This document outlines the major features and achievements of the Australian vocational education and training system in 1996 and provides some illustrative examples of specific initiatives undertaken by states, territories, and the Commonwealth. Among the major achievements detailed in the report are the following: (1) for students--35,000 more…

This paper describes the processes that one school district, the Visalia Unified School District (California), went through in establishing a standards-based assessment and accountability system using multiple methods. First the district's standards-based assessment and accountability system and the methods used to establish it are described, and…

This handbook describes extended-day programs in Alabama schools as an alternative for after-school care. The handbook defines extended-day programs and discusses their rationale and benefits. It further discusses: (1) staffing, including employee procedures and job description; (2) enrollment, including registration procedures, and parent and…

This handbook describes an innovative instructional/innovation model (implemented in an urban school district in the southwestern United States) that represents a promising approach to the education of language minority students. School personnel, parents, and educational planners may use the handbook to assess the appropriateness of the…

This paper discusses the increasing interest in quality assurance in British education including its measurement and management through the introduction of a quality assurance system. The reasons and benefits of beginning a quality assurance system are discussed, and questions of what constitutes quality, whether it is quality in fact…

This paper describes Project TRAIN (Training Rural Area Interventionists to meet Needs), a federally-funded competency-based program that provides graduate-level preservice training for early intervention professionals interested in working with special-need infants, toddlers, and their families. In the third year of the program 19 trainees have…

This report describes procedures for effective development and implementation of workplace literacy programs based on the experience of a partnership among Alabama Southern Community College (Monroeville, Alabama), Boise Cascade (Jackson, Alabama), and Vanity Fair (Monroeville, Alabama). The introductory summary describes the voluntary,…

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze Oregon's efforts to provide equal access to education, training, and information services to its citizens using advanced communication technologies through ED-NET, an innovative state agency for distance learning. It is noted that creation of ED-NET in 1989 required the coordination of multiple…

In 1989, the president of Lamar Community College (LCC) in Colorado, together with 14 classified, faculty, and administrative staff, attended a workshop on educational quality at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in an effort to begin implementing a Total Quality Management process at LCC. Following the workshop, attendees from LCC organized the…

This paper describes the implementation of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), a systemwide reform that calls for curriculum change at senior secondary levels in Victoria (Australia). The system is required to reorganize and develop new organizational structures with full knowledge and assessment of the status, organizational health, and…

The Northeast Texas Workplace Partnership Program developed curriculum and training materials based on the literacy requirements of the workplace for two different industries in northeast Texas--Lone Star Steel Company and Pilgrim's Pride Industries. Three advisory committees were established to involve the community, education, and business and…

A multi-dimensional training program is being implemented in Pennsylvania to improve the quality of early childhood and child care programs. Training opportunities are provided for early childhood program and day care center staff, group and family home day care providers, and unregulated child care providers. The overall training plan is designed…

This annual report on vocational-technical education in Idaho is organized around five goals for the system that are part of a 5-year strategic plan. The report highlights exemplary programs, support groups, and student organizations that provide high quality educational experiences to the students they serve. The following goal-directed…

The major negative factor to the full integration of televised instruction into the educational system has always been cost, either because of the initial investment or the time required to develop courseware. Resistance to change has always been and continues to be the greatest barrier to the use of all technologies in education. Countless…

This combination project report/resource guide describes the Milwaukee Nontraditional Employment Training (NET) Project, launched in 1991 to improve access to nontraditional training (NTT) and well-paid jobs for women through the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) system. Milwaukee NET has helped JTPA administrators and program providers make the…