Recommendations are presented for dealing with difficult students and the questions they ask during classroom discussions. Brief ideas are provided for handling argumentative individuals, long-winded questioners, and questions for which the instructor does not have a good answer. A discussion of curved or loaded questions (pseudoquestions)…

Projects supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) have a very high survival ratio after the grant has ended. The reason for this success seems to lie in the structure and principles of FIPSE. These principles (which can be adopted as guidelines in the creation of other innovation funds) include allowing maximum…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper reviews data sources for objective evaluation of vocational education, including the need for such information and the problems associated with its use. First, a list is given of thirty-five data elements necessary to evaluate a skill training problem at the secondary,…

This consensus statement was the result of a conference on school-to-work transition for youths with disabilities which brought together service providers, consumers, family members, researchers, and others. Consensus was reached on several principles, organized around six broad areas: (1) what school-to-work transition for this population is and…

The umbrella associations from all 12 member states of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) approved a Joint Opinion on Education and Training that lays down a series of principles important for the development of future European Community vocational training policy. A document was issued as a follow-up to an…

Based on technical assistance materials prepared for Project ASSERT (Activity to Support the Strengthening of Education through Retired Technicians), this handbook is designed to provide colleges wishing to implement a retiree's volunteer program with guidelines and information. The material is organized into eight major components: determine…

This bulletin contains materials--announcements, papers, and studies--that are concerned with youth policy issues and that focus on education and training. The first section, entitled QUIDNUNC, offers brief descriptions of projects of interest, reports on inquiries and reviews, and announces recent appointments. The second section on aspects…

This yearbook deals with the dynamics of creative individual and collective leadership and the ways in which industrial arts educators can apply them to improve their professional services. The first two papers examine the ideals of leadership as well as the individual's function and the history and development of leadership. Examined next are the…

The 1998 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was the first federal legislation to contain a "charitable choice" provision allowing faith-based organizations (FBOs) to compete for state and federal government funds on the same basis as secular providers. For FBOs that consider pursuit of government…

This newsletter contains two articles dealing with the changing shape of corporations. The article "Trends in Business Culture" argues that Wal-Mart's emergence as the largest corporation in the United States reflects the larger economic shift in the U.S. economy from production of goods to provision of abstract goods such as services…

Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs) are incorporated organizations and groups whose mission is to facilitate local partnerships for the purpose of improving young people's education and training outcomes in Australia. LLENs are supported by grants from Australia's Department of Education and Training. Of the 31 LLENs currently existing…

This document presents information on the U.S. Department of Labor's activities in the following topics areas: developing a skilled workforce; keeping workers safe; building workforce security; and connecting workers with jobs. The following items are included: (1) a discussion by the president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems, Inc.,…

This document contains three articles on teaching the growing population of nontraditional students. "The Changing Demographics of the Classroom" defines "nontraditional students"; reviews the characteristics, risk factors, and special needs of nontraditional students; and identifies the following services as particularly important to…