There is much to welcome in Doug Richard's independent report on the future of apprenticeships. The Richard review offers proposals for redefining and improving the quality of apprenticeships, and for focusing them more on the needs of employers. But will the proposals work, if adopted, and what will be the impact on adults? For this article, the…

This article uses curriculum-making frameworks to analyse and reconstruct the Chinese curriculum-making model and unpack the dynamics, complexity and constraints of China's curriculum reform since the early 1990s. It argues that curriculum reform is China's main human capital development strategy for coping with the challenges of the 21st century,…

The nation's next President will face a host of challenges, among them the economy, health care, an aging population, energy, the environment, and security at home and aboard. In this open letter, the leaders of higher education coordinating and governing boards across the country urge the 2012 presidential candidates to make improving the…

A staggering achievement gap exists between minority and white students in America. The gap is unjust, and it is constraining the country economically, socially, and politically. Intense political pressures, labor contracts, and other forces prevent urban superintendents from closing those gaps. However, partnerships with high-performing charter…

The purpose of this article is to explore Microsoft Corporation as a new international actor shaping educational reforms and practices. This study examines how the implementation of Microsoft's global Partners in Learning (PiL) program varied and was mediated by national politics and national institutional practices in two different contexts,…

The Department of Defense (DOD), which includes the military services, selects mid- to upper-career-level military officers to participate in fellowship and training-with-industry programs conducted at non-DOD organizations such as universities, think tanks, private corporations, federal agencies, and Congress. For some fellowships, the military…

In 2010, unprecedented levels of resources began to flow through state education agencies (SEAs) to support dramatic change in persistently low-performing schools under the expanded federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. The challenge for states is to leverage the federal investment to drive dramatic and sustainable change efforts in…

More than 200 educators and child advocates from around the country issued a "call to action" during a historic national forum in late March, mobilizing in Washington to develop policies that will link ready kids to ready schools and set America's youngest learners on a path to lifelong achievement. The two-day event in late…

The first-ever U. S. Department of Education summit on sustainability, "Sustainability Education Summit: Citizenship and Pathways for a Green Economy," was held on Sept. 20-21, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The Sustainability Education Summit (the Summit) brought together leaders from higher education, business and industry, labor,…

When Palmdale School District and Pivot Learning Partners entered into their first contract in 2006, neither organization foresaw the magnitude and complexity the relationship would take over time. Pivot Learning Partners (formerly known as Springboard Schools) is a non-profit service provider that first entered the Palmdale School District…

It is fair to state that, until relatively recently, the British Armed Forces believed that they led the way in leadership development and training, and with some justification. However, the present New Labour administration and the Ministry of Defence "MoD" do not share that view, and have issued a direct challenge to the Armed Services…

This document presents the British government's response to the report "Learning Works," which was written by a committee charged with identifying ways of engaging individuals who have traditionally not taken advantage of educational opportunities. Chapter 1 outlines the following steps that the government proposes to take to promote…

Humanities departments at higher education (HE) institutions throughout the United Kingdom must determine what business expects of the humanities, devise strategies to improve understanding of the objectives and contribution of HE in the humanities, and develop language and standards that will enable members of the academic and business…

Research has confirmed that few U.S. employers see schools as effective partners in their search for skilled workers. The growing disconnection between the nation's schools and business sector is threatening to undermine the educational quality of the U.S. work force. Educators and businesses must, therefore, join forces to develop initiatives…

The National Institute for Literacy's Equipped for the Future initiative was undertaken to achieve customer-driven, standards-based reform of adult literacy and lifelong learning through a broad, national consensus-building process. The initiative's six stages are as follows: (1) build consensus on the knowledge and skills adults need to fulfill…