Teaching students to act as citizens significantly enhances preparation for college and career. It is incumbent upon the National Council for the Social Studies to provide guidance to states and local districts to develop social studies standards to achieve this goal. The recommendations presented here focus on the principle that standards…

In this forum, eleven authors address the implications of the national Standards for foreign language learning for language and literature departments in higher education. (Author/VWL)

Suggests the need for incentives to help combat the resistance or indifference regarding implementation of the national standards for foreign language learning at the university level, especially in upper division courses at large research universities. (Author/VWL)

Claims a consumerism model manifests itself in first-year composition programs. Discusses the academic situation generally and English Departments specifically to explore how the current reform movement clashes with postmodern values in this discipline. (NH)

Describes the change in Duke's English department and departments in general by using historical examples that reflect then current attitudes towards the humanities and scholarship. (CRH)

Instructional resources for teacher preparation are too thinly distributed and improperly structured to justify the numbers of institutions now engaging in such programs. The next decades should see a substantial reduction in the number of teacher preparation programs and institutions. (Author/MSE)

Discusses two problems in current programs designed to train teaching assistants in composition: economics and attitude. (AEA)

Facing the problem of a wide discrepancy in grading standards for student essays, the English department at a Texas community college developed a standardized method of grading students' expository and persuasive essays. The department established a committee of 10 full-time instructors whose objective was to standardize grading for all required…

Based on one Canadian community college's experience with flexible admissions, it is concluded that access to higher education for nontraditional students can be increased if policies are mediated at the department level; these students do not threaten academic standards; and radical change in teaching methods and curriculum is not necessary. (MSE)

Concerns of Connecticut secondary and postsecondary shorthand teachers about the need for articulation to turn around declining shorthand enrollments include skills needed, types of tests, and recognition of different systems of shorthand. Connecticut's articulation activities with implications for all state departments are given. (MF)

This paper discusses the role of state education agencies in curriculum reform, in light of contrasting perspectives on the future of society. Current reform proposals call for more required courses and better performance by students, but such moves need to be made with a clear sense of direction. Accordingly, the problem becomes twofold: first,…

Considerations regarding the establishment of a code of ethics for academics are discussed. All professions, not just academicians, are being asked to specify what it is that they contribute to society and to demonstrate that they are contributing it and not just satisfying their own interests. A code explicitly delimits the responsibility and…

Guidelines for the selection of students to undergraduate social work education programs are suggested in light of the growing recognition of the baccalaureate degree as the first professional degree in social work. The criteria for the selection of students to these programs has become more significant since their accreditation by the Council on…

Teacher quality, however defined, is usually seen as the responsibility of schools of education. Rarely is it viewed as the responsibility of academic departments in the arts and sciences--that part of college or university where prospective teachers study the academic content they will draw on as teachers. Only recently has teacher quality come…

The academic program development and planning process of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education are examined and contrasted with values and criteria of faculty and institutional leaders. The Indiana Commission is concerned about program structure with regard to student access, student choice, and institutional diversity. It has specific…