Opportunity And Challenge

This book provides a critical analysis of the most significant developments in the college systems in every province and territory since 1895. With contributions by leading scholars, it addresses such topics as leadership, entrepreneurship, new forms of organization, accountability, instructional methodology, the emergence of a college culture, and education of First Nations students. Key questions are explored. How are differences in collective and individual interests to be managed? How can social, economic, and demographic realities be taken into account in managing the 'intangible capital' of education? What are the best ways of ensuring opportunities for education, training, flexibility, and varied access and mobility within higher education systems?

The adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2010 was a turning point in the history of behavioral health for children and adolescents in the United States. The ACA requires most health insurance plans to conduct behavioral health assessments for children, as well as depression screening for adults. Looking ahead, however, questions have been raised about how to promote children's behavioral health, how to make use of innovations, and how to sustain funding over time. To respond to these questions, the Forum on Promoting Children's Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in Washington, D.C., on April 1-2, 2015. The workshop focused on how recent reforms in health care provide new opportunities to promote children's cognitive, affective, and behavioral health. It also assessed behavioral health needs of all children, including those with special physical or behavioral health conditions, and programs that support families.This report summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

Leaders are no strangers to challenges; in recent years, businesses have experienced unprecedented layoffs, dismal sales, dwindling retirement accounts, and the bankruptcy of once-heralded institutions. While these uncertain times are difficult, they also provide the opportunity for great leadership. Over three decades of research, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, the bestselling authors of The Leadership Challenge, have asked thousands of leaders to describe their personal leadership best. Across the board, people say their greatest moments arise out of the most difficult periods of their careers. Turning Adversity Into Opportunity reveals how leaders at any level can transform difficult circumstances into opportunities for growth and success. Kouzes and Posner offer a clear set of six actionable strategies, showing how extraordinary leaders navigate through uncertainty, hardship, disruption, transformation, transition, recovery, new beginnings, and other significant challenges. Exemplary leadership disrupts the status quo, and Kouzes and Posner show how to awaken and pursue new possibilities and opportunities, no matter what the circumstances. Wherever you find yourself in your organization or community, Turning Adversity Into Opportunity will help you embrace the chance within any challenge to make a real difference.

This report examines the operational and educational changes that school administrators attribute to charter schools. It is part of the U.S. Department of Education's 4-year study to document and analyze the charter-school movement. The study asked two questions: What changes have districts made in district operations and district education that can be attributed to charter schools? and Under what conditions do charter schools affect change in district operations and district education? To answer these questions, researchers conducted in-depth site visits in 14 school districts and interviewed by telephone administrators in 35 other districts. The results indicate that every district in the study reported being affected by charter schools and, accordingly, had made operational changes. Nearly half of the district leaders believed that their diminished budgets were attributable to charter schools and had begun tracking the number of students who attended these schools. Likewise, almost half of these leaders reported becoming more customer-service oriented, increasing their marketing and public-relations efforts, or heightening their frequency of communication with parents. Most districts also implemented new educational programs, made changes in educational structures in district schools, and/or created new schools with programs that were similar to those in the local charter schools. (Contains 20 references.) (RJM)