Improving the School Learning Environment to Reduce Bullying: An Experimental Study

A framework based on research on bullying and on educational effectiveness was offered to schools to assist them in developing strategies and actions to improve their learning environment, their policy for teaching, and their evaluation mechanisms in order to reduce bullying. At the beginning and end of the intervention, the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and a teacher questionnaire measuring three school factors (school policy for teaching, school learning environment, and school evaluation) were administered to the experimental and control groups. This experimental study reveals that the intervention had both a direct impact on the reduction of bullying and an indirect impact through improving the school factors. Implications for research into supporting schools to reduce bullying are given.     

Assessment of Gerontology Programs: A Comprehensive,Strategic Approach

To assure that gerontology students meet their educational objectives and are prepared to assume professional roles, gerontological program assessment is imperative. This paper situates gerontological academic program assessment within the framework of the American Association of Higher Education's principles of assessment. It presents clear guidelines for the assessment of gerontological programs and courses. These guidelines incorporate indirect and direct assessment methods to examine both processes and outcomes of gerontological education. Also presented are guidelines for the communication of results, recommendations, and plans for follow-up to stakeholders.     

Disciplinary variation in preparation for the academic dean role

This empirical study examined a sample of 210 academic deans in research and doctoral institutions in the United States to investigate the relationship between academic discipline and the preparation of deans for their leadership role. Respondents reported relying on experience in past administrative posts and past relationships with faculty leaders as the most highly valued approaches to learning what the deans’ job entails. Findings suggest that how deans understand their role is very much related to the unique experiences they have accumulated as a faculty member. Despite the low reliance overall on trial‐and‐error as a learning approach, deans in pure fields reported relying more on trial‐and‐error than deans from applied fields. This finding suggests that academic discipline cannot be discounted in considering the preparation of faculty for leadership roles.