The California Postsecondary Education Commission is directed by state law to review and comment on new academic program proposals from the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU) and the community colleges. Program review is one of the CPEC's primary responsibilities--it coordinates the systems' long-range plans,…

Sometimes it's a relief when a leader leaves. What large organization, after all, doesn't have its "seasoned" corner office dragon who predates everyone, and who no one can figure out how to get rid of? But more often, companies are proud of their leaders, especially the ones they took pains to develop over a decade or two. After years of…

Successful organizations adjust quickly and intelligently to shifts in consumer tastes, political climate, and economic opportunity. How do they do it? "The Six Secrets of Change" explores essential lessons for business and public sector leaders for thriving in today's complex environment. Fullen draws on his acclaimed work in bringing about…

In this article, the authors discuss how the historians' job market is perennially rocky. The history profession had its "golden age" in the 1950s and early 1960s when a generation born in the demographic trench of the Depression entered the market just as the first of the baby boomers began to swell college enrollments. But that moment was…

In this paper we consider the construction of narrative identity and particularly how managers of small businesses may construct new narrative identities within the activity of the action learning situation. We build on recent work to suggest that the "world" of managers can be explored through a consideration of Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory…

Previous research has suggested differences in the locus of control (LOC) orientations of students with intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and no disabilities, although this research has been characterized by methodological limitations. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of LOC orientations in students with…

When considering developing educational programs for students with disabilities, one often thinks first of the annual goals and short-term objectives that are included in the individualized education program (IEP). It is important, though, to connect the short-term objectives (the "now") to long-term goals and dreams (the "future"). Making that…

Many metrics along K-12 education may serve as indicators of potential success, but they are not goals. Students must leave the public school system at least proficient enough to face the tasks ahead. At the moment when students depart the K-12 system to enter college or career, it matters neither how proficient they were years before, nor the…

This paper compares pre-death charitable testamentary expectations with post-death distributions for deceased panel members in the 1995-2006 Health and Retirement Study. Most respondents who reported having a charitable estate plan in the survey wave immediately prior to their death ultimately generated no charitable estate gift after death.…

In 2005-2006, the National Park Service Office of Interpretive Planning at Harpers Ferry Center, in collaboration with the author, conducted an evaluation project to (a) assess the appropriateness and quality of specific elements of National Park Service (NPS) interpretive plans, (b) determine where improvements in planning might be made, and (c)…

A year spent studying at a university in another country, or working internationally as part of a degree in geography, should be an extremely exciting and rewarding experience. The aim of this Directions is to help students to prepare in advance so that they make the most of their opportunities. It aims to help them to set their own agenda for…

For most of the past decade the policy debate over improving U.S. public education has centered on teacher quality. In this debate, teachers and their unions have often been seen as the problem, not part of the solution. Further, current discourse often assumes that conflicting interests between teacher unions and administration is inevitable.…

Choices often involve self-control conflicts such that options that are immediately appealing are less desirable in the long run. In the current research, the authors examine how viewing such a choice as one of a series of similar future choices rather than as an isolated decision decreases the preference for items requiring self-control. The…

This annual report provides a summary of program planning and review activities conducted by California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) during the 2008-09 academic year. During this period, CPEC staff conducted an extensive review of a proposal to establish a medical school at UC Riverside and a nursing school at UC Davis, and conducted…

The America's Promise Alliance is supporting 50 state and at least 50 city Dropout Prevention Summits to be held by 2010. The purposes of the Dropout Prevention Summits are many, but the primary intention is to increase public awareness of the dropout and college-readiness crisis. The Forum for Youth Investment, America's Promise Alliance, United…