Discusses the roles played by participants and the processes involved in a provincial standards-setting exercise for a large-scale assessment of student skills. Offers perspectives of a policy maker outside the exercise and an insider participant. Describes alternate notions of representativeness, stakes, and significance. (SLD)

The Alberta goverment has attempted to systematically address educational computing issues through programs of the provincial (K-12) education department (Alberta Education), which have included the development of computer literacy curricula for elementary, junior, and senior high schools; the Computer Technology Project (CTP); evaluation studies;…

The process of developing the curriculum and determining educational policy in the schools of the state of Victoria, Australia, has shifted in recent years from being a function of the state bureaucracy to being a matter for collaborative decision-making among parents, students, teachers, administrators, and others involved in education. To ensure…

There was a major change in Canadian student aid in the late 1990s, due largely to a package of measures adopted by the Government Canada as part of its "Canada Opportunities Strategy". At the time, what aroused the most comment was the creation in 1998 of the $2.5 billion Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (Foundation). But while…

In fall 1996, the British Columbia Ministry of Education, Skills and Training released a strategic plan calling for the development of block transfer agreements between institutions to eliminate the time-consuming process of course-by-course credit assessment. Currently, institutions conduct independent evaluations of elements of an incoming…

The Manitoba Task Force on Literacy conducted public hearings to determine the root causes of illiteracy in the province and to make recommendations for programs to help adults become literate. The Task Force was especially solicitous of the opinions of learners--illiterate people who are now participating in literacy education programs. Some of…

These 28 recommendations are intended to enhance government's ability to play a positive and supportive role in the development of a range of pathways for the learner that can result in literacy for all Manitobans. A foreword provides background on the Task Force on Literacy and presents its definition of literacy and illiteracy, findings…

The principal aim of Australia's Distance Learning for Inservice Teacher Education (DLITE) Project has been to develop a proposal and knowledge base for the development of a cooperative national policy for the application of distance learning to inservice teacher education in Australia. This report provides background information on the state of…

This directory was prepared to foster the mutually supportive relationships among the Productivity and Quality of Working Life Centers in the United States. It was also designed to be of value to innovative managers in the public and private sectors by making readily available sources of information on the various aspects of productivity and…

This book discusses the evolution of workfare policies in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Chapter 1 defines the term "workfare" and examines the concepts of transnationalizing workfare and workfarist labor regulation. Chapter 2 establishes workfare's theoretical context and explores the relationship between welfare…

These three publications examine the current state and future of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta, Canada. The "Current Context" publication, released in October 1996, examines the following topics: the structure of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta; enrollment and industry participation; Alberta's…

This document traces the development of Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) system, which offers a wide range of courses providing education and training for employment at the operative, trade, and paraprofessional levels, as well as general education and literacy programs. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) general…

This document contains the first two volumes of a three-volume annual national report on Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system. Volume 1, which constitutes approximately 30% of the document, details progress in achieving the following national priorities: (1) a quality national training system that provides value for money…