A study was conducted at Mount San Antonio College (MSAC), California, to analyze patterns in credit course retention between fall 1986 and spring 1989. The study investigated the development of course prerequisites based on faculty perceptions of the skills necessary for success and minimal skill levels associated with success; student assessment…

The Paraprofessional Training Project at California State University, Chico, is operated through a consortium of the University, Colusa County Schools, and Butte Community College. The 3-year program provides trainee paraprofessional teaching staff to work with the predominantly Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient school population of the…

This booklet provides a guide to some of the credit-bearing opportunities in place at more than 1,200 United States colleges and universities that recognize learning obtained away from the formal college classroom. The data were compiled from a fall 1984 survey and are presented in two sections. The first provides the programmatic information…

An examination of the issues in the debate over federal tuition tax credits for private elementary and secondary education involves the context of the debate, pros and cons, costs, beneficiaries, legal questions, and the public interest. Proponents of tuition tax credits object to paying both school taxes and private tuition; they wish to deduct…

This guide is intended to help vocational and mathematics teachers design and implement integrated mathematics-vocational education courses. The guide is organized in six sections. Following two sections containing information about the project in which the guide was developed and how to use the guide, Section III provides guidelines for…

The members of this task force examined ways states could encourage greater parental involvement in, and choice among, public schools. Following a list of the charges to the task force and information on the hearings and presenters, five papers are presented: (1) "Expanding Educational Opportunity and Choice" (Cindy K. Currence); (2)…

Although 1985 was a relatively high-income year for agriculture, the farm sector is still under a great deal of financial stress. High direct government payments and increased Commodity Credit Corportion loans improved the cash income of U.S. farmers in 1985. However, the continuing decline in real estate values reduced farmers' asset and equity…

The State Inservice Education Opportunities Act (Kansas) allows certified staff to be recertified using a combination of methods in addition to or besides university credit hours. Participating local districts determine the combination allowed and the limits to be set on each method. Currently, 106 districts have local inservice plans operating.…

These three papers were delivered as part of a conference panel that was intended to alert advisory councils to the precarious situation of vocational education in the United States today. The first paper, "Crisis Issues in Vocational Education and Training" by Charles R. Doty, makes a case for establishing a program to finance full-time…

This staff analysis by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges discusses and offers recommendations concerning the report, "Proposals for Strengthening the Associate Degree in the California Community Colleges," by the Task Force on Academic Quality. The paper begins with brief staff comments on the associate…

In spring 1984, a study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to investigate the needs of the more mature students attending the college. Telephone interviews were conducted with 143 students aged 60 to 64 (pre-seniors) and 155 students aged 65 or over (senior citizens), representing 81.7% and 91.2%, respectively, of the older…

The extensive education and training programs established and run by business and industry for their own employees are discussed. The extent of corporate education is assessed with attention to cost, participation, providers, curricula, methods of instruction, organization, evaluation, and corporate colleges. Historical developments concerning…

The educational reform movement has caused parents, students, businesspersons, and legislators to question the relevance of vocational education. Charges that vocational education has become obsolete have compelled vocational educators to work on improving its image in three areas--function, quality, and style. The vocational education programs in…

Analytical techniques used in responding to a series of four substantial budget reductions imposed at Oregon State University are described. Over a 2-year period, each of the budget reductions demanded increasingly severe institutional action to meet the specified monetary targets. Different analytical techniques were required to meet the changing…

A three credit undergraduate course, offered through a University of Texas Gifted and Talented Program to qualified high school students, used material objects in a museum to promote visual thinking. Fourteen students were enrolled in the course, which included four interacting units of study: (1) using the operations and strategies of visual…