Qualifications and skills are of fundamental economic and social importance. In a context marked by increased globalization of economies and technological development, European companies are faced with far-reaching changes. Because companies need a highly skilled, competent, and adaptable workforce, there is a need to develop strategies for…

The treatment of politeness features is particularly revealing of the complex dynamics that language teachers face given the cultural variety present in schools and colleges. Along with its positive contributions to the learning environment, the growing student diversity poses a significant challenge for both students and educators. This paper…

This second report from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) builds on the data analysis of seven countries presented in the first IALS publication in 1995 and adds literacy data for five additional countries--Australia, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The introduction presents an overview of new key findings and…

This book describes how American teenagers develop attitudes and acquire skills to achieve their career goals and expectations. It presents findings of a study that followed the progress of more than 1,000 students from 13 school districts from 1992-97. Focus is on the experiences of adolescents as they were reported in the first few years of data…

Having recognized that young people under 25 years of age were among the state's greatest resources, the Louisiana Workforce Commission convened ten state agencies to form the Youth Policy Network (LYPN) to develop an interagency collaboration to help Louisiana youth acquire the necessary skills for success in education and employment. The LYPN…

Data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth were used to analyze the levels of participation in vocational education and training (VET) in Australian schools, the characteristics of VET participants, and their work and study activities after leaving year 12. Nationally, nearly one-fourth of the students studied participated in some form…

Student Development in the First College Year provides a detailed overview of some of the most commonly referenced theories of learning and development in the college years. What sets this primer apart from other treatments of student development theory is its careful attention to the first college year and the wide range of educational…

Improving education achievement in Luxembourg is a priority for strengthening productivity growth and enhancing residents' employment prospects in the private sector, where employers mainly hire cross-border workers. Student achievement in Luxembourg is below the OECD average according to the 2003 OECD PISA study, with the performance gap between…

Understanding the Early Years (UEY) is a national research initiative. It provides communities with information to enable them to make informed decisions about the best policies and most appropriate programs for Canadian families with young children. This report is based on one of seven communities studied in 2001-2002. Children's outcomes were…

This book is an innovative approach to the primary prevention of child maltreatment. It focuses on the impact that child care providers can make in helping to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect in families with very young children. This research- and practice-based curriculum offers concepts, information, strategies, and practices focused on…

Although a good beginning is well recognised as the foundation for future development, health and wellbeing, not only in the early years, but also throughout life, policy and practice in early education and care in Australia still lack focus and integration. Using metaphors of patchworks and crossroads, the author discusses this issue, outlining…

Family involvement in children's education is widely considered critical to student achievement. Yet teachers and other education professionals often feel unprepared to engage families in children's learning. The goal of Preparing Educators to Involve Families is to help prepare teachers and other professionals to partner effectively with the…

What is language proficiency? How does it interact with culture, human development, learning, and schooling? How can teachers best support English language learners (ELLs) and speakers of different English dialects? What are the current views of literacy acquisition and best approaches to literacy instruction? And how can assessments eliminate…

Through international comparisons, countries may come to recognize weaknesses in their own systems while identifying strengths that might otherwise be overlooked. The education indicators in this report also show whether variations in educational experiences within a country are unique or whether they mirror differences observed elsewhere. The 41…

This study examined how social interaction norms and promotion and tenure norms effected job satisfaction, focusing on how these variables effected on underrepresented faculty at a predominantly white, four-year, public, urban university. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of nine faculty (white male, white female, and…