Review of welfare reform legislation and interviews with low-income single mothers indicate that they experience dramatic benefits from completing college degrees but have limited opportunities and support for doing so. They lack role models and experience severe dislocation, disidentification, and class anxiety. (Contains 41 references.) (SK)

As in the United States, affirmative action policies in Fiji were intended to correct past injustices. However, their proponents' use of colonial discourse fails to acknowledge the historical roots of the lower educational attainment of Fijians, which is a legacy of colonial policies. (SK)

Using Walt Whitman's poetry, a chief executive officer's speech, and a first-grade teacher's experience, a high school teacher describes the transformation of her understanding of achievement and intelligence. She concludes that having high expectations does not mean the same goals for every student and that students learn best what they learn out…

A challenging encounter in a college classroom involving a student's experience of being "other" led to the insight that multicultural competence requires abandoning the position of all-knowing teacher and confronting one's fear of vulnerability and ineptitude. (SK)

A study examined attitudes of 50 new teachers toward emerging Scottish policies concerning continuing professional development (CPD). Findings indicate that teachers need to be better informed about CPD and other policy initiatives; characteristics of an effective professional educator must be identified; teachers must critically analyze their…

A Scottish report on professional conditions of service for teachers recommends an increase of over 20 percent in teacher salaries by August 2003. However, university faculty salaries are likely to continue the 3 percent per annum increases of recent years. Universities may have to do some public relations work in schools to attract staff for…

New local education authorities created by Scottish governmental reorganization have reduced, or started charging fees for, instrumental music instruction. This action's unpopularity may lead to central government intervention and loss of local control over one area of educational responsibility. An alternative would be for local authorities to…

A study examined a Scottish council's initiative to mainstream secondary pupils with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Classroom observations and teacher interviews at 12 schools indicated that not all departments shared the underlying philosophy, and consultation with community agencies was lacking. Some schools showed progress, but…

A study sought to ascertain the "official" conception of numeracy in Scotland as published in Her Majesty's Inspectorate (HMI) audit reports. 300 HMI reports on 300 primary schools were examined for references to computational proficiency and understanding of number. Segments signifying proficiency were significantly more numerous than those…

A study examined motivation among 150 students studying French as a foreign language in a Scottish and a Canadian secondary school. Canadian teachers' tendency towards control fostered extrinsic student motivation, whereas Scottish students were more amenable to intrinsic motivation. Successful foreign language teaching lies in conveying social…

Attitudes towards "setting," a form of student grouping by ability, were studied in four Scottish primary schools. A slight majority of students and a slight minority of teachers preferred set classes. Positive aspects of sets included smaller classes and independent learning in lower-ability sets, and positive class atmospheres. (Contains 32…

Education issues addressed by the Scottish Parliament in 2001 included Gaelic language maintenance, lifelong learning, funding for research and teaching in higher education, and the role of education in economic development. It is becoming apparent that economic development concerns may not necessarily be congruent with principles underlying…

An alternative learning program was designed to develop self-esteem and social skills in at-risk youth (n=32). Significant increases in self-regulation and learning could be attributed to small class sizes and individualized instruction. (SK)

Evaluation of an early literacy initiative in which free books and literacy information were given to 40 caregivers of infants. Compared book-related activity in the home before and 2 months after the program. Results showed significant increases in book ownership and frequency of mothers and babies looking at children's books together. (SK)

Group interviews with Year 11 British students compared girls' and boys' perspectives on good teachers. Girls took more responsibility for learning; boys expected teachers to generate motivation and enjoyment. Girls and boys displayed different attitudes toward group work and classroom management. (SK)