The structures of and issues facing vocational education and training (VET) in the United States and Canada were compared. Selected findings were as follows: (1) VET in the United States is shifting focus from preparing students for entry-level jobs to greater emphasis on academic preparation and a wider range of career choices; (2) U.S. community…

The equality of the opportunities available to males and females in Germany's labor market was examined. The study compared employment patterns among women and men and the extent to which selected discretionary benefits of Germany's Federal Employment Service benefit women and men. Selected results were as follows: (1) women are under-represented…

This publication, one in a series, is intended to bridge the information gap between what the research says and what actually transpires when various programs and reform initiatives are implemented in schools. This particular publication presents 30 questions to 5 participants of the Distinguished Principal Fellows program. The questions are…

More than half of the world's population, and more than 70 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas where hunger, illiteracy, and low school achievement are common. Education in rural areas is crucial for achieving sustainable development. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and UNESCO's International Institute…

Recognizing the need to identify the level, nature, and impact of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programs on children and their families, this theme issue of "Coordinators' Notebook" seeks to complement and further the international efforts at collecting information on ECCD for use at national and international levels.…

This book describes the evolution of bilingual education in the United States, emphasizing its relationship to educational and civil rights reform. Federal, state, and district policies affecting the implementation of bilingual programs are identified, along with related legal, political, demographic, and economic factors and controversies.…

This document collects 23 study proposal briefs presented to the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports. The proposals address the following topics concerned with postsecondary services for students with disabilities: cultural empowerment, longitudinal analysis of postsecondary students' experience, effective models of…

The scenarios project set out to develop a tool to improve understanding of vocational education and training (VET) systems in the linked contexts of economic and technological change; changes in society, work, and the labor market; and changing training/skills environment. Other key attempts at the European level to generate European scenarios…

This report warns that if current trends continue, the United States will lose is preeminence in science and technology and its leadership position in innovation. In this report, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) proposes a four-part action plan in which business, higher education, and policy leaders support P-12 education leaders in…

The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) is a permanent, independent agency of the United States government, whose task is to advise the President and Congress on the implementation of national policy with respect to libraries and information science. To achieve its goals of appraising library and information…

On May 25, 2005, 18 New Jersey state educational and policy leaders participated in the New Jersey Education Forum in Trenton, New Jersey, to discuss ways to improve students' transitions from high school to postsecondary education and careers. The forum was sponsored by the League for Innovation in the Community College and the Southern Regional…

Based on personal experiences in organizing and evaluating initiatives designed to improve the management and assessment of learning, these 10 papers provide a critical commentary on current piecemeal education and training of young people in Britain. "Setting the Scene" (Rob Halsall) reviews key steps taken post-1979 to raise the…

This paper presents a status report on efforts by the Illinois State Board of Higher Education to implement policies to enhance academic preparation and progress among college students, assist needy students, and keep college costs affordable. The board has initiated statutory high school course requirements for admission to public universities,…

This handbook contains accreditation information from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, including general institutional requirements, criteria for accreditation, and policies on educational change. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction to Voluntary Accreditation and the…

This report examines the extent and process by which rural origins may affect socioeconomic attainments in adulthood and how these "costs" have changed during this century. Introductory sections review research and theories of rural differentiation and stratification and the history of major federal policy initiatives for rural…