As standards documents have been introduced over the past 20 years, many states have seen an evolution in both the standards and related high stakes exams. For many teachers across the U.S., the rollout of standards and exams has not been an experience that builds trust in state education leaders. In this study, we consider three major changes in…

This study contributes to the limited research on the implementation of pathways in a community college. While most of the literature to date focuses on providing guidance on the structural changes necessary for implementation, this study focuses on the social and cultural aspects of implementation. Using case study research design, a team of…

This article's interest is to approach the impact and changes occurred by integrating digital pedagogical practices in the Moroccan higher educational system. The paper emphasizes the use of digital technology in the university curriculum, and how the latter shaped students' behavior as well as learning development. Our research methodology is…

Historically, U.S. school districts have led schooling, while state education agencies (SEAs) have held a largely regulatory role in school improvement. Yet, a recent reform strategy, the "state takeover," allows an SEA to assume direct governance of a low-performing district -- potentially creating a much more active role for state…

Universities of applied sciences in Finland are higher education institutions with emphasis on practical working life skills and strong links with working life. Students typically study in field-specific groups where they receive language and communication instruction alongside their professional courses. The development of language and…

This self-study explores an educational policy-making project initiated, facilitated, and implemented by direct stake-holders through a deliberative, intentional process involving teacher educators, policy-makers, and state regulators. As such, it serves as an example of a high-stakes political change process using principles of deliberative…

Describes the changes and problems of the English department in adjusting to a new core curriculum at a liberal arts college. Discusses assumptions about planning, course requirements, and course content beneficial to the department. (EL)

Using a feminist poststructuralist perspective, investigated academic feminism as a case of transformation in higher education. Used narrative analysis to examine the transformative role of feminist scholarship in the contexts of disciplines, departments, and the university, illustrated by the life histories of nine diverse feminists and their…

The struggles over "who gets what" in academe have been labeled "turf wars." The quest for resources is directly linked to a department's ability to successfully lay claim to specific academic turf or particular facets of the study of communication, which in turn affects student appeal, and therefore, enrollments. Departments…

Presenting an historical overview of the development of speech courses at Millersville University (Pennsylvania), this paper analyzes the past, present, and future status of speech communication within the context of the general education curriculum. The historical perspective treats the origins and definition of speech as a college course…

The goal of this paper is to show how one political science department at a small midwestern university (Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois) used good assessment practices identified by the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) and others to effect improvement. The paper argues that these principles can be followed and produce…

Discusses several developing trends that limit the effectiveness of English teachers and departments and that must be taken into account when planning for the future of English education. (FL)

Discusses the needs and problems of English departments identified by the MLA's l982 "Report of the Commission on the Future of the Profession." Discusses the "traditional" and "nontraditional" aspects of humanities education, disciplinary and general education, and the political, economic, and intellectual upheavals…

Kentucky's systemic reform initiative has been heralded as one of the more comprehensive and well-sustained reforms in recent history. To evaluate the course of this reform, the challenges associated with researching and evaluating a statewide systemic reform effort are detailed here. By using a description of the politics of evaluating systemic…

A conceptual model of sudden organizational change, the Significant Change Model, is described and graphically displayed. The model includes the organizational member's perception of the degree, magnitude, or abruptness of an institutional change in relation to the individual's imputed value of the perceived change. Both of these factors are…