Education Commons^™

Final Report Of The Learning Commons Assessment Task Force, Sarah C. Hutton, Jessica Adamick

Sarah C Hutton

Leadership Lessons For The 21st Century: Superintendents' Perspectives, José M. Torres

José M. Torres

Celebrating 50 years in the educational leadership business, the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) asked practitioners from around the country, including dozens of Superintendents, to share their leadership lessons. The responses culminated in ten leadership lessons. We invited two former Superintendents, Dr. Clifford B. Janey and Dr. José M. Torres, to share their reflections of how IEL's leadership lessons connected to their own practice. What they told us is important for all school leaders to know.

Cross-Boundary Leaders For Education & Equity Symposium: Preparing Leaders For Public Education, José M. Torres

José M. Torres

Public education has become an increasingly polarizing topic. Yet, experience and research tell us that solutions to our most pressing educational issues are likely to emerge when leaders work together across boundaries—be they ideological, geographical, or institutional. For 50 years the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) has championed the need for leaders at all levels to shake off their in- stitutional constraints and jointly respond to the needs of young people and their families. IEL’s Cross-Boundary Leaders for Education and Equity Symposium offers an objective, open-mind- ed, nonpartisan space where leaders can come together and discuss complex issues facing public …

Profiling Diversity Of Australian Universities, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Leo Goedegebuure, Marian Thakur, Eva Van Der Brugge, Frans Van Vught

Dr Daniel Edwards

There is a good deal of consensus that institutional diversity in higher education is a good thing. Simply put, systems with more diverse institutions perform better than systems with less diverse institutions. Yet the overall diversity of Australia’s higher education system remains unclear. Significant questions and opportunities remain unresolved. How diverse are Australia’s institutions today? How can stakeholders— particularly institutions and policymakers—understand and manage this diversity? This LH Martin Institute and ACER research briefing seeks to shift discussion of diversity to a more considered level. The analysis moves beyond extant sectoral partitionings and contingent policy interventions to expose emerging dynamics …

Listening To The Voices Of Today’S Undergraduates: Implications For Teaching And Learning, Glenn A. Bowen Phd, Carol Burton, Christopher Cooper, Laura Cruz, Anna Mcfadden, Chesney Reich, Melissa Wargo

Glenn A Bowen PhD

The landscape of higher education has changed with the presence of a new generation of college students. Current studies do not carry the voices of the new generation known as the Millennials. This article presents the findings of a qualitative study that explored the learning experiences of Millennial-generation undergraduates at a public comprehensive university. The researchers organized a series of focus groups designed primarily to determine how the undergraduates characterize their learning experiences. Five thematic categories of data emerged from the study, providing insights into students’ perceptions and motivations. The implications of the findings for teaching and learning are highlighted.

Stepping Up: How One Faculty Learning Community Influenced Faculty Members' Understanding And Use Of Active-Learning Methods And Course Design, Kerryann O'Meara

KerryAnn O'Meara

The author assesses what effects the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Teacher Education Collaborative (STEMTEC) Faculty Fellows learning community program had over the course of an academic year on fellows' familiarity with and use of active-learning methods and course design. Based on surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and analysis of portfolios, the study concludes that the program had significant positive effects on participants' familiarity with and use of active-learning methods. Evidence suggests that fellows made substantial changes to their courses to improve student learning. The author discusses how changes occurred, how they might be linked to improved student learning, and …