This article describes the creation of a Lyndon Learning Commons at Lyndon State College. The Commons model emphasizes the integration of a variety of academic support services, increasing both their proximity to one another and cross-unit collaboration, in order to make these services more visible, more accessible, and easier for students to…

With education failing nationwide and economic restraints affecting both rural and urban educational institutions, Extension should be taking a more aggressive stance instead of operating in what has now become the way of Extension and "collecting numbers." Why isn't Extension more visible in the urban populations that reside in our own backyards?…

This article presents an interview between the author and two teachers, Ruth Birtles and Michelle Proctor, who are involved in "Smart Kids", an AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust (AZSTT) funded project for 2009-10 coordinated by the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University. In this interview, Proctor and Birtles discuss…

Vicki Phillips from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation talks with Learning Forward about the foundation's investment in effective teaching and the role of professional learning. Phillips said great teachers are the most important school-based ingredient for student success. So they are committed to ensuring teachers have the supports and tools…

This invited commentary includes observations about the article "Building Local Capacity for Training and Coaching Data-Based Problem Solving with Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Teams," published in the July 2011 issue of the "Journal of Applied School Psychology." In this article Newton and colleagues present an interesting field…

In October 2010, Harvard Educational Review editor Raygine DiAquoi interviewed Maryse Desgrottes, the mother of a close friend and a visible presence in the relief efforts in Petit Goave, Haiti. Desgrottes, a former physician's assistant turned educator and school superintendent, shares the story of her involvement in Haiti's relief efforts since…

This article presents an interview with Don Knezek, CEO of International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Knezek is a leader in coupling technology and creativity to transform education. His experience and impact span local to global levels--ranging from district-wide, classroom-based innovation and far-reaching, multi-state projects to…

U.S. Department of Labor agencies are providing technical assistance to help Polish workers adjust to a market economy, especially the new experience of unemployment. (Author)

While finding that the need for literacy and coordinated cooperation between developing countries, international organizations, and "donor" agencies is imperative, the author finds that abolishing illiteracy is possible only in the context of eradicating hunger, poverty, and oppression; the priorities are elsewhere. (SK)

Problems with vocational education and training in developing countries include insufficient resources and lack of workplace experience. The German dual vocational training system is being promoted as a potential solution. (SK)

A program in which Australian advisors provided technical assistance in Thailand demonstrated that traditional Western wisdom about the purposes of education and job training may conflict with the values of the recipient culture. Adaptation to the cultural context can obviate some of the difficulties. (SK)

Outlines trends in assistance strategies and types of international organizations as sources of information transfer for development. Highlights include impact of development policies (modernization theory, basic needs policy, dependency theory, adjustment theory), telematics and technical assistance (transborder data flow, information policies),…

American technology has a worldwide market and can be adapted to meet the needs of underdeveloped nations. Vocational educators must learn to apply their expertise to varied cultures, economies, and educational systems and participate in the world community. (JOW)

As Irish farm households face difficulty remaining viable, the state-funded agricultural advisory service is beginning to charge for services and is suffering from a hiring freeze. Other rural development extension services are emerging and the role of traditional extension is being reevaluated. (SK)

This article addresses assumptions that currently guide personnel training and technical assistance in organizations providing services to people with disabilities. Implications of a quality improvement perspective are then considered as they apply to new perspectives on roles, on decision-making processes, and on evaluation. (DB)