Responses from 31 of 40 home economics teacher education programs indicated that most require courses in human development and family resource management; fewer than 50% specify family life content. Family life topics taught include life management, marriage, early pregnancy, AIDS, and work and family. (SK)

Presents the case for allowing college students with a learning disability who are unable to meet foreign-language requirements even with special instruction to substitute related courses. Discussion is in the context of the 1998 Guckenberger v. Boston University federal lawsuit. (DB)

Two studies examined students with learning disabilities who were allowed to substitute other courses for the college foreign-language (FL) requirement. Both studies found similar demographic, cognitive, academic achievement, and FL-aptitude profiles for the students. Article concludes that educators should not assume that students with LD require…

Discusses possible effects of California's new remediation policy on disadvantaged students attending the state's public universities. The policy requires freshmen to successfully complete remediation courses within a year of enrollment and is intended to blend compassion with tough standards. Although more freshmen are completing remedial…

Recommends that inner city students (and essentially all high school students) be required to take physics. Lists some problems with teaching physics in inner city schools. (WRM)

Investigates the content and structure of the undergraduate curriculum in psychology by analyzing 500 college catalogs. Reveals that introductory, statistics, and a capstone are the common required courses, laboratory experiences are not integral to required courses, prerequisites are recommended, and the traditional model is the most popular…

Geoscience departments with graduate programs were surveyed to determine the courses required of entering graduate students. Most geologists consider the core curriculum to be that which is required or recommended by most graduate programs. In addition to geology courses, two semesters of calculus, physics, and chemistry were required by more than…

Reports and analyzes the consequences of a university's abolishing any required writing course, using the case of the Director of Writing at Portland State University. Discusses effects on assessment, funding, service, and staff and staffing needs. (SR)

The University of Georgia (UGA) is one of the first universities in the United States to require that every undergraduate student complete an environmental literacy requirement (ELR). The ELR has been in place since 1993. Three students examined the ELR through formal and informal studies and surveys. Their results showed that students were…

This paper provides a descriptive account of a mandatory course in special education, and includes examples of the impact that teacher candidates report the course has on their attitudes towards students with special needs. The paper begins by describing the changes that were made at the University of Manitoba in the move towards a two-year…

Mandated state testing, college entrance exams and their perceived need for higher and higher grade point averages have raised the anxiety levels felt by many of the average students. Too much focus is placed on state test scores and college entrance standards with not enough focus on the true level of the students. The author contends that…

To address re-accreditation issues, North Florida Community College devised Essential Skills Blocks required for all students. Librarians devised an Information Skills course and collaborated with faculty to reach and teach the students. The authors discuss the outcomes of this project.

This article focuses on attempts to introduce elements of sustainable development education into the curriculum of one of the largest Russian universities. At St. Petersburg State University, compulsory courses relevant to sustainable development have been introduced or modified in 14 faculties out of 20 during the last decade. Examples of…

In a new required capstone course for medical students, students at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine were asked to reflect on their relationships with patients, their colleagues, themselves and their families, and the communities they serve, using the humanities, particularly narrative domains, as the primary vehicles for…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which preservice teachers participating in a 16-week course in family and community relations would evidence a change in perception of the importance, feasibility, and level of preparation regarding family involvement strategies. A sample of 132 undergraduate preservice teachers was…