Examines the role of organizational processes in generating the demand for qualified personnel. Neo-Weberian theorists point to the importance of contextual features of organizations such as size and national prominence as predictors of educational demand. Neo-Marxist historians examine the role played by credentials. (AM)

Four case studies of volunteer training focused on achievement of certification or other qualifications identified complex reasons why volunteers drop out or do not complete assessments: a vocation versus vocationalism view of volunteering, intrinsic versus extrinsic incentives, motivation for learning, and role conflict. (Contains 34 references.)…

Provides review of credentialing movement from social-psychological perspective that illustrates process of evolution rehabilitation counseling has undergone over the past 20 years. Points out complexity and confusing nature of various credentials available and inherent anxiety that exists among rehabilitation counselors in sorting through various…

Discusses employment counseling as practiced during past 30 years in U.S. Employment Services (now Job Service), including historical forces that affected employment counseling, their consequences over this time period, and employment counseling training initiatives. Describes Competency-Based Employment Counselor Training Model and identifies…

At the University of Massachusetts Boston, the innovative Center for Technical Education has established a successful formula for teacher training. In addition to providing a comprehensive course of study, the center also offers students a wide array of services and resources to help them earn the credentials and make the connections that will…

In this article, the author describes the ways in which a statistical consultant can help with projects. He gives advice on how to choose a statistical consultant and when to call a one. Sections in this article include: (1) Choosing a Consultant; (2) Clear Expectations; and (3) Desirable Qualities. The author directs that one should choose a…

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), was first launched in 1997 as a periodic longitudinal study of program performance. Successive nationally representative samples of Head Start children and their families,…

The present report follows an ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) Workshop on Quality Assurance and Postgraduate Education, hosted by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) in Brasov, Romania on 12-13 March 2009. The workshop was an excellent opportunity for ENQA members to exchange…

School counselors (n = 1,704) nationwide were surveyed to determine if the duties performed by them were aligned with the duties prescribed by the school counseling profession since the inception of the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National Model in 2003. Differences were found based on participants having received ASCA National…

Background/Context: Teacher retention, especially of qualified teachers within high-poverty schools, is an issue of local, national, and international concern. School staffing research has typically examined two groups: those who remain in full-time classroom teaching versus those who quit teaching altogether. This article complicates the teacher…

Recent studies do not find consistent relationships between teacher degree, major, and certification, and PK outcomes (Early, D. M., Bryant, D. M., Pianta, R. C., Clifford, R. M., Burchinal, M. R., Ritchie, S., et al. (2006). Are teachers' education, major, and credentials related to classroom quality and children's academic gains in…

Education researchers and policy makers agree that teachers differ in terms of quality and that quality matters for student achievement. Despite prodigious amounts of research, however, debate still persists about the causal relationship between specific teacher credentials and student achievement. In this paper, we use a rich administrative data…

Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have a recognized track record of preparing graduates for leadership. Perhaps not as well known, however, is the role they have played in growing their own leaders from student to tribal college president. This article presents a few stories of those people who have risen from the student ranks to lead their…

Certificates have become an important career credential and can give students an advantage when they enter the workplace. However, many types of certificates exist, and the number of people seeking them and organizations offering them are both growing rapidly. In a time of such growth, the authors review some of the basics about certification--the…

A progress report on the Child Development Associate (CDA) project which is a program for developing a new professional category to assure qualitative staffing of child care programs. Main emphasis of report is placed on development of an assessment instrument for credentialing, based on a set of eleven constructs which are delineated. (ED)