In this article, we reviewed and interpreted the evidence from 223 rigorous impact evaluations of educational initiatives conducted in 56 low- and middle-income countries. We considered for inclusion in our review all studies in recent syntheses that have reached seemingly conflicting conclusions about which interventions improve educational…

Although the United States has the best innovation ecosystem in the world, according to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), American students have weak math and science skills compared with those in the rest of the world. Even students at the top tier pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and…

Introduces this topical issue on costs in higher education with an overview of the economics of higher education. Considers various types of supplier costs (opportunity versus accounting costs), various ways of determining costs (cost accounting, statistical estimation, and modeling), and factors that influence supplier costs (environmental…

Never has youth been better educated or more qualified to enter the job market, yet never has youth known such lack of employment. Ramifications of effects of unemployment on youth make unemployment a great values issue of today. Implications presented indicate Canada may be on the verge of social crisis. (Author/BEF)

Literature on access to education in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is reviewed. Policymakers face the choices and issues raised by limited economic resources. Variables are identified that educational policymakers can manipulate to achieve desired outcomes in access and retention levels. The determinants and contextual conditions that support or…

Lists 10 premises affecting the future of teaching, including trends toward teacher shortages, declining entry standards, unattractive salaries and working conditions, and standardized curricula. Presents three scenarios: business-as-usual, two-tiered (permanent senior teacher cadres instructing temporary teachers), and a professional scenario…

The growth in California's student population currently exceeds the peak years of the baby boom generation by more than one million students. This increase, combined with deferred maintenance, has created a strain on the state's educational facilities. An analysis of this predicament is presented in this bulletin. It describes why California needs…

As enrollment declines in the 1980s, school systems and colleges have three options: (1) extend their resources to different populations, such as senior citizens and preschool children; (2) intensify existing programs; or (3) cut back. (JN)

The trend toward increased institutional evaluation in Swedish higher education is examined from several viewpoints: as part of a broad system of policy formation, as a phase in an active process of change, and as an interactive process within a complex institution. (MSE)

Examines factors affecting the organization and expansion of higher education systems in advanced Third World countries. University accountability and autonomy, educational planning, the choice and implementation of curricular specialities, and the adaptation of new institutional models to meet the needs of developing nations are discussed. (AM)

Problems resulting from Australia's recently adopted policy of charging full educational costs to overseas students and actively marketing its institutions in Malaysia are discussed, including the response of foreign governments, educational issues, and the concerns of Australia's faculty. (MSE)

David Riesman's "On Higher Education: The Academic Enterprise in an Era of Rising Student Consumerism" is criticized as evading the real issue of the conflict between traditional, self-serving faculty notions of higher education's purpose and the much-changed demands of the student population. (MSE)

Suggests that the 1980s will see a trend toward lifelong education and a resulting emphasis on educating older people. Identifies four groups of elderly educational consumers based on their interests and needs, and discusses problems inherent in meeting their needs. (Author/JAC)

Nigeria's oil revenues are financing a variety of development projects including those in education. The current plan for the education system is highlighted along with the implications for American higher education. Commentaries by Raymond A. Ehrle, Jenny K. Johnson, and Ezra A. Naughton are included. (JMF)

Weak states such as India and Kenya may seek to maintain or enhance their legitimacy by expanding access to higher education regardless of manpower needs or scarcity of financial resources. Three common strategies are increasing higher education enrollments, maintaining low fees and high subsidies for postsecondary students, and supporting a…