Nearly thirty years after the Cold War era commission's report titled "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," educators and historians must evaluate its relevance and its contribution to the shifting educational paradigm in the United States.

This paper presents two forms of the Educational Quality Bill of Rights (EQBR). The first is a "one-page version", with a very brief single sentence identification of a key element of quality education in response to each of the key questions about the school (covering standards/learning goals, curriculum, instruction, etc.). The second is a "much…

This is a presentation made by the author to the staff of the members of the United States House of Representatives who are part of the STEM Caucus (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Caucus). The briefing was held in the Rayburn Office Building in Washington, DC on July 27, 2007. Also presenting were Harold Pratt and Dr.…

The processes of learning about and exploring different vocations should begin in elementary school. Elementary school teachers and administrators planning career education must be careful to develop sequential objectives that are achievable, challenging, and tailored to students' interests. Elementary-level career education may emphasize separate…

Research conducted during the Youth Research and Technical Assistance project established that the process of designing effective job training/employment programs for at-risk youth can be framed in terms of the following broad themes: focusing on youth as youth by developing program designs that are appropriate for their age and level of…

This collection comprises five papers that were prepared in response to the recent series of national reports criticizing American secondary education. In "A General Overview," Joel H. Magisos uses previous analyses and syntheses of the recommendations contained in the group of national studies to draw implications for vocational…

There is mounting evidence that the programs and services essential to provide adequately for the educational needs of the nation will necessitate a broader and more demanding education structure than ever before. Specialists in many educational areas were asked to identify the characteristics of educational structure in relation to the…

The objectives, curriculum, and role of higher education and key policy and practice issues were reassessed against the backdrop of recent and predicted demographic, economic, and political changes and trends in Great Britain. Special consideration was given to the fact that "mature" learners now constitute the majority of entrants into…

A Texas State Job Training Coordinating Council task force developed a series of recommendations regarding improving Texas' current employment and training system to prepare the state's residents for the "smart jobs of the future." A formal literature review was conducted, and regional forums were held and attended by a wide range of…

The model currently used to represent the impacts of Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) programs implies a one-way flow of impact from TAFE to student to community. It may be argued that TAFE could better serve its clients by developing a social capital-based, two-way, reciprocal dynamic of vocational education and training (VET)…

This white paper outlines a proposed framework for post-16 learning in England. Chapter 1 discusses the principles underpinning the new policy, which are as follows: investing in learning to benefit everyone; lifting barriers to learning; putting people first; sharing responsibility with employers, employees, and the community; achieving world…

This book examines the socioeconomic foundations of work and vocational education (VE), and is divided into the following 6 parts and 18 chapters: (1) nature of work (a sense of purpose; modernism and the evolution of the technocratic mind; power and the development of the modernist economy; good work, bad work, and the debate over ethical labor);…

The prospects for managing the tension between accountability and improvement in further and higher education (FHE) were examined through a literature review and a 5-year ethnographic study of a change management project at a higher education college in Wales. Special attention was paid to the following challenges facing FHE: globalization; the…

The information explosion and exponential development of information-accessing tools has had a disempowering effect on many people. A major challenge of the information-centered world is for students and teachers alike to learn how to assert responsibility and control over personal practice. Meeting this challenge may require personal…

In 2000, the American Society for Training and Development and the National Governors Association convened the Commission on Technology and Adult Learning. The 31-member commission included representatives of the business, government, and education sectors. They formulated a vision for the future of e-learning in the United States and identified…