Properly conceived and implemented new initiatives are essential to improving schools and communities. Such new initiatives usually are pursued as projects, pilots, or demonstrations, with temporary funding and staffing. When the funding ends, more often than not much of what has been developed disappears. Sometimes this is appropriate (e.g., when…

Vocational and technical training in Singapore has a relatively short history. Only after Singapore became independent did the need to formalize a national system of training to support the labor force needs of industrialization become evident. Singapore's first vocational institute was established in 1964. The system has experienced several…

The National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium (NASDVTEC) supports enactment of legislation that is dedicated solely to vocational-technical education (VTE). NASDVTEC urges the 105th Congress to build on the existing foundation of a strong state role in VTE by drafting legislation that achieves the…

This case study, part of the State Structures for the Governance of Higher Education study, focuses on governance and related issues in Texas's higher education system. The study's overall purpose was to examine differences among states in their governance structures, and to determine if differences in performance were related to governing…

For program year 1996-97, 222,639 North Carolina (NC) 9th-12th graders were enrolled in Workforce Development Education (WDE). Twenty-five curriculum products were developed, 34 course blueprints were revised to reflect business/industry practices and state/national standards, and about 3,600 business/industry personnel participated in WDE…

Australia's National Reporting System (NRS) was developed as a mechanism for reporting the outcomes of adult English language, literacy, and numeracy provision in the country's vocational educational and training system, labor market programs, and the adult and community education sector. This document is intended to explain the NRS to potential…

This final report describes the activities of Project Search (Selection Enrichment and Acceleration of Rural Children), a project funded by a federal Javits grant to address the identification of young gifted and talented students from underrepresented populations and to develop a model for providing appropriate services for young, potentially…

Laney's Success Model for First-Year Students attempts to increase retention by accommodating students and encouraging learning. It requires an institutional commitment for student academic success and tries to dispel the forces of attrition: academic boredom, difficulty adjusting to college life, and academic underpreparedness. The first-year…

This study, a synthesis of 51 published prescriptive essays and program reports from 1978 to 1997, follows the development of honors programs in comprehensive community colleges. Despite arguments that programs of this sort betray the institution's democratic imperative by implying academic elitism, diverting needed funds from…

The number of part-time faculty employed in two-year colleges has risen dramatically in recent years, with current data indicating that 64% of two-year college faculty work part time. It is critical, therefore, that colleges ensure that part-time faculty are well integrated into the organizational culture. In assessing initiatives for helping…

This report describes the creation of New Horizons, an ArtsConnection comprehensive model for talent identification and development in the arts. New Horizons focuses on how schools can identify and appreciate artistic talents, how teachers can help students use their artistic abilities to improve their school performance, and how economically…

This volume consists of 10 chapters which emphasize the latest research and theories about family, school, and community prevention programs and health promotion programs to improve the health status of children during the next decade. The goal of the volume is to influence the nation's policies and practices regarding children's health by raising…

This opening chapter provides an overview of the book. Chapter 2 of the book summarizes current data for problem behaviors among adolescents across five areas including: (1) substance abuse; (2) sexual behavior; (3) delinquency and violence; (4) depression and suicidal ideation; and (5) school failure. Next, chapter 3 addresses the efforts to stem…

This case study reports on the experiences of teachers and student teachers during the process of developing and implementing professional development sites (PDSs) at one urban and two rural middle schools. The study examines the phases of development that teachers go through in the process of developing PDSs and how teachers' level of development…

This book contains the following papers about development/delivery of adult education through the efforts of multinational and bilateral government donors and the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE): "Preface" (Beverly Benner Cassara); "Introduction: Adult Education and Democracy" (Francisco Vio Grossi);…