A case study of parental involvement in a seventh grade interdisciplinary activity, called "International Fair," at a Middle School is described and interpreted. The International Fair, the culmination of the work of student groups, involved students preparing booths representing the cultures of different countries and dressing up in…

The goal theory of achievement motivation maintains that the goals stressed by schools influence children's self-efficacy and willingness to try hard. This paper examines the applicability of goal theory to a Navajo school and community and widens the focus to encompass a range of potential culturally relevant goals. Interviews were conducted at…

On January 31, 1996, Pioneer Institute Executive Director James A. Peyser delivered an address to the Boston Economic Club, in which he proposed radical reforms to the structure of public education. This publication contains an edited transcript of the speech. The speech argues that after 30 years of stagnation and decline, only fundamental…

This booklet contains descriptions of the approach of each state member of the Action Team on Lifelong Learning in meeting the challenge to prepare and upgrade the skills of the work force. Each one-page discussion is followed by the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person in the state. The reported approaches of 10 states…

This report proposes that state economic development policy and resources, and state personnel, with their knowledge of and access to the business community, can contribute to the intertwined issues of competitiveness and poverty. Following an introduction, chapter 2 examines four related issues: poverty, income equity, welfare dependency, and the…

To assist the Competitiveness Policy Council in drawing up this report, four of the Council's eight subcouncils were asked to provide their assessment of recent federal initiatives and to make any new recommendations that seemed appropriate. The participating subcouncils were Critical Technologies, Public Infrastructure, Trade Policy, and…

The National Advisory Commission on Work-Based Learning worked to identify practical steps that the Labor Department could take to help increase the skill levels of the U.S. work force and expand work-based training. The findings gained from a series of roundtables and further studies were synthesized into a set of recommendations in five major…

This hearing is the first of two to consider whether the priority setting, the guidelines, and the competitive process for the funding of 12 proposed research and development centers (which constitute nearly 80% of the budget of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) for center-based research) will be adequate to establish a…

A globally competitive Mississippi must be built through investment in the education, training, and skills of its people. Recommendations for improving the system involve (1) a human resource and economic development strategy built on a partnership between the state and communities and (2) a state-level human capital strategy board. Critical…

Increasing concerns about the skill level of U.S. workers are driven by demographics, technological change, and international competition. Greater percentages of the labor force will be comprised of those groups that have traditionally faced the greatest barriers to full participation in the labor force. Rapid technological change is increasing…

A collection of student, class, and school foreign language activities suggests a variety of projects and describes three specific school efforts. The suggested activities include: (1) individual student efforts such as writing to pen-pals; (2) group activities such as a foreign language auction or sing-along; (3) group projects for the school…

This collection of conference papers addresses selected philosophical and social questions being faced by contemporary educators. Papers and presenters are: "The Computer Revolution, the Technological Fallacy, and Education" (Keith L. Raitz); "Some Bits and Bytes: A Response to Raitz" (Robert J. Skovira); "The Public…

The emergence of a technology-based global society is effecting tremendous changes in the economic and political world order. If our society is going to respond successfully to these changes, it must recognize the philosophic as well as strictly scientific implications of technological growth. We are entering a new era for amplifying the human…

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competiveness, this document discusses the national and state level for making judgments about future enrollment options for Arizona's universities. Relevant national and statewide trends are identified. Future challenges include…

The increased demands that will be placed upon those in the work force of the year 2000 have been well covered in numerous studies. The need to help those students who will be entering the work force to acquire and maintain a competitive edge has been discussed repeatedly. A 1987 study comparing the earnings levels, unemployment rates, and…