To nudge students to study English and to improve their English proficiency, many universities in Taiwan have imposed an English graduation benchmark on their students. This article reviews this policy, using the theoretic framework for education policy analysis proposed by Haddad and Demsky (1995). The author presents relevant research findings,…

A number of recent reports note that colleges of education could do a better job in technology training. Most evident in these reports is the call for teachers to learn how to integrate technology into their instruction, rather than just learning technology skills in isolation. To heed recommendations and better respond to student needs, the…

Using data from more than 2,000 community college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this research investigates how ethnicity, gender, non-traditional student risk factors, academic preparation, socio-economic status, and English-as-second-language/citizenship status…

In an effort to understand the behavior and choices of Oregon's high school graduates, the Oregon University System conducted a telephone survey of a random sample of the Oregon high school graduating class of 2001. This biennial study, fifth in a series begun in 1993, seeks to identify the proportion of the graduating class that attended a…

This newsletter contains two articles of interest to two-year college educators. The first details an examination of 83 public two-year college collective bargaining contracts and 41 public and private four-year college agreements for references to classroom visitations. Such references were found in 24 (29%) of the two-year college contracts and…

Data from a survey of 1,137 junior colleges, community colleges, and technical institutes conducted by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges in October 1972 and up-dated in March 1974 show that these institutions are playing a vital role in addressing the needs of older persons in the communities they serve. Following a brief…

This study involved whether psychosocial aspects of English classroom environments had associations with the English learning motivation types of Chinese tertiary-level English majors based on a case study of approximate 1,000 English majors in their first 2 years at one of the key universities located in South China. Canonical correlation…

This report describes the third annual National Adult Student Priorities Study (ASPS), an attempt to determine the areas of highest importance to students aged 25 and older. The 2002 ASPS represents data from 78 colleges and universities representing four-year public, four-year private, and two-year community, junior, and technical institutions.…

In any teaching situation, it is always possible to identify those students who generally seem to have a positive attitude towards what they are doing, and those who seem less positive. Students' attitudes seem to feature prominently in many teachers' and lecturers' concerns about the effectiveness of their teaching. Students' attitudes are an…

Greater attention to the college and career readiness problem by state leaders and policymakers could drastically boost the numbers and percentages of students who graduate from high school ready for college and career study. This chapter traces the author's work in developing California State University's Early Assessment Program, an initiative…

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to "create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most." Partnerships between a Lead Partner, usually a college of Further Education, partner…

Jodi Fletcher is a teacher on special assignment in curriculum instruction and assessment for Falcon School District 49 in Colorado. Serving about 12,500 students across 16 schools, the district encompasses the northeastern portion of Colorado Springs and the rural area of Falcon. About 30 percent of students in the district are from military…

Across the United States, community colleges offer millions of students an open-access, low-cost postsecondary education. However, of the students who enroll in community college hoping to earn a credential or transfer to a four-year institution, only about half achieve their goal within six years. For students who enter college needing…

Reports findings obtained as part of a larger exploratory study about satisfaction and success of students who transferred from two-year colleges to a large university. Results indicated higher student satisfaction with the two-year college experience than with the university experience, and college faculty were more frequently cited than…

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) represents the only chance for many Baltimore City residents to obtain a post-secondary education, find a job with a career path, and earn a sufficient income to support a family. BCCC is also a critical linchpin in Baltimore's ability to build a competitive workforce. Yet the college, with 7,300 credit…