Academic researchers tend not to study dysfunctional, disturbing or malfeasant administrative and organizational behaviors in the higher education (HE) sector; yet, a variety troubling things regularly take place in HE. This article offers some 'conceptual spadework' to open up the muted discussion about this disquieting aspect of the sector. We…

How do some teachers manage to expertly engage students in deep learning, harmonize mandated standards with individual student needs, and create trusting relationships in the classroom? What typically sets these "Star Teachers" apart from other teachers? In "What Makes a Star Teacher: 7 Dispositions That Support Student…

Based on McREL International's research and experience, this white paper suggests that student curiosity is a powerful driver of student success and engagement. The most powerful changes that can be made within schools must come from the inside out, from the natural curiosity and intrinsic motivation that everyone shares to experience the joy of…

In Executive Editor Frank Shushok's final interview, Freeman Hrabowski shares some of what he has learned in his long tenure as the President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He stresses the importance of attending to our values, and one that he considers especially significant is humility. Being humble has helped him rebound and learn…

Pursuing social justice in education raises ethical questions about teaching practice that have not been fully addressed in the social justice literature. Hytten (2015) initiated a valuable way forward in developing an ethics of social justice educators, drawing on virtue ethics. In this paper, I provide additional support to this effort by…

Student internship plays a major role in transforming the engineering interns to ready-to-use professionals. Learning at the workplace has become a challenge for the interns due to several issues. A knowledge gap analysis has been depicted considering all stakeholders of the internship, including the intern, faculty, institution and the industrial…

The article presents a conceptual model of effective school leadership which is based on the experience and knowledge gained from research work done with high-performing principals in the Jamaican school system. The basic and underlying premise is that to understand how leadership works, it is essential to explore the dimensions, components, and…

Many education experts who seek to define the value of a college degree seize on metrics that can be quantified in the short term. Some look at levels of student engagement, while others calculate gains on standardized tests of critical-thinking skills. Still others have started analyzing the salaries that recent graduates earn. A different sort…

In this final article of the special section, the authors offer their beginning theoretical model of graduate advising relationships. The authors' framework characterizes the advising relationship as a multicultural endeavor. The authors offer eight theoretical propositions with the intent to articulate aspects of good advising and those variables…

Experiencing discomfort as a leader is part of the job. But discomfort does not have to turn to anguish. Leaders who learn a new way to respond to the stress and strain of leadership can enhance their performance and enrich their experience.

The authors describe an exploratory analytical tool called "The 5Ps Leadership Analysis" (Personal Attributes, Position, Purpose, Practices/Processes, and Product) as a heuristic for better understanding the complexities of leadership. Using "The 5Ps Leadership Analysis," the authors explore the leadership of General Robert E.…

Laws of Life is a literacy-based intervention that allows students to identify and articulate the principles by which they live their lives. In the urban context, such an intervention is vital for reclaiming children's interest in writing and helping them to more intentionally guide their lives and their futures according to positive core values.…

This article addresses the responsibility of counseling psychology programs to communicate and implement the professional training values regarding diversity as articulated in the "Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity" (henceforth the "Values Statement") clearly and directly in the advertising and admission…

The term "soft skills" encompasses a cluster of personality traits, language abilities, personal habits and, ultimately, values and attitudes. Soft skills complement "harder", more technical, skills, such as being able to read or type a letter, but they also have a significant impact on the ability of people to do their jobs…

The exploration of self-awareness as an essential component for understanding ourselves as a teacher of adults is rather absent in the literature. This article focuses on the elements that are foundational within the self-awareness journey--beliefs, values, and attitudes. Understanding these elements establishes the basis for practice…