review is organized…

Relates the impressions of science education gained by a physics professor visiting the People's Republic of China. Observations from two universities in Beijing and Wuhan provide information regarding departmental organization, general teacher preparation, preuniversity education, science teacher preparation, specific physics departments, applied…

Australia's training programs for academic department heads are examined in relation to the tradition of academic staff development, the changing nature of department heads' responsibilities, and increased concerns about the effectiveness of institutional management. It is suggested that training programs be one element in a comprehensive…

Designed to help foreign language department chairs, this article discusses the dynamic environment of elementary and secondary foreign language teaching, the departments' role in developing successful foreign language teachers, and the teacher licensure process. (Contains 29 references.) (LB)

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is not going away. In fact, it might not even undergo more than minor modifications before it comes up for reauthorization in a couple of years. The nomination of Margaret Spellings to replace Rod Paige as U.S. secretary of education foretells not only a single-minded focus on test-based accountability but also an…

Characteristics of a decision support system (DSS) and factors that influence system design are described, along with a decision support database at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Reasons that the institutional research office is in a unique position to support decision-making are identified. A review of the literature of DSS briefly covers…

Typical characteristics of program reviews, illustrations of to whom the reviews relate in a university setting, and conditions and expectations that may enhance the use of the results of program reviews are described in this report. It is argued that program reviews do not serve all levels of a university equally; the primary beneficiaries of the…

This paper discusses development of the department chair, focusing on the need to build leadership capacity in colleges and universities. It suggests that it takes many years to become an expert, noting that one of the most glaring shortcomings in the leadership area is the scarcity of sound research on leadership training and development.…

This synthesis of six commissioned papers on state education agency evaluation practices describes the sources of influence or factors affecting the context of their evaluation practices. Evaluation is viewed as testing, management, and policy formation conducted within a highly complex social setting. (PN)

A project supported by the National Institute of Education is adapting evaluation procedures from such areas as philosophy, geography, operations research, journalism, film criticism, and other areas. The need for such methods is reviewed, as is the context in which they function, and their contributions to evaluation methodology. (Author/GK)

Examines the relationship between community college faculty members' departmental affiliation and their curricular choices. States that data were collected from a random sample of community college instructors at the State of Washington's community and technical colleges during the 1999-2000 academic year. Reports that faculty teaching in…

Explains critical issues to consider when merging student affairs with academic affairs. States that this merger has potential to encourage greater interaction and become a catalyst for developing learning partnerships on campus. Suggests that in order to make partnership work, faculty, academic administrators, and student affair professionals may…

Background: The specific health services provided to students at school and the model for delivering these services vary across districts and schools. This article describes the characteristics of school health services in the United States, including state- and district-level policies and school practices. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control…

Background: Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy dietary behaviors and help ensure appropriate nutrient intake. This article describes the characteristics of both school nutrition services and the foods and beverages sold outside of the school meals program in the United States, including state- and district-level policies and…