Examines issues in introduction of an ebonics-based curriculum in public schools in response to the crisis in academic achievement of African American students. Outlines the cultural role of African American Vernacular English, concerns about learning levels of students not proficient in Standard English, and implications for supporting diversity…

Argues that higher education's response to change is resulting in the disappearance of tenure, and provides a bibliography of actual institutional and faculty decisions in relation to tenure since the mid-1970s. Focus is on six issues: changes in the meaning of tenure; management of tenure decisions; financial exigency or discomfort; faculty…

Reports on a survey of Minnesota's African-American community college faculty concerning their own employment situations and the reasons why the recruitment and retention of African-American faculty have not been successful overall despite two decades of affirmative action. Looks at social and psychological barriers to increasing diversity, and…

A study of 20 highly selective liberal arts colleges explored how faculty's intrinsic enjoyment of work, satisfaction with extrinsic recognition from work, and satisfaction or dissatisfaction with job conditions contribute to both teaching and research effectiveness, and what job aspects help explain a faculty member's intrinsic enjoyment of…

In an interview, the president of the National Education Association (NEA) discusses issues in higher education, including the NEA's role, relationships between higher education and elementary-secondary education, professionalism and the union, technological advancement, the role of postsecondary education, allocation of educational resources,…

A college teacher describes his approach to student subject-area writing, which includes assignment of several short papers to be written according to carefully prescribed guidelines (appended to the article), clear grading criteria, high expectations, availability for individual conferences, rewards for improvement, encouragement of writing for…

Reviews research concerning the effectiveness of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in higher education, focusing on what it demonstrates about WAC's value in improving subject-area knowledge and writing skills. Concludes that the approach can be effective, but that collaborative, inclusive effort to implement it is needed, including teacher…

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires reasonable accommodations for the disabled in public and private colleges and universities. Faculty must understand the difference between equal opportunity and equal treatment. Specific suggestions are made for teaching learning-disabled, mobility- impaired, visually-impaired, and hearing-impaired…

If universities were serious about enhancing student learning, they would explore other ways of organizing work, including reorganization of the curriculum into learning communities that enable learning to span the disciplines, creating classrooms that promote collaborative learning experiences, and using forms of assessment that encourage shared…

Two community learning programs that use a professional development center approach to teacher education are described. In one, preservice teachers become part of a school community by participating in real classroom settings; the second, offering a laboratory classroom for elementary school children, brings education professors and students into…

The real challenge to higher education in America is coming to terms with the fragmented and contested terrain of learning resulting from profound social and cultural change. Teaching anything has become difficult in a culture that has devalued learning. Once the public acknowledges this, reforming the system will be seen in a new light. (MSE)

A new budgeting concept currently popular in colleges and universities, Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) holds that unit heads, who understand their operations best, should be given greater budgetary authority and responsibility. Experience with the system at Indiana University and several hypothetical cases suggest that RCM would place…

While women earn more bachelor's and master's degrees than men annually, college faculty continue to be predominately male, with males more economically secure. This significantly limits the role models for women students. Faculty recruitment should focus more actively on women candidates and provide support mechanisms to retain women faculty.…

Compares two groups of Mexican Americans with high social standing and educational achievements, but opposing world views: a small group of conservative thinkers who oppose affirmative action and believe mobility in American society devolves from individual merit, and the 1960s Chicana/o political generation, which has gained no prominence in the…

Planning for higher education in Washington State is described, including the structure of higher education, the state board's master plan, and progress to date in implementing that plan in a context of rapid and unforeseen economic and political change. Issues discussed include tuition trends, student financial aid, and task force recommendations…