The challenge of producing the systemic changes that are needed to boost educational attainment and economic competitiveness across the country falls heavily on entities that coordinate public postsecondary institutions. Coordination of postsecondary education, whether of a single system of institutions or across an entire state, requires…

A first glance at almost any policy document generated by a bilateral or multilateral donor agency reveals a familiar rhetoric of participation, partnership, community, good governance, growth and strong democracy as key ingredients for a successful development program. While some critics of this rhetoric argue that this is merely a recasting of…

The major purpose of this descriptive report is to provide an overview of the structure, capacity, and roles of educational service agencies (ESAs) across five states--Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin--in the Great Lakes region, within the context of the broader statewide systems of support for educational improvement and progress.…

This is the first paper from a project which is part of the Economic and Social Research Council's programme of research into "Teaching and learning". The project, entitled "The impact of policy on learning and inclusion in the new learning and skills sector", explores what impact the efforts to create a single learning and…

A discussion of language policy in Australia chronicles the history and context of policy formation and looks at the role of the National Languages and Literacy Institute. The paper first examines the phases and processes of both explicit and unofficial policy-making on language issues in Australia, highlighting the role that language…

Describes a study that analyzed the distance-learning policies and guidelines for six regional accrediting agencies. Found that most agencies are studying how to address distance learning. Argues for the elimination of accreditation differences between on-campus and distance learning in community colleges. (10 citations) (JDI)

The Reading First program was designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade develop stronger reading skills. This report examines the implementation of the Reading First program, including: (1) changes that have occurred to reading instruction; (2) criteria states have used to award sub-grants to districts, and the difficulties, if…

Six Indian Education Technical Assistance Centers (IETACs) provide technical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native education programs funded by Title V grants from the Office of Indian Education (OIE). This study examines the services provided by the IETACs and identifies factors that influence their effectiveness. Data were collected…

The report outlines the national need for bilingual education by providing estimates of the target group (distribution and characteristics of the language-minority, limited-English-speaking population), describes the need for bilingual education among native American and Alaskan native students and in Puerto Rico, and examines the need for…

A study analyzed the operations of state education agencies (SEAs) as they promote and develop the concept of community education (CE) in their respective states and assessed the impact of federal support on the capabilities of SEAs to develop their capacities in the community education area. Data were collected from 1001 respondents from the…

A study analyzed the operation of state education agencies (SEAs) as they promote and develop the concept of community education (CE) in their respective states and assessed the impact of federal support on the capabilities of SEAs to develop their capacities in the community education area. Data were collected from 1001 respondents from the fifty…

The study described here was undertaken to develop a comprehensive description of corrections education programs in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) and to make recommendations regarding their purposes and operations including their relation to other Federal corrections programs. Presentation is in five sections: An overview…

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), schools districts, and institutions of higher education have initiated a number of efforts to improve teacher quality and professional development. The first section of this report highlights the recommendations of leading commissions and reports released in the past ten years pertaining to…

In September 1998, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) established a 1-year task force to review the NCES's role concerning lifelong learning. The eight-member task force established a working definition of lifelong learning ("a process or system through which individuals are able and willing to learn at all stages of life,…

This document contains 15 papers from a conference on preparing youth for the 21st century that was organized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The following papers are included: "Giving Young People a Good Start: The Experience of OECD Countries" (Norman Bowers,…