This essay is a response to a paper by Avery and Hains that raises questions about the often unintended effects of knowledge standardization in an educational setting. While many K-12 schools are implementing common core standards, and many institutions of higher education are implementing their own standardized educational practices, the question…

Russ Poulin is director of policy and analysis for Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET), the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Cooperative for Educational Technologies. He has been an outspoken advocate of treating distance education fairly in state and federal regulations. In recent years, he has…

Throughout the history of the U.S., racialized groups have often had their experiences profoundly shaped by social imagery in ways that have created tremendous hardships in the quest for self-actualization and a healthy sense of self. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the manner in which Black males have been one of the primary…

David Ward, Interim Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2011 to 2013, and Chancellor from 1993 to 2000, describes the changes coming to higher education. He reports that the second half of the twentieth century was a time of great creativity in the kinds of public policies that were put into place for higher education in the…

Looking in classrooms is one of the most basic requirements of school improvement, and yet it is one of the least practised skills of teachers and one of the most contentious methods of educational researchers. When it does occur, it is difficult to agree on what to look for and even more difficult to agree on what is seen. This paper outlines an…

The September 2006 report "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education," by the commission appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, identifies many areas of improvement for U.S. higher education and specifies numerous recommendations (totaling more than 50, according to some counts) for consideration by…

Soon families of every socioeconomic level will have microcomputers in their homes. Most classrooms and probably all schools will have at least one such machine. Many potential advantages may result from the involvement of young children with microcomputers. Some of these are the stimulation of reflective thinking, the development of cognitive…

The American educational system is credited by many well-known leaders and educational writers as being responsible for the success of American democracy and industrial society. They say that education builds the state as a democratic society that rests upon the education of all people and builds a foundation for freedom by the opportunity…

Considers the recent report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education in light of the last great drive toward educational reform (1958-60), with its emphasis on teaching children how to think. One consequence of this was the social upheaval of the sixties, resulting in the reactive "back to basics" trend. (TE)

Young people who complete senior secondary education are less likely than early school leavers to be unemployed or employed in dead-end jobs. Nevertheless, in Australia around a quarter of the 15-19 year olds continue to leave school without senior high school qualifications. This paper reports on data collected at re-entry institutions in the…

Adult education in such settings as higher education, workplaces, and community-based organizations demand new approaches to accountability. The process involves answering such questions as What is learning? Who are the stakeholders? When should accountability be examined? For what are program managers accountable? and What tools and strategies…

Discusses education for the 21st century, focusing on educational leadership, educational functions, the transition into the 21st century, transitions in higher education, the mission of education, lifelong learning, and the human development role of education. (BL)

Provides a history of the North Central Association, established in 1895 to achieve closer relations between colleges and secondary schools in the north central states. Describes the organization's establishment, the creation of its commissions, its development during the postwar period, and major developments since the 1960s. (MAB)

Maintains that the division of opinions in a staff can determine an educational innovation's success or failure. Teacher empowerment can help forge widespread agreement and consensus for the innovation. These principles are exemplified by the Sizer initiative in the Delaware schools, which is described. (BB)

Describes IBM's Teaching and Learning with Computers which is viewed as a methodology for driving educational reform. Highlights include the need for schools to change from communicating information to teaching how to access, use, and apply information; education and learning outcomes; courseware models; and the classroom as a learning center.…