Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

The purpose of the first year's work of a two-year project was to identify education and work program characteristics that are indicators of the normative (work-centered) and personalistic (person-centered) dimensions of eighteen experiential education programs and to determine common characteristics and whether programs can be classified based on…

This paper provides a review of public policies affecting the quality of early childhood services for low-income families, focusing on the federally funded Head Start program, federally supported child care, and preschools operated with state education dollars. The characteristics of high quality programs are defined as including: basic health and…

Focusing on use of the computer as an object of instruction, this paper provides a rationale for teaching computer literacy and explores a variety of definitions for the term. Also discussed are various curriculum approaches that are being developed to teach computer literacy content, which include teaching the content in a separate course and the…

A conceptual framework derived from formal and behavioral theories was used to describe and evaluate a sample of the best developed programs for teaching decision making to adolescents. The internal validity of the programs was evaluated in terms of the adequacy of their coverage of the normatively prescribed steps to good decision making. The…

One of 10 documents developed by the Regional Demonstration Program for Preschool Handicapped Children (New York), the curriculum model is intended to describe the means by which child development theory, empirical research data, and teacher experiential assumptions are integrated into the various phases of the curriculum. Individual sections…

The advent of user-friendly email programs and web browsers created possibilities for widespread use of e-mentoring programs. In this review of the research, we presented the history of e-mentoring programs and defined e-mentoring and structured e-mentoring programs, focusing on large-scale e-mentoring programs that addressed issues of social…

This is a collection of school improvement materials from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NREL) school improvement research series. A topical synthesis, two "close-ups," and four "snapshots" focus on core aspects of early childhood education (ECE) and elementary education. The topical synthesis examines: (1) what…

Discusses the roots, definition, applications, and development of educational technology; educational problems which could be addressed by educational technology; and educational technology applications and reasons for their successes and failures. Guidelines for successful implementation of educational technology programs are outlined. (MBR)

Because critical thinking has become a popular topic among speech communication educators in recent years, this paper reviews the literature on teaching critical thinking skills and discusses its relevance for speech communication instruction. First, the paper briefly sketches the history of the critical thinking movement and describes the…

Man answers a natural call for adventure in many ways including escape into fantasy, vertigo seeking, kinetic euphoria, and by exercising the pioneer spirit. Adventure education can help equip people to satisfy their need for adventure in meaningful, enriching ways. A reaction to unsatisfactory educational milieus, adventure education has emerged…

Written as a practical manual for human service providers at the local level, this guide discusses the interpersonal nature of coordination, gives historical background on the problems of program coordination at the federal level, and provides a detailed checklist for implementing coordination efforts among local agencies. Proposed techniques are…

British environmental education differs somewhat from that of the United States. In the U.S. "environmental education" refers to the teaching of a set of concepts by which one might learn to appreciate, conserve and protect the natural environment. In Great Britain many of the same objectives and procedures of the U.S. system are…

This document introduces community leaders and practitioners to innovative approaches to improving workforce literacy by building accessible lifelong learning systems to prepare adults with the array of skills needed to prosper in the new economy. The introduction defines literacy and workforce literacy and outlines the challenges that education,…