In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education released its now famous report, "A Nation at Risk," which warned of "a rising tide of mediocrity" in American schooling. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education but largely written by a group of prominent academics, "A Nation at Risk" invoked a crisis…

This article presents a discourse analysis of President Barack Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address. Fredric Jameson's concepts of cognitive mapping, cultural revolution, and the unconscious are employed to examine the president's vision of educational and economic transformation. Ultimately, it is argued this vision evokes a world in which…

In the coming decade, three major developments will become important factors for change in vocational education. These are changes in the demographic profile and retirement practices, regional shifts in economic activity and in employment, and renewal of the industrial sector as a key ingredient in economic growth. Because of inflation, greater…

If Europe is to remain at the driving edge, economic and political progress must be complemented by offering a "European vision" to Europe's young people. All young Europeans must be guaranteed access to education and training culminating in acquisition of a foundation of recognized basic knowledge and skills and access to guidance and…

This document contains information about the first four international conferences on adult education and their political, social, and educational contexts. The document presents chronological summaries of key events that occurred in the political, social, and educational spheres in each of the years from 1945 through 1997. The discussions of each…

This document contains nine papers about and from an international roundtable on the training of teachers in technical and vocational education. The first paper, a Final Report of the "International Round Table on Training of Teachers in Technical and Vocational Education (Curitiba, Brazil, 7-10 April 1997)," examines the following:…

During the past 5 years, groundbreaking studies of adult literacy and literacy education have been conducted that can help policymakers and practitioners shape the next generation of adult literacy work in the United States. Among the topics examined in those studies were the following: relationship between literacy and economic well-being;…

The New York State Board of Regents conducted a formal review of the long-range goals and policy directions for vocational rehabilitative services to disabled youth and adults in New York. The first phase of the review consisted of an examination of major pieces of vocational and special education legislation, current federal and state economic…

This document contains 18 policy, synthesis, and analysis papers and foreign experts' contributions examining the following topics: challenges facing vocational education and training (VET) in the Czech Republic; the main aims and strategies of reforming the country's VET system; the role of VET in transforming the republic into a learning society…