In these comments on the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, Jobs for the Future (JFF) addresses the following issues with WIA: (1) Goal and purpose: JFF advocates for a more explicit commitment to advancement to family-sustaining wages; (2) Mix of services: JFF proposes revisions that…

Education in the United States must change to keep pace with changes in economy. New performance standards and advanced technologies now require of all workers academic basics as well as skills in adaptability, self-management, communication, and social relations. Employers can help schools change, but it is up to school leaders to decide the new…

In an essay honoring "The American School Board Journal's" centennial, Lee Iacocca states that marketing a longer school year as necessary for children to be able to compete in the world might change public opinion. (MLF)

A strategic plan for integrating state human resource, economic development, and job training services is intended to stimulate increased productivity within the U.S. workplace. Long-term solutions to the competitive challenges can be achieved by changing thinking and behavior of organizations. High performance businesses that have achieved…

Presents a description and an evaluation of a formal training program for new catalogers that uses class sessions and a training manual in addition to actual cataloging experience. Appendices provide samples of training materials and the training schedule. (Author/CLB)

A proposal is offered for restructuring the elementary school into two divisions. At the primary level (K-3) the focus would be on acquiring basic skills, while at the upper level (4-6) these skills would be applied to literature, social studies, mathematics, and science. (TE)

This position paper of the Council of Executives of American Residential Schools for the Visually Handicapped calls for stronger emphasis on instruction in literacy skills; individualized selection of the mode of reading, writing, and computing; technical assistance; continuing education; emphasis on literacy skill teaching methodology; and…

This working paper, part of a project on the applicability of the French training system in the United States, argues that a systematic national commitment to midcareer worker retraining is necessary for American prosperity and international economic competitiveness. Although findings of the early human capital theorists demonstrated that an…

A digital divide, a chasm between those with access to technology and training, particularly workplace information technology (IT) skills and those without, threatens the economic prosperity of American workers and America's competitiveness. The most effective way to reduce digital disparities is to improve the education and training of the…

Argues that the failure of modern courses to achieve their declared goals in relation to children's understanding of science has two causes, namely teachers views about the nature of science, and a degree of confusion in the philosophical stance implicit in many science curricula. Presents a philosophical model for curricula. (CW)

A major weakness in the funding base for skill development in Australia arises from a declining investment in training by key stakeholders--employers. Australia is spending less on training and creating fewer high skill jobs than comparable countries and forcing individuals to take greater financial responsibility for their own development. Forces…

Expanding upon a report presented to the International Labor Organization (ILO), this book documents the current world employment situation, including how it has fallen short, how current economic policies interact with world employment, and how improvements can be made. Chapter one, "The Commitment to Full Employment," describes how the…

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE), which represents 65,000 academic staff working in further and higher education (FHE) institutions across the United Kingdom, reviewed the current state of post-16 education and training in the United Kingdom and submitted its views on how the system should be improved.…

This document provides information relevant to the commission's communication on "Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality." Section 2 presents a selection of illustrative examples of lifelong learning in practice throughout Europe, grouped under these same priority areas used in the communication itself: valuing learning;…

The Digital Economic Opportunity Committee (DEOC) was established to examine the information technology (IT) skills gap and make recommendations to eliminate this gap. DEOC believed the appropriate response to this skills gap is two-fold. The first was upgrading existing workers skills through training. The second was expanding the number of…