In today's volatile economy, we can no longer afford to underinvest in America's opportunity youth. The costs of ignoring these young people, who are disconnected from education and out of work, are too high and growing. Building skills and gaining work experience are key to young people's upward mobility, but the pandemic has all but shut off…

Members of the American Vocational Association and the American Association of Junior Colleges along with Congressional and Department of Health, Education, and Welfare staff members and resource persons, attended a 3-day seminar to probe national policy and federal programs as they affect occupational education. Seminar activities included major…

This paper describes activities of Canada's Secretary of State (the ministry responsible for the status of disabled persons) toward ensuring equal access to fundamental elements of daily life. These include improving access to postsecondary education through establishment of Centres of Specialization; funding projects of national disability…

The Western Job Training Partnership Association (WJTPA) supports the periodic evaluation of the scope and effectiveness of national, state, and local work force preparation and work force education programs. The WJTPA believes that future programs must correct the problems inherited from earlier work force preparation programs, such as the…

Paid educational leave should become a regular feature of work life in Canada, according to the National Advisory Panel on Skill Development Leave. Following an eight-month study of the background and reasons for educational leave, the panel recommended that educational leave be established for the following reasons: (1) equity in allowing persons…

This document contains testimony from two Senate hearings on the Reemployment and Training Act of 1994 by U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich and other witnesses concerning the Act and the need for changes in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires employers to notify employees of impending layoffs.…

This report presents recommendations that address needed changes and improvements in state policies, administrative practices, and school and community service programs, in relation to school-to-adult-life transition of young people with disabilities in Minnesota. Recommendations were derived from two sources: (1) reviews of state plans and…

Principles of sound educational assessment are discussed, along with current assessment issues and appropriate roles of colleges and the state in developing and implementing assessment systems. Assessment practice in New Jersey is considered. Principles of good assessment include: assessment should serve, not dictate, educational purposes; forms…

An analysis of the major federal goals in postsecondary education is undertaken along with a consideration of the effects of federal programs on these goals. Also included are topics for deliberation by the 95th Congress. The paper focuses on labor market effects of postsecondary education, future policy questions, federal efforts to achieve equal…

Individual lifelong learning accounts (ILLAs) promise to improve the way postschool education and training is financed in the United Kingdom. ILLAs should comprise three distinct functions: save to learn (all individuals would be allowed to save into a special account dedicated to learning); borrow to learn (account holders could borrow for…

School choice policies allow parents to exercise an active role in selecting the school or educational program their children attend. This report reviews development of school choice policies at the national and state levels. Rationales for school choice programs and key components of these programs are noted. Eight types of school choice programs…

For Taiwan, Republic of China, a nation with limited natural resources and a population of 22 million people in an area of only 36,000 square kilometers, the development and use of human resources plays a pivotal role in sustainable economic growth. Vocational education and training are two major human development methods. Since persons with…

As a result of new legislation, experiments in school and workplace cooperation have been set up in Quebec in order to improve the relationship between the two entities and provide more vocational education options to youth. Five sections of recommendations are being implemented: (1) partnership protocol between an academic establishment and an…

This 11-part monograph is designed to assist individuals in selecting appropriate citizen participation methods and in developing a better understanding of the decision-making process. The first section offers an historical perspective of public participation and defines its current status. The next seven sections present several…

Telecottages originated in Scandinavia in the 1980s in an attempt to reverse the decline of isolated communities by giving them access to information and services, facilities for training and distance education, and the opportunity to produce income through telecommuting. In 1992-1993, the Australian government began funding the Telecentre…