Describes a study of 300 college and university basic skills programs conducted to obtain information on organization, skills emphasis, placement and exit criteria, staff training and professional development, effective teacher qualities, and relationships with other college programs and services. Summarizes site visit and survey findings…

Drawing from an extensive literature review and interviews with faculty and administrators in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), this study report examines successful practices in basic skills instruction in community colleges. After providing background on the importance of basic skills programs in light of the increasing number…

The Army's Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) was studied to consider whether it was properly designed to determine the basic skills needed in Army jobs and to be effectively implemented. Information and reports on BSEP were reviewed, and three major commands were selected for evaluation. In designing the program, the Army did not identify the…

This program operates on the assumption that exposure of 3- and 4-year-old children to a structured basic skills oriented program with continuity will substantially increase the contributions of school-related factors to educational achievement and adjustments, and to a large extent erase the gap between less advantaged children and their more…

The work performed by New Jersey's Minimum Basic Skills Advisory Committee in studying the state's remedial programs is described. The committee's findings are summarized, as are its recommendations for enhancing program effectiveness. Descriptions of data collection activities involve interviews with representative school districts, major…

Little is known about the costs of setting up and implementing legislated minimal competency testing (MCT). To estimate the financial obstacles which lie between the idea and its implementation, MCT requirements are viewed from two perspectives. The first, government regulation, views legislated minimal competency requirements as an attempt by the…

A summary of an in-depth study of the training component of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), this volume consists of a series of findings and recommendations emerging from a national survey of 476 CETA prime sponsors. It provides a comprehensive review of CETA training based on the analysis of longitudinal data on the quality,…

Washington Works is a nonprofit organization founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1992 to help low-income women improve their lives and the lives of their children by teaching them to think differently about themselves. The program offered courses in personal effectiveness training, basic skills training, office skills development, and job search…

Alberta Learning was created in May 1999 to enhance the focus of the government of Alberta, Canada, on lifelong learning and equipping all Albertans with the information and skills needed to live and work in the information age. During its first year of operation, Alberta Learning focused on its core businesses of basic learning, adult learning,…