Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Boulder, CO. (1996). Policy Indicators for Higher Education: WICHE States. Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West. This report on higher education in 15 Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states provides state and regional data in a policy context. The document is structured around a set of indicators that provide trend or relative state data for: population projections; adult educational attainment level; expected number of high school graduates; participation rates and college enrollment data; relative degree production rates; tuition, fee, and student financial aid data; per student expenditures; sources of institutional revenue; higher education share of state general funds; faculty salaries; research competitiveness; minority student participation rates; and current and projected employment by occupation and industry. Data are summarized both for the region and the 15 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Also included are several policy insight reports on: (1) college student migration, (2) quality assurance in distance education, (3) 1996 legislative actions, (4) higher education and the job market, and (5) access. In addition to data included in the regional and state indicator section, there are 28 comprehensive data tables. Appended are the Carnegie classifications and a Web site address where a list of public and private institutions by state and sector may be obtained. (Contains approximately 50 references.) Descriptors: Data Analysis, Educational Assessment, Educational Attainment, Educational Demand

Guerrero, Michael D. (1994). A Critical Analysis of the Validity of the Four Skills Exam. A study evaluated the overall evaluative validity of the Four Skills Exam, a Spanish language proficiency test designed to ensure that bilingual education teachers in New Mexico can meet Spanish language demands in the bilingual education classroom. The test's construct validity was limited for several reasons. In designing a test capturing real-life language demands, developers did not operationalize the targeted demands effectively. The two objectively scored parts of the test yielded unacceptable reliability coefficients. Internal consistency of the subjectively scored parts was spuriously high due to a halo effect and absence of explicit scoring benchmarks. A moderately high correlation between aural and reading parts was found. One analysis found that examinees who grew up speaking Spanish and spoke it currently in the home performed no better than those lacking these experiences. Content identified for the test was not fully embedded, what was incorporated was being used for the wrong grade levels, and it was skewed toward vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. It is concluded that making valid inferences concerning the language abilities of the examinees based on test scores is difficult, the social consequences of using pass-fail scores are undesirable, and the test is not adequately filling its intended purpose.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Comparative Analysis, Construct Validity, Elementary Secondary Education

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div. (1994). Health Care: School-Based Health Centers Can Expand Access for Children. Report to the Chairman, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives. This report reviews the role of school-based health centers (SBHCs) in expanding children's access to health care, and examines financial and other obstacles SBHCs must overcome. The report is based on a literature review; interviews with officials; and case studies conducted at eight SBHCs in California, New Mexico, and New York. The study found that state, local, and private funds supply most of the financing for centers; several federal programs (primarily Medicaid and the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant program) supplement these funds. SBHCs were found to offer children easier access to needed health services by bringing providers to the children, furnishing free or low-cost services, and supplying the atmosphere of trust and confidentiality adolescents need. SBHCs do not, however, provide all health services required by students and cannot reach adolescents who have dropped out of school. Major concerns for SBHCs include a lack of stable financing, recruitment and retention of appropriately trained nurse practitioners and physician assistants, controversy over providing reproductive health services, and difficulty in obtaining guidance on establishing SBHCs or solving problems at existing centers. Research measuring the impact of SBHCs on health and education outcomes is sparse. An appendix contains descriptions of the SBHCs studied.   [More]  Descriptors: Agency Cooperation, Case Studies, Cooperative Programs, Elementary Secondary Education

Finley, Sandra; And Others (1996). Directory of Science-Rich Resources in the Southwest. This directory is designed for use by science educators in the five-state region served by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL): Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Most of the resources are located in these five states, but national resources that might be of interest have also been included. In this directory, science-rich resources are defined as organizations that offer opportunities to enhance teaching and learning in the science classroom. These opportunities can include teacher workshops, tours for students, free or low-cost print materials, and many other tangibles and intangibles. Some of the science-rich resources listed could provide a scientist with whom a classroom teacher could create a partnership or other long-term association.  The directory does not include teacher resources offered through formal channels such as college and university course offerings, services provided by regional education service centers and state departments of education, or publishers. The directory is organized by state with entries then arranged by category. Categories include the following: aquaria, botanical gardens, and zoos; educational organizations; museums and science centers; nature and environmental centers; professional organizations; state agencies; state-based federal programs; and university affiliates.   [More]  Descriptors: Educational Resources, Elementary Secondary Education, Instructional Materials, Partnerships in Education

Christian, Scott (1997). Exchanging Lives: Middle School Writers Online. This book, which began as a teacher research project, goes inside the Anne Frank Conference, an online literary exchange among middle school students, to examine how the conference experience has fundamentally changed who the students are as writers. The book provides background by discussing the implementation of the Bread Loaf Rural Teachers Network (BLRTN)–a network of teachers from Arizona, Alaska, Vermont, South Carolina, Mississippi, and New Mexico–which grew from the recognition that rural teachers have limited staff development and collaboration opportunities, as compared to teachers in urban areas, and generally lag behind the educational mainstream in terms of technology and equity of funding. The book also sets the stage by "going to" Europe just prior to World War II and presenting various aspects of the historical period. Then, the book looks closely at the writing itself, using a specific taxonomy developed to better understand the new literacy which is emerging. Noting that the writing that emerged was striking in its quality and honesty, the book finds that individual responses to the "Diary of Anne Frank" grew into an online dialogue about growing up, human nature, literature, life, and more. One particular student's experience as a participant in the Anne Frank Conference is recounted in detail in the book. Finally, some of the implications of the online exchange are discussed in terms of the literacy of the students and of the participating teachers.   [More]  Descriptors: Computer Mediated Communication, Intermediate Grades, Junior High Schools, Literature Appreciation

Siegel, Janna; Jausovec, Norbert (1994). Improving Teachers' Attitudes toward Students with Disabilities. A growing movement to place all students with disabilities in the regular classroom, a practice called inclusion, has met with resistance from regular education teachers who would be responsible for educating special needs students. In order for inclusion to be successful, educators have determined that regular education teachers will require inservice training to increase their skills and improve their attitudes. Research on the subject indicates that inservice presentations are most effective in improving attitudes, while infusing information in teacher education coursework is the least effective. In line with this thinking, inservice training consisting of three 2-hour workshops and three days when the researcher was available for consultation with teachers was conducted in a New Mexico school district. The workshops provided an overview of inclusion; focused on modifications for special needs students; and covered collaboration and communication between professionals, families, and the community. Pre- and post-workshop survey data analysis indicated that teachers were receptive to the training and became more positive in their attitudes toward making changes for special needs students. While the teachers continued to resist the concept of full inclusion, they did vote unanimously to expand the inclusion of special education students into regular education homeroom classes for a portion of every school day. The document concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of this research on European countries. An outline of the inservice topics and activities is appended. (Contains approximately 35 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Attitude Change, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Elementary Education, Elementary School Students

Brown, Valerie L., Ed. (1997). Student Disciplinary Issues: A Legal Compendium. Second Edition. This compendium provides an overview of selected codes of student conduct, a selection of annotated legal decisions and important law review articles, and various National Association of College and University Attorney (NACUA) outlines on the issue of student discipline in both academic and nonacademic contexts. Part 1 lists nonacademic codes of student conduct and discipline procedures from Princeton University (New Jersey), California State University, University of Iowa, City University of New York, University of Wisconsin, Colgate University (New York), and the University of New Mexico. Part 2 presents academic codes and policies from the University of Wisconsin, Colgate University (New York), Florida State University, and Rutgers–The State University of New Jersey. Part 3 contains summaries of legal decisions in seven cases from the period 1994-97. Issues include disclosure of student disciplinary records, procedural due process, failure to afford a pre-termination hearing, breach of contractual duty to inform, discrimination in dismissal, and procedural elements in disciplinary dismissal. Part 4 presents selected law review and legal periodicals articles; issues include due process rights in student disciplinary matters, students' rights to counsel, judicial responses to adverse academic decisions, academic honor codes, campus due process and student disciplinary rules, protecting student disciplinary codes from due process challenges, employee and student handbooks, university liability, supervising students (in loco parentis), consensual sexual relations between faculty and students, colleges and student athletes, and case studies of campus ethics. Section 5 offers selected NACUA conference outlines. A list of nine additional sources is included. Descriptors: Athletes, Behavior Standards, Cheating, Civil Liberties

Clark, Mary Jo (1997). Meeting the Need for Improved Skills in the Local Workforce. In an attempt to meet the need for improved skills in the local workforce, San Juan College (New Mexico) made efforts to locate a target population of students and find out how successfully the courses they took met their work needs. A computer search identified a trial population of 513 students who met a set of criteria that suggested they took courses for job skills improvement. Telephone interviews were successfully conducted on 56% of the students to determine their primary reason for taking a course, satisfaction with the course and goal achievement, previous course enrollment to improve job skills, employment information, future enrollment plans, and demographic information. Results indicated that 65% of the interviewed students took vocational courses to improve job skills, with an 84% rate of high satisfaction. Almost all of the students were employed and said their job performance improved as a result of taking the course. Even those not seeking to improve job skills were highly satisfied with the courses, and most respondents plan to continue taking San Juan College courses in the future. Appendices include documentation of study methods, instructions to telephone interviewers, employer questionnaires, and data tables.   [More]  Descriptors: Community Colleges, Course Evaluation, Course Objectives, Education Work Relationship

Beck, Susan E.; Ormand, Brian (1997). Making the Leap to Hyperspace in Distributed Learning. This paper describes the origins and early development of the Institute for Technology Assisted Learning (ITAL) at New Mexico State University, which was established to assist faculty with both resources and training to teach in a distributed learning model. ITAL held seminars for eight faculty during a 3-week period in July 1997 with the expectation that the would be able to develop a distance education course for the 1997-98 academic year. Participants received laptop computers, computer software, and hands-on training in electronic research methods, video and Internet course delivery, World Wide Web publishing, PowerPoint presentations, teaching methods, and the integration of technology into curriculum development. Faculty participant evaluations rated the training sessions as satisfactory to excellent; however, faculty felt that they needed more time to learn about new, technical applications. It is concluded that for a program such as ITAL to be effective, adequate funding is essential. It is also noted that faculty participants need hands-on instruction and practice with all of the new technologies and tools introduced. Five appendixes provide ITAL background materials, program application forms, the program budget, information on library services for distance education students, and participant evaluations.   [More]  Descriptors: Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Software, Curriculum Development, Distance Education

Peshkin, Alan (1997). Places of Memory: Whiteman's Schools and Native American Communities. Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education. "Indian High School" is a nonpublic off-reservation boarding school in New Mexico serving over 400 American Indian students. The large majority of the students come from the 19 Pueblo tribes, whose governors appoint school board members with authority to hire all personnel. The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides funding but acknowledges Pueblo rights to local control. Based on 3 years of qualitative research at Indian High School, this book focuses on the lives of Pueblo adolescents in school and seeks to explain why they achieve only limited academic success, despite the school's relatively abundant resources, its congenial atmosphere for Indian students, the good intentions of school personnel, and the aspirations of parents and students. A central theme in this exploration is the dual-world character of students' lives. At home, Pueblo students learn to place their tribal communities at the center of their loyalty, affect, responsibility, and support. But they attend a school whose origins and rationale are in non-Indian society. It is a school designed for becoming effective in mainstream America, an effectiveness that Pueblo students and their parents accept as requisite for their economic well-being. However, this process of becoming economically effective is problematic and ambiguous for Pueblo students as it often clashes with traditional cultural ideals that are at the heart of Pueblo communities' struggle for cultural survival. Contains 193 references and subject and author indexes. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, American Indian Culture, American Indian Education, Cultural Differences

Hicks, Joy (1994). Special Education in Rural Areas: Validation of Critical Issues by Selected State Directors of Special Education. Final Report. This report summarizes the results of an issue validation activity regarding the provision of special education programs and services to students with disabilities in rural areas. Eight state directors of special education served on a communication panel to provide feedback on identified rural issues. They represented the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Texas, South Dakota, Maine, Utah, and New Mexico. The first section of this report characterizes rural America, with a discussion of definition, defining features, nature of the economy, employment and per capita income, and poverty. The next section identifies the population and characteristics of students with disabilities residing in rural areas. Section 3 describes the project's process in forming the questions and obtaining feedback on rural special education issues identified through a literature review. State directors agreed that the most prevalent issues for this population included the following: (1) recruitment and retention of personnel; (2) transportation; (3) language minority and limited English proficient students; (4) low incomes and poverty; (5) geographic isolation; (6) declining economies including high rates of unemployment; (7) financial burden of unfunded or underfunded state and federal mandates; (8) competing priorities; (9) poor fiscal management; and (10) parent involvement. Additional financial support was the most common recommendation of state directors. (Contains 28 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Administrator Attitudes, Disabilities, Educational Needs, Elementary Secondary Education

Smolkin, Laura B.; Suina, Joseph H. (1994). Rural Reservation/Urban Cross-Cultural Teacher Preparation Program for American Indian and Non-Indian Teacher Trainees. The University of New Mexico's College of Education initiated a two-pronged approach to developing multiculturally competent teachers who would be comfortable working on American Indian reservations. Four groups were recruited. Mentor teachers included American Indian and Euro-American teachers working in rural Pueblo schools and Hispanic and Euro-American teachers working in urban Albuquerque schools. Student teachers included Euro-American students currently attending the university and American Indian students who had dropped out of college due to financial problems and who were offered financial assistance to return. All but one teacher and all students were female. Each of the Euro-American students was matched with an Indian partner. Prior to commencement of student teaching, the mentor teachers met weekly in a graduate course and used an electronic bulletin board system to plan the student teaching experience, which would take place in both Albuquerque and reservation schools. During and after student teaching, both mentor teachers and students spoke of their personal growth in cross-cultural understanding and increased sensitivity to cultural issues in the classroom. The student partners developed close personal relationships that greatly influenced their understanding of the opposite culture. Contains 10 references.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Education, American Indian Reservations, Cooperating Teachers, Cross Cultural Training

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Boulder, CO. (1996). Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West: 1996-1997. Detailed Tuition and Fees Tables. This report presents data on tuition and fees from public 4-year and 2-year institutions in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states. These states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The data include current tuition and fees for resident and non-resident undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The data were collected using a survey mailed to state governing and coordinating board staff in August 1996 and represents data for 1996-97. The report consists of 23 tables of data. Some tables include institution-specific data. Most tables provide comparative statistics for 1986-87, 1991-92, 1995-96 and 1996-97. Tables include average annual percentage change in tuition, average tuition and fees, resident versus non-resident data, and undergraduate versus graduate data. Appended are the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a description of procedures for converting current dollars to constant dollars, and details on the report's methodology. Descriptors: Community Colleges, Educational Finance, Fees, Full Time Students

Herndl, Carl G. (1994). Looking for "Resistance" in All the Wrong Places. Recent rhetorical research in professional writing raises the issue of the absence of discussion of "resistance" in professional and nonacademic writing research. A study of a biologist working at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico suggests that ideological "resistance" occurs even in the realm of technical writing. Further, it confirms what several theorists have argued, namely, that people reappropriate the dominant culture in producing their own alternative cultural expressions. Michel De Certeau argues that because studies in culture and institutional practices have focused on repressive apparatuses, they overlook, or rather they have made invisible, the heterogeneous practices that resist dominant cultures. Agents resist by using the products of the dominant discourse to insinuate heterogeneous positions and values into discourse. In the case of the biologist, she had to frame her observations about how missile tests could affect the environment around two restrictions: (1) the objective ethos, which requires that all data be quantifiable and presentable in the form of bulleted items; and (2) the rule against "intangibles," aesthetic or spiritual observations that are not reducible to technical terms. She resists by occasionally refusing to comply with expectations, but more often she writes the document as she is asked to do but then attaches to it another one worded so as to further her own concerns. Alternatively, she will talk directly and personally to project managers who she senses might be sympathetic to her ecological concerns.    [More]  Descriptors: Discourse Communities, Higher Education, Rhetoric, Rhetorical Invention

Ezekiel, Aaron B. (1995). Leveraging Campus Network Capabilities at the Desktop: Helping Users Get Real Work Done or How Windows Sockets & MacTCP Changed My Life. At the University of New Mexico, stakeholders from the Computer and Information Resources and Technology (CIRT) department, Financial Systems, the Health Sciences Center, and the General Libraries, were involved in deciding on the goals of a project to replace Telnet with a suite of network middleware and productivity software on campus computer systems. Staff from each area assisted in selecting and testing the software. The primary goal was distribution of network productivity software, the initial focus being on tools used daily by most campus network users. CIRT staff, student employees, and staff from collaborating departments joined the team with these responsibilities: select desktop TCP/IP clients, review documentation, assess network performance, design automated installation, assign IP numbers, handle software licensing and distribution, prefigure the TCP/IP client software, and plan a configuration for the Campus Computer Labs. Topics include: (1) service and productivity gains; (2) selection issues; (3) the significant time and ease gains of automated installation; (4) distribution options; (5) the impact of licensing issues on productivity gains; (6) site-specific implementation; (7) testing and integrating supporting software; (8) handling Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) attachments and compressed files; and (9) adding value for users and gauging computer center impact. A description of and manual for Mirada, an integrated collection of Internet tools created to simplify and streamline the use of network services is included.    [More]  Descriptors: Automation, Computer Centers, Computer Interfaces, Computer Networks