Social work admission criteria are used to ensure student academic competence, identify personal characteristics associated with success in social work education and practice, predict success in class and field work, and promote diversity of the student body. However, evidence that supports the effectiveness of these admission policies is…

The handyman has a tool for everything, but the admissions dean is not so lucky: He must make do with just a few. Every year, presidents and professors expect freshmen who are curious, determined, and hungry for challenges. The traditional metrics of merit, however, can't reveal such qualities. Standardized-test scores may or may not predict a…

A group of states that is designing tests for the common academic standards has taken a key step to ensure that the assessments reflect students' readiness for college-level work: It gave top higher education officials from member states voting power on test-design questions that are closest to the heart of the college-readiness question. At its…

When the U.S. Supreme Court takes up "Fisher v. Texas" in the fall--its first major consideration of affirmative action policies in higher education since 2003--scholars, legal experts and university administrators say the policies that are the basis of affirmative action in the nation's colleges and universities may be coming to an end. While…

This article supports the notion of high quality clinical teacher preparation models and lays out an argument for investing in professional education that is organized around more coherent systems for cultivating clinical practice. This article outlines the creation and implementation of a clinically-based teacher preparation program. Project…

Gifted education is often faulted as compromising the principle of equity and perpetuating social inequalities. This article focuses on making gifted education socially defensible and educationally productive. To accomplish this goal, key values and priorities guiding policy and practice, such as excellence, selectivity, diversity, equity and…

This guide is designed to facilitate self-studies of planning and implementation of state-required summer reading camp programs for grade 3 students who scored at the lowest level on the state reading assessment. It provides a template for data collection and guiding questions for discussion that may improve instruction and increase the number of…

The professional pipeline represents a developmental perspective for fostering leadership capacity in schools and districts, from identification of potential talent during the recruitment phase to ensuring career-long learning through professional development. An intentional and mindful approach to supporting the development of educational leaders…

Notwithstanding an ongoing concern about the low representation of certain groups in higher education, there is reluctance on the part of politicians and policy makers to adopt positive discrimination as an appropriate means of widening participation. This article offers an account of the different objections to positive discrimination and,…

In recent years, a number of educators have challenged the usefulness of SAT and ACT tests as indicators of college readiness, and some institutions have stopped requiring college entrance examinations altogether. The purpose of this trustee guide is to acquaint trustees with the history and use of college entrance tests and the arguments for and…

WUE is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, a program coordinated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Through WUE, students in Western states may enroll in participating two-year and four-year public college programs at a reduced tuition level: up to 150 percent of the institution's regular resident tuition. In all…

Sociological surveys have shown that education in Russian society today still remains a valued priority to young people. It is in demand by a substantial portion of secondary school graduates who are hoping to continue their education in an institution of higher learning. The modernization of graduation and entrance tests, associated with the…

One major aspect of any contractual relationship is liability. "Institutions of higher education face potential breach of contract claims from employees, student, and vendors purchasers, or business partners" (Kaplin & Lee, 2007, 105) When referring to the liability of an institution, we must take into consideration the contract…

More than 690,000 foreign students studied in the United States during the 2009-10 academic year. As non-native English-speaking students continue to pour into American educational institutions, one question many educators have is: are these international students adequately prepared for the language and cultural demands they will face when they…

This newsletter presents key observations from a review of BC post-secondary institutional websites undertaken to assess any differences in admission requirements for entry into standard First Year English courses and in institutional English admission requirements. Recommendations are made on possible actions that could be taken to clarify…