(1973). Voluntarism, Tax Reform, and Higher Education. Voluntary initiative and voluntary support have been of fundamental importance in the establishment and development of the system of higher education in the U.S. Much of the superior quality of higher education is due to its diversity and its freedom from outside control. Voluntary financial support is one of the vital factors responsible for the independence of educational institutions, public and private alike. Voluntarism is now being challenged through the consideration of several proposals for changing the present tax treatment of private philanthropy. Those who advocate such changes do so in part on grounds of political philosophy and in part on grounds of equity. Some argue that the contributions' deduction encourages taxpayers to spend money that rightfully belongs to the public treasury, and others hold that the benefits of the deduction favor the wealthy vis-a-vis all other taxpayers. Voluntarism should be encouraged. Philanthropy has served as an effective instrument of… [PDF]
(1998). Financing Facilities in Rural School Districts. While education is an important legal function of state government, a major portion of school facility funding is still at the local level, and the quality of school buildings varies across most states. This paper addresses how rural school facilities are financed. It provides an overview of school facilities funding in the United States as summarized by the literature, a mini study of school facilities funding in Arkansas, and comments from practitioners and researchers on the issues presented. It argues that the same equity issues raised on expenditure per pupils and equal educational opportunity should be raised in school facility funding too; and educational quality, including that of school facilities, should not rely on the wealth of the local community. Arkansas, one state that does depend on local wealth for the quality of school buildings, is examined in terms of its great diversity between quality and ability to support school facilities. The paper explains the multiple… [PDF]
(2000). Internet Access and Content for Urban Schools and Communities. ERIC Digest Number 157. The "digital divide," the separation between those with access to new technologies and those without, is seen by many as one of the leading equity issues in the United States. Computer and Internet access varies widely across the United States, with better educated people, those with more money, and whites more likely to have Internet access. In the early years of the Internet, schools with lower concentrations of poor students and suburban schools were more likely to have Internet access, but by 1996 all schools were equally likely to have Internet access. Urban schools, however, remained more likely to have more students per computer with Internet access. Underserved communities are gaining access to the Internet, but there are four significant content deficiencies for these communities: (1) lack of local information; (2) literacy barriers; (3) language barriers; and (4) lack of cultural diversity in Internet material. Public policies and private initiatives are… [PDF]
(2005). Learning to See with a Third Eye: Working to Address Inequity Effectively. Educational Horizons, v84 n1 p47-50 Fall. A few years ago the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF) revised its mission statement to include language about working to \foster educational and social equity.\ The revision makes sense to the author as a graduate student in urban education and a former Philadelphia middle school teacher, as well as in her role as a facilitator of Critical Friends Groups (CFGs) and CFG coaches. Each role has convinced her that racism and other forms of bias are the greatest barriers that everyone faces in making a positive transformation in educational experiences, especially when they involve poor, inner-city kids of color. She calls herself an \inside-outsider\ because she is an insider (an educator working in schools) and also an outsider (a guest facilitator in schools where she formerly taught). As a white teacher she is likewise a cultural outsider in schools where children of color predominate. Here, she talks about Jacqueline Jordan Irvine's \Educating Teachers for Diversity: Seeing with… [PDF] [PDF]
(2001). Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms. The Jossey-Bass Education Series. This book describes the Teach for Diversity (TFD) teacher education program for people who want to teach poor minority children and who are excited about the possibilities for transformation within urban communities. The book is written in three voices (teacher, teacher educator, and researcher). It reflects the author's own early teaching career and mistakes she made, reflecting on her work with prospective teachers struggling to succeed with diverse students. The book studies the practice of novice teachers who are committed to principles of equity, social justice, and high achievement for all. It begins with an introduction describing the author's perspective on the state of teacher education. Chapter 1 discusses the nature of teaching in the 21st century and the despair people seem to feel about trying to teach. Chapter 2 introduces the novice teachers who participated in the study. Chapter 3 describes the first of three propositions that support culturally relevant teaching…
(2000). Educating the Emerging Majority: The Role of Minority-Serving Colleges & Universities in Confronting America's Teacher Crisis. A Report from the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education. This report examines the roles that minority serving institutions (MSIs) play and the challenges they face in educating students of color. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that students of color will become the majority in K-12 classrooms by the middle of the 21st century. Despite this shift, classroom teachers are not broadly representative of the students they teach; 9 of 10 U.S. teachers are white. Data from MSIs that make up the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education as well as profiles of teacher education programs at some MSIs show some of the ways that institutions are preparing qualified teachers of color. MSIs produce a large number of teacher education graduates in areas of high national need, such as mathematics and science. The diversity of teacher education graduates from Alliance member institutions is in stark contrast to that of non-Alliance institutions. The analyses in this report demonstrate the critical role of MSIs in preparing teachers of color. Some specific… [PDF]
(1992). School Restructuring: A Special Report of the NASSP Commission on Restructuring. Leader's Guide. This guidebook is designed to serve as a resource and road map for restructuring schools, focusing on the development of a systematic process to implement and manage change. Chapter 1 defines restructuring as the reform of school-organizational relationships and processes to increase student learning and performance, with a focus on the following eight elements: (1) the quality of learning experience and outcomes; (2) the professional role and performance of teachers; (3) collaborative leadership and management; (4) a redefined and integrated curriculum; (5) systematic planning and measurement of results; (6) multiple learning sites and school schedules; (7) coordination of community resources, human and fiscal; and (8) equity, fairness, and inclusion for all students. Chapter 2 expands on the above eight elements of restructuring, and chapter 3 describes the Learning Environments Consortium, a regional self-help network of schools that helps schools develop effective personalized…
(1998). Restructuring High Schools for All Students: Taking Inclusion to the Next Level. The ten papers in this collection present practical examples of the inclusion of students with disabilities in restructured high schools. The papers are: (1) \Preparing the Ground for What Is To Come: A Rationale for Inclusive High Schools\ (Susan Shapiro-Barnard); (2) \Equity and Excellence: Finding Common Ground between Inclusive Education and School Reform\ (Robert L. Fried and Cheryl M. Jorgensen); (3) \Philosophical Foundations of Inclusive, Restructuring Schools\ (Douglas Fisher, Caren Sax, and Cheryl M. Jorgensen); (4) \Innovative Scheduling, New Roles for Teachers, and Heterogeneous Grouping: The Organizational Factors Related to Student Success in Inclusive, Restructuring Schools\ (Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Douglas Fisher, Caren Sax, and Kathryn L. Skoglund); (5) \Unit and Lesson Planning in the Inclusive Classroom: Maximizing Learning Opportunities for All Students\ (Joseph J. Onosko and Cheryl M. Jorgensen); (6) \Examples of Inclusive Curriculum Units and Lessons\ (Cheryl M….
(1994). Gaining Voice: Democratic Praxis in Restructured Schools. Is the work of democracy too hard for schools to implement? This paper presents findings of a study that examined the dialectical relationship between the espoused values of democracy in schools and the actual practice of equity and inclusion in site-based decision making. Specifically, it examines the lived experience of the people inside schools who experience participation or lack of participation. The two schools participating in the case study were part of a nine-site network in Oregon, dedicated to school restructuring. Methodology involved document analysis, videotaped interviews with principals and teachers, interviews with principals and site-team chairs, a demographic survey of all staff, and a schoolwide sociogram analysis. Four understandings about democratic praxis emerged: (1) the conscious construction of democratic values in schools does contribute to increased democratic practices in schools; (2) democracy is extraordinarily hard work; (3) democratic praxis can be… [PDF]
(1976). Position Papers. Five position papers from the American Association of Community and Junior College's (AACJC) task force on small and rural community colleges are presented. On the issue of equal opportunity for the small/rural college, the task force asserts that public policy-making bodies must provide for comprehensiveness in curriculum and in services in all its community college units regardless of size or geographic location. In regard to financing, it is felt that equity in funding in any state system of public and community colleges depends upon the inclusion of some means, mathematical or other, of allowing for the higher costs of operation per unit within the smaller, rural community college. In regard to small colleges and accrediting agencies, it is stressed that any judgements should entail a preponderance of weight resting with representatives from peer institutions. In the area of federal and state constraints on small college programs, the task force emphasizes that federal funds are… [PDF]
(2005). Issues and Consequences for English Language Learners. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, v104 n2 p175-198 Jun. A fair and valid assessment for every child, as mandated by legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and the Improving America's School Act of 1994, must consider the complexity inherent in assessments for subgroups of students. Due to the rapid growth of the population of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States, and because of the confounding of language proficiency with content assessments of ELL students, issues concerning the assessment of these students deserve special attention. ELL students, relative to their non-ELL counterparts, are not performing as well academically, which has implications for their future success. This chapter is structured around a discussion of factors that potentially have a great impact on the equity and fairness of assessment for the ELL student population. These factors include: (1) the classification of ELL students; (2) inclusion/exclusion criteria; (3) the impact of language factors on the assessment of ELL… [Direct]
(1997). The Advisory Committee on Women and Minority Faculty and Professional Staff. Final Report. The Texas Advisory Committee on Women and Minority Faculty and Professional Staff sought to identify strategies that would increase the number of women and minority faculty and professional staff at institutions of higher education in Texas. The work of the Committee was divided into four subcommittees: (1) Pipeline/Pool; (2) Recruitment; (3) Promotion; and (4) Retention. Among the Pipeline/Pool subcommittee's recommendations were: increase number of Black and Hispanic students to reach institutional minority enrollment and retention goals, expand collaborative K-12 partnerships to prepare minority students for college, improve transfer rates from two-year to four-year colleges, and simplify financial aid application system. Recommendations regarding faculty recruitment included: communicate the state's commitment to diversity, recruit for faculty at historically Black colleges and universities, and provide professional opportunities for newly hired minorities. Among recommendations… [PDF]
(1999). A Guide to K-12 Program Development in World Languages. This guide provides a road map for Connecticut school districts as they develop and implement a world languages program appropriate for the 21st century. It describes what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels and stages of language learning. The five chapters include the following: (1) "Introduction" (overview of the guide); (2) "Core Curriculum Content" (e.g., program goals, K-12 content standards, performance standards, illustrative learning activities, prototype assessments, and suggestions for modifications of activities); (3) "Implementing the Curriculum" (e.g., instructional materials, time, technology, and connections; professional development, interaction, supervision, and evaluation; student assessment and support; grouping and tracking; and articulation and alignment); (4) "Developing a District Curriculum" (key components of curriculum development, the curriculum development process, and statements of… [PDF]
(2002). Curriculum Development for Learning To Live Together: The Caribbean Sub-Region. The Final Report of the Sub-Regional Seminar (Havana, Cuba, May 15-18, 2001). A sub-regional seminar based on the theme, "Curriculum Development for Learning to Live Together" (Havana, Cuba, May 15-18, 2001), brought together 20 member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's Caribbean Network of Educational Innovation for Development: Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. This final report begins with a Foreword (Cecilia Braslavsky) and contains five parts: (1) "Curriculum Development for Learning to Live Together" (two articles); (2) "Citizenship Education: Learning at School and in Society" (three articles); (3) "Social Exclusion and Violence: Education for Social Cohesion" (three articles); (4) "Shared Values and Cultural Diversity:… [PDF]
(1995). A Guide to Curriculum Development in Family and Consumer Sciences Education. This guide is designed to help educators develop a comprehensive and integrated family and consumer sciences educational program for all grades. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the family and consumer sciences program in Connecticut. Chapter 2 describes the various program elements local districts should consider when reviewing, modifying, or developing program offerings, such as program overview, program goals, core topic areas, integrative components, and program structure. Chapter 3 describes a curriculum development process that addresses factors influencing curriculum development, recommended steps in the curriculum development process, integration of Future Homemakers of America/Home Economics Related Occupations into the curriculum, and current perspectives on teaching and learning that affect curriculum development. Chapter 4 provides guidance and tools to assist with the tasks of organizing program topics and selecting student competencies at middle/junior and high school… [PDF]