International educational benchmarks make disappointing reading for Americans, but they also indicate a way forward. PISA results show strong performance is possible. Whether in Japan, Korea, Finland or Canada, many countries display strong overall performance and show socioeconomic background doesn't determine results. Some countries show that…

After four months of public hearings, the MacDonald Commission established to look into Canada's future is now preparing its interim report. The 220,000-member Canadian Teachers' Federation has submitted a four-point proposal to the commission calling for a reaffirmation of the overriding importance of education. (JBM)

Like the United States, Great Britain has had problems with school-to-work transitions. Britain's experience with the Youth Training Scheme shows that youth apprenticeship programs can be created almost immediately if the right incentives are offered. The challenge is meshing higher-level job skills and standards with employers' quest for…

By using group activities for learning, cooperative student effort for school events, and peer pressure for classroom discipline, Japanese teachers involve and empower their students. While American students feel that classrooms are teachers' sacred ground, Japanese students appropriate them as their rightful community. Instead of stressing…

Americans tend to associate "vocational education" with narrow training for marginal students. After years of valuing abstract learning over applied academics, theorists are realizing many students learn better in applied settings. To reverse low productivity, raise living standards, and compete successfully in export market, we must…

A Japanese editorial in an English-language daily harshly criticized Japanese education's failure to enhance students' spirit of independence; develop critical and artistic thinking skills; and promote social awareness and an international viewpoint. The United States finished fourth out of 60 in the (unpublicized) International Math Olympiad.…

Provides background information on and results of two Canadian task force reports, one on labor market development in the 1980s and the other on federal-provincial fiscal arrangements. (WD)

Privatization in disintermediated nations wears a different face. Canada's once-sovereign powers are being offered up to economic blocs (particularly the Asian Pacific Economic Community), the equivalent of corporate headquarters. Canadians are swept downstream in the global race to work cheaper and expect less, a transformation requiring schools'…

Observing that there is no shortage of work to be done, but rather a shortage of employment, this essay analyzes aspects of youth unemployment in Europe including school effectiveness; alienation and the work ethic; remedies, which include European Community's "social guarantee"; and some considerations for future change. (MJL)

The U.S. and the Soviet Union face serious problems in trying to reform their education systems. Both countries need to prepare students for productive participation in the world economy, while also addressing significant internal priorities (minority group needs, educator demands as professionals, and changes in educational technology). Includes…