The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of older adult dislocated workers who participated in community college non-credit workforce training programs. The research questions guiding the study were: (a) what are the experiences of older adult dislocated workers who attend community college non-credit workforce…

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance held a public hearing in Washington DC on Friday last September 30, 2011. Three questions drove the discussion: (1) What are the primary barriers to access and persistence for nontraditional students?; (2) What are the most promising state and institutional strategies and policies for…

"Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development," a 2011 book by Timothy Bartik, Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, provides a new evidence-based approach for effective economic development. This approach is designed to support business growth and job creation by improving…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Engineering Solutions to the National Crisis in Literacy": Alliance Brief Calls for Alignment Between…

Adult educators have strong beliefs. This will surprise no-one, but where do their beliefs come from, and how do they influence future development of their teaching practice? Drawing on my PhD research, I explore the multi-directional relationship between teaching beliefs and practices, considering the influence of past traditions of adult…

This paper examines the ways in which credentials from a range of education providers are used to (re)produce transnational financial elites in London's international financial district. Extant research has examined the long-standing relationship between educational background and entry into these financial labour markets. Far less attention has…

Contemporary test-based reforms are often grounded in the claim that test performance is the key to international economic competitiveness. However, this oft-repeated assertion lacks empirical support. According to the World Economic Forum, the United States' recent loss of economic competitiveness standing is due to macroeconomic instability…

This issues paper reports on the findings from the first year of a three-year program of research by the University of Sydney's Workplace Research Centre. The overarching aim of the research is to investigate how, if at all, vocational education and training can make a difference in improving productivity and workforce participation. The authors…

Recent years have seen a dramatic change in the composition of the workforce of schools in England and Wales. Policy initiatives associated with inclusion, tackling teacher workloads and the reformation of children and young people's services have resulted in a proliferation and diversification of roles in schools with the creation of new…

Comprehensive, integrated services for infants, toddlers, and families are essential for optimal child development, and collaboration across systems is increasingly important to maximize limited resources. The authors describe three successful initiatives in Oklahoma that use a collaborative systems approach to providing direct services to young…

Social capital has been receiving increasing attention in HRD research. However, the sources of social capital have received inadequate attention. Little has been done to reveal how people obtain their social capital in the workplace. This study investigated the effects of employees' altruistic citizenship behavior and job involvement on their…

This update reports the passing of Dr. Lane Murray, founding superintendent of the Windham School District in Texas and two time president of the Correctional Education Association. It also discusses the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). In hopes of informing deliberations aimed at the reauthorization of WIA, the prestigious…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the amount of training received by employees; the extent to which individuals are dissatisfied with the training they receive; and employee perceptions of the extent to which the skill levels they possess are higher than/lower than those required to do their jobs. Design/methodology/approach: A…

Drawing attention to the institutions graduating Latinos in postsecondary education links the college completion goals of the U.S. with the workforce needs of the country. This third brief in the Finding Your Workforce series provides a summary of the top 25 institutions at each academic level graduating Latinos from certificates to doctoral…

The destiny of any nation begins in its classroom where young people are equipped with knowledge and skills to lead the nation. Higher education is the corner stone in development where the work force is trained to lead the social, economic, political and cultural change. In such a competitive global economy the human capital is the most valuable…