There is demand among policy-makers for the use of state education longitudinal data systems, yet laws and policies regulating data disclosure limit access to such data, and security concerns and risks remain high. Well-developed synthetic datasets that statistically mimic the relations among the variables in the data from which they were derived,…

Water, water everywhere--managing and conserving water resources is a major factor at campuses worldwide. Doing so is a challenge, since water is one of the most-used and ubiquitous resources in any environment. Water is often taken for granted and not measured by the people who use it the most, yet it might have the greatest potential for helping…

Disciplines codify related knowledge and have developed powerful approaches that enable both solutions to a wide variety of problems and efficient further extension of knowledge. Individual disciplines have translated into individual departments within universities. Academic departments tend to turn inward, deepening the knowledge within the…

The author reports on the reigning economic calculus that helps to drive constant expansion and poor utilization of space on many campuses. The author states that colleges could charge for utilities, which might encourage departments to save energy. Most American colleges do not charge for space--in part because doing so would raise the hackles of…

There is an adage common among deans and provosts: The board is concerned with the care and feeding of the president; the faculty is concerned with the care and feeding of the faculty. The implication--and why it brings a knowing smile to any chief academic officer's face--is that no one seems concerned with the care and feeding of the CAO. Small…

Syllabi from some 20 colleges and universities were reviewed with prominent English and literature departments and a discussion was held with a number of professors who teach literary theory. It is suggested that devolution and fragmentation of theory might be a survival strategy, an adaptation to the new realties of academic institutions.

Examines the impact of the voluntary national standards on college and university music teacher education curricula using a mail questionnaire. Reviews the qualitative and quantitative data from the survey. The data generally show that the higher the school enrollment, the more likely the national standards would be implemented. (CMK)

A fatal flaw in accountability programs is that they leave academic departments--the units most responsible for results--out of the performance loop. This article ties together institutional priorities and departmental performance through a limited list of common departmental indicators. It also links institutional aims and departmental…

Descriptions are given of teacher induction programs currently operational in public schools, intermediate education units, colleges and universities, and professional organizations. Program descriptions include the address, contact person, and phone number for the organization, and a brief summary of the program's structure and objectives. (JD)

Reports results of a survey of departments of physiology in private and public medical and nonmedical schools (N=98). Includes information on faculty, positions, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, funding, and salaries. (DC)

A pilot research program to measure the academic qualities of undergraduate colleges has been announced by the Higher Education Research Institute of Los Angeles and the Council on Learning. The study will include a literature review, measures of institutional popularity among students, and reputational ratings of undergraduate departments. (JMD)

In recent years, the Maryland State Department of Education has made a great effort to improve teacher education programs and teacher certification in the state. Since 1971, the State Department of Education has evaluated and accredited teacher education programs at 21 of 22 colleges and universities on the basis of program approval rather than…

Throughout the nation, states report unprecedented growth in the numbers of students identified with autism and other autism spectrum disorders (U.S. Department of Education, 1994, 2002). As a result, states are focusing increasing attention on intervention programs for young children with autism. However, there is less attention being paid to the…

The impression prevails that there exists some authoritative classification of higher institutions, a classification which has behind it the sanction of the Government. However, there is no comprehensive classification of collegiate institutions by any national governmental agency. Various agencies in the United States maintain lists of collegiate…

The Carnegie Foundation has developed a new set of lenses for viewing American higher education that broadens description of U.S. colleges and universities. By expanding the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education from a single typology to a set of distinct classifications representing several ways to think about how colleges…