Educators are often caught up in the problem of political agendas or funding driving educational research. Projects and proposals congruent with current trends or some agency's priority are often those that are funded. Institutional recognition in the form of promotion and salary increments is frequently focused on funded research. What, then, is…

Recently, universities and other research institutions have increased the number of regulations concerning research "ethics." Driven by fears of litigation or political unpopularity and acting in an authoritarian manner, many institutional ethics boards are exceeding their purpose and are threatening both the validity of their faculty's research…

To reverse the decline in volunteerism in education, administrators must understand the difference between true volunteering and participation coerced under the guise of volunteering. Appreciation is essential for promoting volunteerism, for no one wishes to be considered without value. But if coercion and exploitation are part of the growing…

A balance must be maintained between what students want and what they should receive in educational institutions. If teachers forget that they possess more knowledge of teaching than the lay public, especially politicians, or downplay their own importance in education, they abrogate their professionalism and weaken their ability to contend with…

Discusses the different roles played by eclectic versus specialized scholarly journals in education. The narrow focus of specialized journals is useful to scholars with limited time but may exclude authors with controversial viewpoints. Eclectic journals provide a broader picture of educational trends and a forum for scholarly debate, unorthodox…

Examines the debate over private versus public education, both sides of which claim that their position either preserves or creates opportunities for choice. Uses a historical perspective to reflect on what actually constitutes an opportunity in education. Suggests that apparent opportunities often have hidden costs or unintended consequences. (SV)

Four examples show how academic freedom has come under heavy attack during the 20th century. Yet some scholars say they do not care about academic freedom. Perhaps the greatest danger to academic freedom does not come from scholars who advocate extreme views or assert their right to academic freedom, but from those who are apathetic or cowardly.…

Universities arose because a supportive and protective environment conducive to face-to-face learning, scholarship, and debate was needed. Predictions that various technologies, including television, teaching machines, and Internet-based instruction and distance learning, would replace universities have not been realized. For 800 years, nothing…

Identifies and analyzes factors within and without the University of Alberta that impeded the development of teacher education programs there prior to 1942. Concludes that eventually the university prevailed against the will of the provincial government, establishing that the knowledge and competence for determining the configuration of the…

Reviews the life and work of Milton Ezra LaZerte (1885-1975), rural educator and administrator at the University of Alberta (Canada). Describes LaZerte's learning theories and innovative instructional devices and compares them to those of other contributors, including B. F. Skinner. Contains 24 references. (SV)

George Dunlop saw the need for a scholarly outlet for educational research in Alberta, helped establish the "Alberta Journal of Educational Research," and actively fostered educational research at the University of Alberta until his death in 1966. Dunlop awards are presented for outstanding master's theses and doctoral dissertations by Canadians…

Herbert Coutts, dean of the University of Alberta faculty of education when the "Alberta Journal of Educational Research" was established in 1955, recalls the origins of the journal and early struggles to maintain its scholarly orientation. The journal filled a need for a Canadian-based scholarly journal devoted to educational research, and…