The College of St. Joseph is a small, Catholic liberal arts college in central Vermont. Traditionally serving white Vermont students with minimal minority representation from other parts of New England, retention rates have in recent years fluctuated between 39% and 75%, in comparison with the 70% national retention rate. In the past four years,…

Purpose/Objectives: The number of Farm to School (FTS) programs is increasing across the United States. These programs employ a variety of school-based initiatives including, but not limited to, local procurement for the school nutrition program, nutrition education in the classroom, hands-on and garden-based learning, and community partnerships…

Framed with concepts from the literature on educational innovations, the present study explored postsecondary students' and instructors' evaluative comments about ACTFL's Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA). In the research on the IPA to date, few scholars have explored these key stakeholders' perceptions of the framework, and a robust…

In an effort to find a feasible way to provide quality interdisciplinary teaching on a small campus, Southern Vermont College has introduced a program called Roving Professors. The Rovers, a select group of professors, visit multiple classes across the college's five divisions, and each one integrates his or her specialty into each course visited,…

Purpose: Universities are increasingly aspiring to be both models and catalysts of change, leading the world to a more sustainable and desirable future. Yet complex and ineffective governance, traditional disciplinary boundaries, and the lack of a shared vision at academic institutions often hinder progress toward this goal. The purpose of this…

A recent employer survey sponsored by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills found that the skills new job entrants most need for success in the workplace--oral and written communication, time management, critical thinking, problem solving, personal accountability, and the ability to work effectively with others--are the areas in which recent…

Nearly half of all Vermont school districts have participated in the China Project since its inception in 1986. During the program's first two years, participants examined Chinese history, politics, economy, geography, philosophy, arts, ancient inventions, foreign policy, social life, women's social status, the Chinese language, and the Beijing…

Although portfolio assessment offers exciting alternative to traditional testing methods, ensuring accurate representation and measurement of student performance is challenging task. As Vermont's experience shows, reliability of teacher evaluation is very low, and setting acceptable standards is difficult. Before adopting portfolio approach,…

The Greenwood in Vermont provides residential care for elders, day care for preschoolers, and after-school care for school-aged children. It is economically profitable and contributes to positive interactions between children and adults. (SK)

Examines the intersection of policy and practice in the areas of systemic reform and special education. Provides examples of statewide system reform efforts in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Vermont, as well as examples of how children with disabilities are included in the total reform efforts. (Author/CR)

Educators should encourage the "small is beautiful" approach to school improvement because it mobilizes a powerful "inside out" process instrumental to organizational effectiveness. As a study of two rural Vermont high schools shows, creative ways are needed to channel and maximize innovation without dampening the dynamics of…

Early results from the Vermont Portfolio Project, which evaluated the progress of fourth and eighth graders in reading and mathematics using samples of student products, suggests that improvement is still needed in both subjects. Many factors will influence this pilot project's future direction, including availability of resources and development…