The PISA project has steadily increased its influence on the educational discourse and educational policies in the now 70 participating countries. The educational debate has become global, and the race to improve PISA-rankings has become high priority in many countries. For governments the PISA-test is a high-stake test. Governments are blamed for…

The primary purpose of this study was to address the dearth of research in the area of educating students with disabilities through distance education (DE). Corollary research questions investigated perceptions, beliefs, and expectations of secondary school principals and special education teachers. Data were analyzed to determine the existence of…

The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) programme aims at testing practical skills and competences in using ICT tools. This paper presents the results of a monitoring exercise aimed at analyzing the impact of the ECDL programme in the Italian Universities. The ECDL programme, adopted in most Italian Universities since the year 2000, has…

America is changing and, as it does, so will its educational system. This article examines demographic changes the country is experiencing, the conflicts these changes are generating, and how education--and particularly school facilities--may be different in the future as a result. Conflicts addressed include (a) baby boomers versus an emerging…

Teachers may be the most important element of an effective school, but does that mean that K-12 improvement must wait on the ability of schools or systems to recruit, nurture, and retain outstanding teachers? Such a strategy implies that widespread excellence hinges on the ability of publicly funded school systems to attract more than 3.3 million…

There are many advantages of small schools: community acceptance, innovative teachers, faculty input in school administration, and a family atmosphere; however, smaller schools also have problems such as fewer staff members, little choice of teachers by students, fewer approaches to teaching, little use of specialists, and fewer books and…

This review explores the debate on optimal school size and discusses policy options available to states for expanding curricular offerings in small rural schools. Policy options are divided into three broad categories: traditional, modified traditional, and nontraditional. The report explores the possibilities available under each approach,…