Suchergebnisse

The deaf education profession faces a critical juncture. First, the 2006 leadership crisis that swept deaf education's flagship institution—Gallaudet University—will propel professionals to think deeply about promoting diversity, equity, and access in deaf education teacher and leadership preparation programs. Second, personnel shortages require attention: Teacher and leadership voids in university and K–12 programs loom if training efforts are not increased. Teaching and leadership needs center on three challenges: (a) understanding the changing demographic composition of the student, teacher, and leadership populations; (b) developing an evolving curriculum founded on research-based practices; (c) continuing to enlarge the knowledge base through applied research in the social sciences. Two case studies examine teacher training and leadership programs at universities that address these challenges. The importance of workplace deaf-hearing bicultural teams is examined. Implications for the preparation of teacher and leadership personnel in deaf education are discussed.

Although citizen-initiated contacting of municipal bureaucrats has been the subject of extensive research over the past quarter century, there had been relatively little research on the contacting of municipal elected officials or on why citizens might contact elected officials instead of appointed administrators. This research explores that question by using survey data on citizen-initiated contacts with various elected officials & appointed administrators in Atlanta, GA. The findings suggest a several-part answer: First, citizens -- in Atlanta, anyway -- usually prefer to contact city departments directly rather than through their elected officials, presumably because most contacts involve concerns about municipal services that a department must eventually address. Second, citizens contact both departments & elected officials for many of the same reasons; the most prominent reason is perceived problems with services. Third, the contacting of elected officials appears to be influenced by frustration with the bureaucracy (ie, not knowing who to contact there). We conclude this article with a discussion of the possible implications of the findings for public administrators. 5 Tables, 13 References. Adapted from the source document.

Regime changes occur at two levels, the macro and the micro. In Eastern Europe there has been holistic change at the regime level, but at the micro level individuals can differ in their reactions, some favouring the new and some preferring the old regime, thus creating aggregates of supporters and opponents of the new regime. Combining reactions to the old and new regimes results in a typology of democrats, reactionaries, sceptics and the compliant. Nationwide surveys in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania show that democrats overall are a bare majority of the respondents. If current divisions persist, then East Europeans will be politically polarized. Statistical tests of the influence of social structure and economic attitudes upon individual responses to regime change emphasize the importance of sociotropic economic assessments. But the data also show that most who do not currently support the pluralist regime expect to do so in the foreseeable future; they are laggards rather than anti-democrats. Moreover, the level of future support is so high that it is likely to be proof against fluctuations in the economic conditions of the new regimes.