It is recognised that getting a good education is one of the most important determinants of a child's future, but missing at least some education remains a common occurrence for many children and young people in the United Kingdom. Over recent years, education has been placed high on the political agenda in the UK. Among other things, a wide range…

A talented child's motivation and artistic gift can suffer when the environment at home and at school are inadequately supportive. It's crucial, therefore, for parents and teachers to understand that any child's involvement in the arts can enhance overall success in academics and in later life. It's just as important to learn about the many ways…

With the increasing number of disabled students entering the higher education sector, much research work has focused on the support services arena and the elimination of barriers that the disabled students have encountered. While producing useful advice on meeting the needs of disabled students, this line of research has done little to locate…

In 1977 a group of urban American Indian organizations got together to protest the leveling of rental housing for urban renewal; then they learned that a community college was going up to replace that housing, right in the middle of the Indian community. Realizing the opportunities for jobs, education, and training, the community leaders decided…

The economic and cultural plight of American Indians began when the first White settlers landed on the shores of North America. For American Indians, the "discovery" of America was the beginning of cultural and physical destruction, marginalization, discrimination, and impoverishment. The resulting gap between American Indians and mainstream…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Leaders Unable to Come to Agreement on a Budget Plan: Interparty Fights Postpone Consideration of the Budget Resolution;…

The evaluation of the Texas Rural Technology (R-Tech) Pilot sought to understand how districts implemented R-Tech grants, the effects of implementation on student and teacher outcomes, as well as the cost effectiveness and sustainability of R-Tech. The Texas legislature (80th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2007) authorized the creation of…

Using the experience of the University of Illinois at Springfield's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the as a foundation for discussion, this paper addresses the provision of student support services to distant students within the context of development and expansion. Specific issues for consideration include: integrating student support…

In a recently published research article in this journal, Avramidis & Skidmore (2004) argued that it is time we placed issues of disability provision more in the context of provision for the generic student. They presented a study based on the Learning for All Questionnaire (LfAQ), which investigated certain implied issues. Findings indicated…

The development, implementation and perpetuation of a student academic and social support system has become an imperative strategy at South African universities. Access to tertiary education has, since 1994, systematically transformed institutions until they represent the demographic profile of the country. Previously disadvantaged groupings…

A new virtual learning environment (VLE) was developed to provide structured support to distance education students undertaking postgraduate study on a core study module of the Master of Education degree at the University of Dundee. Students were offered the option of receiving support via the VLE as opposed to the existing methods, that included…

How do effective programs deliver academic content? Can after-school programs help students master a broader base of content? What strategies can help programs and systems deliver content effectively? What is realistic to expect of programs? Program content is closely linked with our understandings about the purpose of after-school programming.…

The School of Education, Training and Development at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg offers a Bachelor of Education (Honours) to practising teachers who already have a four year teaching diploma. The programme is delivered through interactive learning materials and Saturday tutorial sessions. However, interviews and a student survey seem…

The INVEST sessions are intended to help AISD students and their parents improve communication skills, improve anger management strategies, develop positive conflict resolution methods, develop problem solving skills, and access support services as needed. When a middle or high school student in AISD is removed from the home campus to the…

An Administrator's Guide to Online Education is an essential resource for the higher education administrator. Unlike most books regarding online education, this book is not about teaching; it is about effectively administrating an online education program. Grounded in existing distance education theory, and drawing from best practices, current…