Demographic and social changes, increasing economic interdependence, and educational reform movements are causing major changes in vocational education. Essential work force skills and the standards to account for their achievement are being debated. The 1980s'"Excellence Movement" focused on strengthening academic requirements,…

Labor studies are often not included or underemphasized in the elementary and secondary school curricula. This ERIC Digest examines major themes of labor studies; inclusion of these themes in the curriculum; likely positive outcomes of labor studies in the curriculum; and available resources for teachers and students. Key historical events, the…

The most significant factors affecting the labor market during the 1980s were the United States' loss of competitiveness in the world marketplace, continued shifts in production from goods to services, changes in the skill requirements of many jobs, and demographic shifts in the population. During the next decade, incompatibility between the type…

The globalization of work and continuing advances in technology are changing the nature of the work force. Blue-collar workers are being replaced by information specialists who are sometimes called "knowledge workers." Knowledge workers are workers who can think, work with ideas, and use information to solve problems and make decisions. In terms…

This monograph describes the job-related basic skills requirements of the work force and explores ways of developing and improving the reading, writing, and computational abilities of workers. The paper first examines trends that are influencing the demand for basic skills, such as the decline in youth population and the increase in service and…

During the last years of this century, the work force will grow more slowly, becoming older, more female, and more disadvantaged. An increasing number of minority groups and immigrants will enter the work force. Despite public demands for reform, education lags behind in preparing youth for employment. The changing work force has many implications…

The directory lists sources of information regarding the education of handicapped and gifted children. Title, address, contact name, phone number, and brief descriptions are given for sources in the following areas: general information; statistical/incidence/demographic; training and manpower; curriculum; child use instructional materials and…

This compilation of four papers examines past and current retirement policies for the elderly and the implications of these policies for labor supply job choice, and educational planning for the elderly. The first paper, by Jennifer Warlick, presents a review of past federal policies on retirement and a discussion of proposed policy changes.…

This spring 2002 issue of New Directions for Community Colleges reviews recent research on topics of importance to two-year colleges and identifies challenges and practical solutions. The 10 chapters include the following: (1) "Literature on Community Colleges: An Overview" (Trudy H. Bers and Harriott D. Calhoun); (2) "Transfer Rates: A…