Education & Pedagogy

A survey of 42 pharmacy schools investigated the extent and nature of service-learning as part of the curriculum. Respondent comments on the requirements and difficulties of implementing service learning and its benefits are discussed. Broad disparity in implementation and the relatively few institutions adopting the approach are seen as evidence that further discussion of this strategy is needed. (Author/MSE)

Challenges the assumption that new technologies in the classroom are superior to traditional ones. Argues that new technologies serve business-related goals of education, which currently overshadow social and individual-development purposes of learning. Suggests that the notion that new technologies are "just a tool" is an oversimplification and overlooks their potential impact on society. Contains 18 references. (SV)

Examines literacy education for women in postrevolutionary Iran and whether it empowers women. Discusses seemingly contradictory roles demanded of Muslim women (traditional wife and mother plus social and political supporter of revolutionary ideology) and the role of literacy education in linking women to the sociopolitical network. Analyzes content of textbooks and reading materials in literacy classes. Contains 37 references. (SV)

A grade 6-12 Vancouver, Washington, magnet school blends arts education with interdisciplinary academics. To get in, students don't need talent or good grades, but a serious desire to study the arts. Academics are taught in the morning; afternoon arts classes are on three levels. Students are required to explore all the arts. Contains three student profiles. (TD)

Draws upon case studies of countries that universalized primary education early in their development process and rapidly increased secondary enrollments thereafter. Examines the common elements of social and education policy among these high achievers, and also evaluates the policy lessons for other developing countries from the experience of these countries. Contains 24 references. (VWC)

A new company is offering selected universities a chance to profit directly from the scholarly materials produced by its faculty, particularly in the areas of corporate training, continuing education, distance learning, and the international-student market. Critics fear that institutions' desire for income may affect faculty priorities. Eventually, a new university will distribute and award credit for this knowledge. (MSE)

Rapid growth of non-state colleges and universities in Eastern Europe has been fueled by strong demand for education and a limited number of student places at state universities, which, until recently, had a monopoly on higher education in the region. While some institutions are shoddy profit-making ventures, others are models of innovation. (MSE)

This seven-year case study describes a young woman with moderate to severe disabilities and her use of literacy during various stages of her educational career, after receiving special education in a self-contained special-education class, and after receiving services in a general-education setting. (Author/CR)

This study examined how two novice bilingual-education teachers, previously nominated as being effective teachers, integrated third-grade students with language and learning disabilities during language arts. Accommodations in these bilingual-education settings were similar to general education settings, in that teachers most frequently used whole-group, undifferentiated instruction. (Author/CR)

Describes a Web-based graduate course about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) offered by the Department of Special Education at the University of Florida. Notes the online course syllabus and class roster, the online discussion forum, the review section with online quiz and test questions, online readings, presentations, and case studies. (DB)

Provides an overview of a field-based teacher-preparation program, indicating how the elementary mathematics methods course plays a part. Also shares insights from observations in elementary classrooms related to mathematics (use of manipulatives, textbook choices, instructional delivery systems, and placement of teacher-education students) and in general. (SM)

Presents information about current workplace-literacy demands as modern jobs are influenced by technology and organizational change, noting what these demands look like in the new workplace and examining how prepared American adults are to meet these new technological literacy demands and what resources are available to prepare children and adults for the current and near-future demands. (SM)

Summarizes arguments about student consumerism and postmodernity made by Delucchi (Michael) and Smith (William L.)(1997), and suggests some implications for higher education not considered by those authors. Discusses faculty responsibility for the rise of consumerist attitudes toward education, control of knowledge by higher education, and implications of postmodernism for higher education. (DSK)

Cooperative community life-long learning centers may be the catalyst for fundamental change in the existing authoritarian education system. An outgrowth of the homeschooling movement, these cooperatively owned centers use community resources to provide a wide range of learning services to everyone regardless of age, ability, or status. (TD)

The iconoclastic new governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, is challenging the status quo in higher education. A believer in personal responsibility, he feels students should do more to pay for their education and opposes merit scholarships, but also wants more state money for colleges. Ventura's skepticism about government institutions such as public colleges has broad implications for policy. (MSE)