Common factors among high-performing distance learning (DL) programs were examined through case studies at 9 further education colleges and 2 nonsector organizations in the United Kingdom and a backup survey of a sample of 50 distance learners at 5 of the colleges. The study methodology incorporated numerous principles of process benchmarking. The…

This guide for improving the quality of National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) data through improved data collection and training is intended for local providers and state administrators. Chapter 1 explains the guide's purpose, contents, and use and defines the following components of data quality: objectivity; integrity;…

A 1998 study conducted by researchers from the Centre For Learning and Work Research at Griffith Univ. and The Studies of Work, Education and Training, at Monash Univ. sought to evaluate the contributions of competency-based training (CBT) and assessment to Australian vocational education and training. "Introduction" (Stephen Billet,…

Interviews comprise the majority of professionals' interactions with children. In order to conduct effective interviews, professionals must possess effective communication skills, as well as knowledge of growth and development issues, data collection, and analysis. Though this is an important area of study, there has yet to be a book that…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This November 26, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "A Question of Degrees" (Contreras, Alan); (2) "Democratize the…

Schools in 47 high-poverty school districts located mostly along the Atlantic Coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia may have a head start on new requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, thanks to a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Begun in April 2000, the five-year Coastal Rural Systemic…

There is a strong and growing argument for higher educational attainment in the United States. The jobs that are expected to support the economy in the coming years will depend on a skilled workforce that is able to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges. However, demographic patterns demonstrate that relying on the traditional K-16 pipeline to…

Midlife and older women are at an economic disadvantage relative to their male counterparts and younger women. Older women should be served by the nation's employment, training, and vocational programs. Interviews with participants and operators of employment and training programs identified six program components needed to serve older women: (1)…

The 1989 document, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics," provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. This book, one in a series designed to interpret and…

This paper outlines a model identification procedure for vocational educators to use in determining new and emerging occupations. Reviewed first are major available works dealing with identifying and planning for new and emerging occupations. Detailed discussions are provided of the various components of the model. The first phase of the model to…

This combination procedures manual and annotated bibliography is intended to assist faculty and staff at community colleges in North Carolina in developing centralized job placement and development services. The first section describes the project to establish centralized employment services at Guilford Technical Community College during which the…

Approximately 6,500 children are enrolled per year in the New York State Experimental Prekindergarten Program (PreK). In 1975-76 a longitudinal study was begun to determine the program's impact on the development of children while enrolled in the program and in the primary grades. Samples from a population of 5,245 four-year-old prekindergarten…

Data collection procedures for the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study are described. The instructional time phase of this study investigated the amount of time the teacher spent teaching particular objectives in reading and mathematics, and its relationship to student achievement. Two types of data were gathered from the second and fifth grade…

Technical aspects of the PLATO system, the language work done on PLATO thus far (specifically in foreign languages), and areas for further research in computer-based language instruction are reviewed. PLATO-IV, designed and implemented by the Computer-Based Educational Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is…

These proceedings of a conference on research in the field of adult education contain the texts of 40 conference papers and 4 symposia. Included among the areas examined in the individual reports are the following: education participation scale factor structure and correlates for 12,000 learners, a comparative analysis of adult education research…