The most developed, progressive, and economically stable countries in the world are those that are technologically advanced. Technological change and the building of human capabilities are interrelated: each requires the development of the other for success and the "rethinking [of] educational systems to meet the new challenges of…

This paper presents a review and assessment of existing theoretical accounts to explain differentials in access to education and training in advanced economies. These theories tend to focus on the analysis of the influence of a set of economic, sociological and political variables on access to education. Existing theories are criticized on two…

Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a…

The 4th international conference "Nation and Language: Modern Aspects of Socio-Linguistic Development" continues an eight-year old tradition. The conference is organized by Kaunas University of Technology Panevezys Institute and aims to bring scientists and researchers together for a general scientific discussion on new trends in…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Cities in Crisis": New Report and National Campaign Focus on the High School Dropout Crisis in the United…

The number of highly skilled Africans leaving their country of origin, many with PhDs, has reached disturbing proportions. Meanwhile, Africa spends billions per year to fill the capacity gaps that are created by the exodus of the highly skilled. In Africa, Ethiopia ranked first in terms of rate of loss of human capital. Many African governments…

Pedro Hernandez-Ramos, James L. Koch, Albert Bruno, and Eric Carlson describe the online collaboratory planned for the Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI), an international education program designed to serve social benefit entrepreneurs working in the fields of education, health, economic development, the environment, and equality around the…

The purpose of the forum was to establish an agenda for action, supporting steps that individuals, institutions, organizations, and governments can take together in working to reform and revitalize science and technology education at all levels. This report contains the comments of some 50 speakers and attempts to capture the essence of the wide…

This keynote address suggests that the rural sector of Australia is, and will remain, absolutely essential to the well-being of the entire nation. There are misconceptions that the rural economy is no longer important to the nation as a whole and that rural people and communities are marginal to society. Australia's entire economy is heavily…

This report summarizes UNESCO's co-operation activities within the framework of the Major Project of Education in the field of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean between May 1991 and March 1993. Regional priorities had been established in Quito (Ecuador) in 1991 to focus on: (1) women as protagonists both in family life and economic…

This report describes difficulties in educational reform faced by countries in transition, those post-communist countries from Eastern and Central Europe that have been changing their social, economic, and political systems since 1989. Romania is the case study used for this example and is viewed in terms of four stages: (1) deconstruction, an…

In 1995, Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas, conducted a study to estimate the economic benefit contributed by the college to the Johnson County economy for 1993-94. Following a model developed by J. G. Ryan, direct economic impact was assessed by examining institutional expenditures, expenditures by college employees, and…

Recent urban redevelopment efforts in Chicago (Illinois) have often come at the expense of current low-income residents as upscale living replaces businesses and homes and raises rents. Local Community Development Organizations (CDOs) offer an alternative path to economic development by being a foundation for neighborhood efforts that meet the…

This publication highlights national and regional foundations that are most likely to fund colleges and universities to perform activities similar to those undertaken by the Office of University Partnerships' Community Outreach Partnership Center Program (COPC) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The COPC Program provides…

Investments in technology and the number of workers using computers are growing quickly and at an increasing rate. From 1990-1995, investments in computers and related equipment tripled. Real (inflation-adjusted dollars) investments in computers and peripheral equipment increased from $200 million in 1973 to $91.6 billion in 1995. Increasing…