The shift toward standardized testing has failed to result in a meaningful reduction of high school dropout rates, and students with disabilities continue to be marginalized by the culture of testing in public education (Dynarski et al., 2008). With that said, the needs of students with specific educational challenges are diverse and complex, and the solutions to their needs are not revealed in the results of standardized testing (Crawford &

Pre-Course Program for Entry-Level Online Adult Students Distance education is one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing segments of college and graduate level education. Many educational institutions with long histories of traditional classroom-based learning opportunities are expanding their programs to include distance-based learning via the Internet. In fact, many colleges and universities have invested heavily in their distance education programs. Courses for distance learners are offered in an array of

This view is reflected in increasing calls for financial equity among schools, desegregation, mainstreaming, and standardized testing for teachers and students alike; it has been maintained that by providing the same education to all students, schools can equalize social opportunity (Bowman, 1994). This latter position is typically followed up with the use of a particular curriculum designed to support the approach. In this regard, Bowman suggests that, "Knowledge is thought

Persistence (also called retention) is defined as remaining enrolled in the institution, presumably until degree attainment or completion. Online courses can help students achieve this, because they provide options for learning that were previously not available to them (Drennan, Kennedy, & Pisarski, 2005). Satisfying and rewarding interactions with the formal and informal academic and social systems of the institution lead to greater integration and persistence (Tinto, 1975). However, teachers of

(Feldman & Greenberg, 2005, p. 67) Staffing coordinators, often nurse leaders must seek to give priority to educational needs as a reason for adjusting and/or making schedules for staff, including offering incentives to staff not currently seeking educational goals for assisting in this priority regardless of the implementation of a tuition reimbursement program. (Feldman & Greenberg, 2005, p. 233) Nurse Leaders as Academic Theorists The fact that many nurse leaders serve

The reality of flexible learning is that the structure of the educational experience is not there, and people can feel as though they are losing out when that is the case. They do lose out in some ways, because learning the traditional way is far different from online learning. Both have their inherent advantages and disadvantages, and the reality is probably much more convoluted and difficult to accept than the