Organizational Characteristics of Schools That Successfully Serve Low-Income Urban African American Students

A prerequisite for correcting ineffective education is the examination of research on the learning environments of successful schools and the conditions and processes that enable quality outcomes. The research described in this article supports the Talent Development philosophy, which rejects deficit-based "talent sorting" models of schooling and promotes widespread academic success in appropriately supportive environments. The study delineates the common organizational characteristics of schools in low-income areas that defy the odds by producing high numbers of high-achieving African American students. Specifically, it explores how urban elementary schools that successfully serve primarily low-income African American students are configured to support students' academic and personal growth.

Participating schools were selected based on test scores evidencing their students' sustained mathematics and reading achievement. The data for the analysis was obtained from questionnaires mailed to the schools' principals. Patterns in the data and discernable trends across schools are described.     

Parent perceptions of the effects of the Saturday enrichment program on gifted students’ talent development

Based on survey responses from 187 parents of students who attended the Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) at the Center for Talent Development (CTD) of Northwestern University, this study showed that overall, parents perceived favorable effects of the program on their children's talent development, especially academic talent development. As a result of participation in the CTD program, parents perceived that their children gained scholastic skills or knowledge, were more motivated to learn and interested in the subject areas they studied, and gained academic competence. After the program parents had higher academic expectations for their children. Parents felt positively about instructional aspects of the program such as focusing on a single subject in depth and breadth, experiencing interdisciplinary perspectives across subject areas, and having experiential learning opportunities. They also perceived that the SEP classes provided their children with both challenge and enjoyment. Despite the perceived benefits of SEP, results also showed that the majority of parents were still reluctant to pursue additional further educational actions inside or outside of school for their children after completing the program. However, of those who contacted their children's local schools, almost half said that their children received more challenging work (e.g., accepted and/or placed into advanced enrichment programs or other gifted programs/groupings in school, recommended for gifted programs, given additional materials or work, or skipped grades) as a result.     

The Influence of a Career Pathways Model and Career Counseling on Students' Career and Academic Self-Efficacy

This qualitative study examines the effects of career pathways programming and targeted career counseling services on 71 high school seniors across seven schools engaged in school reforms funded through South Carolina's Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA). EEDA is a statewide, multipronged effort to improve academic achievement, graduation rates, and students' chances at success in both careers and college. One component of EEDA is the requirement that all students complete an individual graduation plan, and in order to build capacity to execute this new requirement, additional counselors and/or counselor aides were added to every high school in the state. We found that the combination of a career pathways model along with targeted career counseling services enhanced students' sense of career and academic self-efficacy by increasing their motivation to complete school, willingness and interest to take more challenging courses, and sense of preparedness for college and work. We examine these themes through the social cognitive career theory's triadic model of causality (Bandura, 1997) connecting study findings with the central constructs of self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and personal goal development.     

The counseling and consultation component of TIP'S summer residential program

Although more academic summer programs are developing for the gifted population, little attention has been paid to the psychosocial needs and adjustment of gifted students attending such programs. Duke University's Talent Identification Program has developed a strong counseling and consultation component within its Summer Residential Program in an attempt to deal with the normal developmental problems and emotional difficulties experienced by academically gifted adolescents. The personnel who administer this component, the methods they employ, and the presenting problems of students in Duke University's TIP Summer Residential Program are described. Future directions for counseling and consultation are discussed.     

The role of academic competences and learning processes in predicting Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis grades

Writing an academic thesis is an important and complex task and the thesis grade should reflect students’ academic competences. The present study aims, firstly, at exploring how Bachelor’s and Master’s students self-evaluate their academic competences and approaches to learning and whether their evaluations differ from each other. In addition, the study aims at investigating how academic competences and approaches to learning are related to the thesis grades of Bachelor’s and Master’s students. The data consisted of 1 019 Bachelor's and Master’s students, all of whom completed an electronic questionnaire at the time of their graduation. The results imply that Bachelor’s students already possess a considerable number of academic competences. It seems that students’ organising skills should be supported, especially in the Bachelor phase. Finally, the present study raises the question of what the thesis grade actually measures if its relations to both learning processes and academic competences are questionable.     

What the student does: teaching for enhanced learning

Many teachers see major difficulties in maintaining academic standards in today's larger and more diversified classes. The problem becomes more tractable if learning outcomes are seen as more a function of students' activities than of their fixed characteristics. The teacher's job is then to organise the teaching/learning context so that all students are more likely to use the higher order learning processes which “academic” students use spontaneously. This may be achieved when all components are aligned, so that objectives express the kinds of understanding that we want from students, the teaching context encourages students to undertake the learning activities likely to achieve those understandings, and the assessment tasks tell students what activities are required of them, and tell us how well the objectives have been met. Two examples of aligned teaching systems are described: problem-based learning and the learning portfolio.     

Talent development,work habits,and career exploration of Chinese middle‐school adolescents: development of the Career and Talent Development Self‐Efficacy Scale

This article describes the development of an instrument – the Career and Talent Development Self‐Efficacy Scale (CTD‐SES) – for assessing students’ self‐efficacy in applying life skills essential for personal talent development, acquisition of positive work habits, and career exploration. In Study 1, data were obtained from a large sample of Chinese middle‐school students (N=15,113) in Grades 7–9 in Hong Kong. The CTD‐SES is an 18‐item questionnaire with subscales containing items that address students’ orientations toward developing their own talents, acquiring and applying positive work habits, and exploring their career possibilities. Evidence is provided for internal consistency, temporal stability, and factor structure of the CTD‐SES. Goodness of fit statistics provided support for a three‐primary‐factor‐plus‐higher‐factor model, and this solution was used in the statistical analyses. The data also indicated that students with plans for university study reported significantly higher scores than those without on all three domains of career and talent development. In Study 2 (N=308) Grade 10 high‐ability students’ scores in CTD‐SES were correlated with scores in career decision self‐efficacy and academic performance. The development and validation of CTD‐SES is the first step toward investigating career exploration, work habits, and talent development among Asian middle‐school adolescents.     

Creating a Comprehensive School Reform Model: The Talent Development High School With Career Academies

This article discusses the need for comprehensive reforms in school organization, curriculum and instruction, and professional development in order to address the typical, serious problems of large, urban, nonselective high schools. The article describes the design, implementation, and effectiveness of the Talent Development High School with Career Academies, a comprehensive school reform model developed to meet these schools' needs. A plan is outlined for additional research, development, and evaluation activities to complete this model for the remaining core high school academic subjects and grades, and to provide technical assistance materials and support for further replicating the model in high schools across the nation.     

What the Student Does: teaching for enhanced learning

Many teachers see major difficulties in maintaining academic standards in today's larger and more diversified classes. The problem becomes more tractable if learning outcomes are seen as more a function of students’ activities than of their fixed characteristics. The teacher's job is then to organise the teaching/learning context so that all students are more likely to use the higher order learning processes which “academic” students use spontaneously. This may be achieved when all components are aligned, so that objectives express the kinds of understanding that we want from students, the teaching context encourages students to undertake the learning activities likely to achieve those understandings, and the assessment tasks tell students what activities are required of them, and tell us how well the objectives have been met. Two examples of aligned teaching systems are described: problem‐based learning and the learning portfolio.     

Table of Contents

Setting the Stage: Funding Realities and Talent Resources The Shifting Budgetary Equation Federal Funding and Public Research Universities Research Funding and the New “Business Paradigm” Endowment, Gifts, and Other Revenue Sources External Pressures on Talent Resources Concluding Perspectives Looking Beyond an Administrative Human Resources Department: HR and Institutional Performance The Evolution of High-Performance HR Systems The Empirical Link Between Strategic HR and Organizational Performance Strategic HR Constructs Application of Strategic HR Principles in Higher Education Concluding Perspectives Strategic HR and Talent Management in Higher Education The Contribution of HR Principles to Talent Acquisition Diversity in the Talent Management Continuum Total Rewards and Talent Management Concluding Perspectives Strategic HR and Organization Development: A Holistic Process The Counterpoint Between Organizational Learning and Organization Development The Crosswalk Between AQIP Principles and Organizational Capabilities The Psychodynamics of Organization Development The Contribution of Employee Relations Programs to Organization Development Performance Evaluation and Organization Development Leadership Development The Vital Role of Employee Assistance Programs Concluding Perspectives Building an Effective and Efficient Strategic HR Operation HR Analytics The HR Audit Entrepreneurial HR Strategies HR as Chief Integrative Leader Concluding Perspectives Recommendations and Implications for Practice Presidents and Boards of Trustees HR Leaders HR Departments HR Departments Looking Forward References Name Index Subject Index About the Authors     

本科生科研项目对个人科研职业发展的影响——一项回顾性队列研究

培养本科生科研素养是当代本科生教育和创新人才教育的重要组成之一。我国高校多采取资助本科生科研项目的方式进行。为了解这一方式如何影响学生未来科研职业发展,本研究以复旦大学的本科生科研资助计划为对象,对该校2000—2017级参加和未参加科研项目的共576名大学生进行了回顾性队列研究。通过对在校生队列样本的分析,发现科研项目对学生在大学阶段从事科研职业的意愿提高23.2%。通过对毕业生队列样本的追踪分析,发现科研项目提升了本科生14.1%的攻读博士概率,以及提升了17.2%的在高校科研岗位就业概率。进一步的机制检验发现本科生科研项目主要通过促进学生对科研的了解和提升科研工作的自我效能感（而不是比同伴更有竞争力）来激发学生投身科研的意愿。     

关于对少数民族地区本科院校人才培养模式改革的思考——凯里学院“提高大学生就业竞争力”学术研讨会综述

当前,大学生就业形势严峻,就业市场竞争异常激烈,面对近乎残酷的就业现状,如何改革人才培养模式、提升大学生就业竞争力已成为新升本院校面临的一项重大课题。在国家出台《国家中长期人才发展规划纲要》之际,凯里学院适时组织召开了提高大学生就业竞争力的学术研讨会,分别从提高教学水平、创新人才培养模式、提升学校服务意识、增强学生实践能力、加强学生就业指导以及学科专业和课程设置调整等不同方面进行了深入的分析和探讨,提高大学生的就业竞争力显得尤为迫切和重要。     

‘Science Is Truly a Male World.’ The Interconnectedness of Knowledge,Gender and Power within University Education

In the 1970s the vicissitudes of university education were an important impetus for female students and members of staff to formulate feminist criticism on science subjects. Women's studies came into being, aiming at transforming academic scholarship and women's experience in education. Now that women's studies themselves are becoming institutionalised, new problems have developed and we need to question if science is now less of a male dominated bastion. In this article a case study is presented on the ‘trials’ and ‘tribulations’ of female university students at Wageningen Agricultural University in The Netherlands. A theoretical framework is introduced and an analysis of empirical material offered. It is apparent that female students are rather critical of their studies, although generally they do not leave the university before graduating. The university teacher emerges as a gatekeeper, holding the key of the door to the academic community, and using knowledge as a key resource.     

Framing the curriculum for participation: a Bernsteinian perspective on academic literacies

Academic writing is challenging, particularly for new undergraduates who can struggle to know what is expected of them. Research into Academic Literacies often presents academic literacy practices as a barrier to the academy, excluding those not familiar with and those not able to participate in those practices and positioning them permanently on the periphery of the academic community. In seeking to explore how curricula should be designed to counter exclusion, this paper brings three theoretical frameworks together: Academic Literacies; Communities of Practice; and Bernstein's conceptualisation of the classification and framing of knowledge. Together, they provide a multi-layered understanding of how students are positioned by academic literacy practices: Academic Literacies illuminates the ‘problem’; Communities of Practice provides an analytical perspective on the process of exclusion; and Bernstein's work offers pedagogical insights into how academic literacy practices can be reimagined as a bridge, rather than as a barrier, to the academic community.     

Ensuring Effective Student Support in Higher Education Alleged Plagiarism Cases

Plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct are matters of great concern at all levels of study worldwide. This is especially so for students in higher education institutions, where higher degrees and publications are key focus activities. Ready access to internet based resources assist academic writing practices. However, the unintentional, or sometimes deliberate, lack of acknowledgment of intellectual property ownership by some students results in plagiarism allegations. In this article we explain how the Business School at Curtin University, Western Australia, currently handles plagiarism accusations; and we propose a model for making the University’s approach more transparent, supportive, and educative for students. We recommend this model to others.     

Early Learning in CRESPAR

The goal of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR) Early Learning program is to ensure that young children reach the 1st grade with the necessary skills and competencies to be effective learners. This goal has been accomplished by 2 integrated areas of research. One area of research focuses on the development of effective practices that promote the development of language and literacy skills in young children. A 2nd area of research examines the systemic issues regarding school policies and teachers' beliefs and expectations that affect classroom practices. Over the past 5 years, the CRESPAR Early Learning Program has been conducting research in these areas, which has added to our understanding of how children learn and what teachers think that they can learn.     

Differently Academic? Constructions of ‘academic’ in higher education

This article draws on my research, in which I have interviewed a group of students over the course of their degrees. The women are all taking women's studies combined with a range of other subjects in a ‘new’ university with campuses in inner London and on its outskirts. This article considers the women's perceptions of both women's studies and their second subjects as "academic", as well as how they think both the university and the wider world value the academic nature of their various subjects. It asks whether subjects are only valued as "academic" if they focus on the writings of men, and are considered "objective", abstract and theoretical. Do students need to be seen to be "thinking like a man" in order to value their subjects and have them valued by others, or are there ways to be "differently academic"? It concludes by suggesting some alternative ways for institutions of higher education to consider the meaning of "academic" in higher education.     

管理类硕士学位点建设水平评价研究——基于协调分析方法的视角

《国家中长期人才发展规划纲要（2010～2020年）》强调要实施企业经营管理人才素质提升工程。文章系统地归纳了管理类硕士学位点建设目标,从师资队伍、学科平台、科学研究、人才培养、条件建设、学术交流六个方面,构建了包含39个二级指标的管理类硕士学位点建设水平评价指标体系,并确定二级指标的当量系数和一级指标体系的权重向量,建立基于协调分析方法的评价模型,从优点与缺点两个方面综合评价学位点建设水平,以期通过对管理类硕士学位点建设水平的评价促进管理类硕士学位点的建设,达到提升企业经营管理人才素质的目的。     

Seeking synergy: Theory and practice of education and research in public relations and communication management in Estonia

The Bachelor's degree programme in public relations was initiated at the University of Tartu in 1996. Public relations is taught in the context of organizational and marketing communication, political communication, and knowledge management. This new speciality has broadened the scope of academic research in the field of communications beyond traditional media research. Today, approximately 100 students are enrolled at the Bachelor's degree level, and twenty students at the Master's degree level in the public relations field. The Department of Journalism and Communication is the only center in Estonia for research in communication, public relations, and journalism. Research in public relations is strongly integrated with practice. All the lecturers in the field of public relations at the University of Tartu have had continuous practical experience in different business fields. In addition, the university's image is a guarantee of professional quality.