Education articles from March 2004

Education archives from March 2004

Improving teacher quality through professional development.
March 22, 2004... Introduction In order to achieve America's educational goals, it is imperative that excellent teachers be recruited, prepared, and supported in every school (National Research Council, 1999; Pikulski, 2000). Professional development, as...

An analysis of the experiences of a first-year tenure-track faculty member.
March 22, 2004... The concept of tenure is an integral part of the employment relationship between institutions of higher education and individual faculty members (Mawdsley, 1999). Promotion and tenure decisions are often difficult and always have important...

Detection of Escherichia coli O157: H7 in fecal samples in meat goats.
March 22, 2004... INTRODUCTION Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) is recognized as one of the most important food borne human pathogens (Anonymous, 1994; Cray, & Moon, 1995, FDA/CFSAN, 1992). Specifically, E. coli O157: H7 was responsible for 17 of the...

Working through the challenges: struggle and resilience within the historically black land grant institutions.
March 22, 2004... The Importance of Legacy The Morrill-Wade Act of 1862 provided for the creation of land grant colleges that would offer an education to a broad range of U.S. citizens primarily involved in agriculture and industrial work. It was not until...

Reflective journals: a valuable tool for teacher preparation.
March 22, 2004... Many middle-and high-school preservice teachers assume their role is to impart content knowledge. Diligently, they attend to the theory and practice espoused in methods courses. Education courses prepare pre-service teachers for clinical...

Critical thinking: an extended definition.
March 22, 2004... One definition of critical thinking found in a general psychology text is: "Critical thinking examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions." This text also emphasizes recognizing fallacies in our...

When enough is enough.
March 22, 2004... Colleges of education have long endured the slight and even scorn of faculty in other colleges. Writing in 1963, James Conant, who had earlier emerged from the wake of Sputnik I as champion of the comprehensive high school, professed to share...

Reclaiming teacher preparation for success in high-needs schools.
March 22, 2004... Introduction A careful examination of the nation's teacher shortage statistics reveals that the need for qualified teachers is not equally distributed among our nation's school districts. Even the casual observer quickly notices that the...

A class exercise to teach practical considerations in use of mathematical models.
March 22, 2004... INTRODUCTION Students majoring in Management Information Systems (MIS) are required to take a course in Decision Support Systems (DSS) as part of their information systems core at this university. In a typical course on DSS, students are...

Religion: origins and evolution.
March 22, 2004... The purpose of this paper is to initiate a scientific inquiry into origins of humankind and humankind religions to provide a basis for the evaluation and development of the effectiveness of religious practices. It stems from widespread interest...

The responses of mathematics teachers to educational change: a Namibian perspective.
March 22, 2004... INTRODUCTION After a protracted armed struggle for liberation from the colonial apartheid government of South Africa, Namibia became an independent nation in 1990. Although the apartheid forces were defeated, the legacies of the illegal...

Asking essay questions: answering contemporary needs.
March 22, 2004... Essay questions have been a stable fixture of teacher assessment activity for decades. Assessment reforms of the early 90's encouraged the development and use of "newer" forms of assessment including portfolios, performance tasks, and authentic...

Self-injury: the secret language of pain for teenagers.
March 22, 2004... "You have so much pain inside yourself, you try and hurt yourself on the outside because you need help," --Princess Diana, 1996 Self-injury has not been a topic discussed over family dinner. Although self-injury has been plaguing...

Job satisfaction and pay satisfaction levels of university faculty by discipline type and by geographic region.
March 22, 2004... Most organizations wisely monitor the satisfaction levels of their employees. Job satisfaction, for example, is related to employee motivation and performance (Ostroff, 1992). Job satisfaction is also significantly linked to employee...

Learning through discussion in a non-majors course on Environmental Biology.
March 22, 2004... Introduction As part of my college's General Studies curriculum, Environmental Biology (BIO 104) may be the most socially relevant course I teach. It addresses the significant impacts on nature, due to growing human resource use,...

Confusion regarding school counselor functions: school leadership impacts role clarity.
March 22, 2004... The ultimate responsibility for the appropriate and effective utilization of all school-based personnel resides with the school principal. Finding the optimal marriage between the needs of a particular school and the diverse training and...

Teachers and schools can aid grieving students.
March 22, 2004... One universal goal for teachers and schools is to care about the overall development of each student. Recognizing how individuals differ in their abilities and concerns is essential in providing an environment for effective learning. Children...

No teacher left behind: supporting teachers as they implement standards-based reform in a test-based education environment.
March 22, 2004... While national professional organizations have masterfully crafted standards outlining what students should know and be able to do in an effort to guide school reform and curriculum, a vast chasm has developed between implementation and...

Learners' experience of teaching and learning in a second or third language.
March 22, 2004... Overview and Rationale Political changes in South Africa have also brought about changes in the country's educational system. Reflections of the change in the educational system are becoming more evident in the schools and classrooms....