Streamlining the vocational qualification development process in Australia is a current priority of the skills ministers of both the Australian Government and state and territory governments. This research summary explores the development processes associated with vocational qualifications in selected countries and compares them with the current…

Chinese visiting professors, as Chinese university educators, are playing both practitioners and conformists in adapting to Western teaching perspectives and pedagogies while maintaining Chinese teaching beliefs. This study attempts to understand the international university experiences (Canada) of Chinese visiting professors. Arguably, Chinese…

This project is focused on the second element noted by the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) to streamline the national vocational education and training (VET) system so that it can better respond to the needs of industry -- faster development of qualifications. It looks at the vocational qualification development processes in different…

This report illustrates how four high-performing systems--British Columbia (Canada), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China) and Singapore--developed their teacher professional learning. The report and accompanying materials are designed as a resource for teachers, school leaders and policymakers wanting to improve teacher professional learning in their…

The evaluation strategy adopted by a rural Ontario (Canada) community health center is described, focusing on problems caused by multiple programs, variable and culturally diverse client base, and nontraditional approaches to health and wellness. The evaluation attempted to give a broad picture of the center's dynamics, processes, and efficacy.…

In hoping for a brighter future of self-government and self-determination, Canadian Aboriginal communities have placed great hopes and expectations on their youth. The complexity and uniqueness of career-related issues pose a formidable challenge in the development of career counseling programs for Aboriginal youth. This digest describes the…

This paper discusses the context of indigenous language education in western Canada, the hope of language revitalization, and the role of the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute (CILLDI) in reclaiming and stabilizing these languages. CILLDI was established in 1999 by a collective of language advocates and educators who…

The French-speaking population of Quebec constitutes a small, isolated island in the midst of an English-speaking world. The cultural survival of its six to seven million inhabitants depends upon the quality of its educational system. In the last few years, however, the balance of this system has been upset by a number of factors and the…

Archaeology provided knowledge of cultural background, understanding of scientific processes, and a common interest for Whites and Cree Indians in a teacher education program in Oxford House, Manitoba. As such, archaeology is a partial solution to providing a success-oriented education system for American Indians. (SB)

Defining Native studies programs in Canada and the U.S., this essay presents: (1) Rationale for Native Studies (recognition on the part of the majority of cultural differences; the emergence of an affirmative Native identity; and declining enrollments in colleges); (2) Structural Organization Alternatives (as part of an existing department; as an…

The following papers from a conference on the dimensions of literacy in a multicultural society are included in this volume: "Literacy: Affirmation and Empowerment in a Multicultural Society" (Simms); "Literacy, Border Pedagogy, and Multiculturalism in the Aftermath of the Los Angeles Uprising" (Giroux); "Alphabetisme et…

This volume presents articles and information to support and improve literacy practices in schools, the community, and the workplace. Selected article titles are as follows: "Reaching Learners Where They Are" (Linda Shohet); "The Learners' Wall: Experiences in the Health Care System"; "In-Sites: A Study in Workforce…