This brief addresses four areas of opportunity to influence teacher quality. These areas of opportunity are used to create a framework to help state and district policymakers comprehensively address teacher quality. There are a number of policy levers or strategies that can be used as part of a comprehensive approach to improving teacher quality.…

This monograph describes the Italian initial and continuing vocational education and training (VET) system and its qualitative and quantitative development. Chapter 1 outlines the general context of the VET system--both institutions and social and economic aspects. It provides facts and figures on such topics as demographic trends in Italy, the…

This report summarizes the activities of the South Carolina State Library for 1997-1998. Sections include: (1) library governance and mission statement; (2) brief library history; (3) details about the organization and operations of the library, including a description of each of the six departments, an organizational chart, a list of library…

A meeting of child care researchers, federal and state child care administrators, and participants in the studies of child outcomes in the context of state welfare waiver evaluations was convened on February 7, 1997. The purpose of the meeting was to ask for input as to the most important aspects of child care to cover in the state welfare waiver…

This paper examines a university professor's roles in and experiences with teacher action research to promote professional development. The first section discusses the importance of linking preservice teacher action research investigation with inservice action research teams in schools. It explains that this approach begins with a structure and…

Incidental learning is unintentional or unplanned learning that results from other activities. It occurs often in the workplace, during the use of computers, and in the process of completing tasks. Incidental learning occurs in many ways, including the following: through observation, repetition, social interaction, and problem solving; from…

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program has begun to attract attention as an alternative approach to enhancing the academic preparation of college-bound high school students. The rigorous, comprehensive, two-year curriculum offers eleventh- and twelfth-grade students the opportunity to take college-level coursework and exams while also…

This report provides demographic data on students attending New York City Adult Literacy Initiative (NYCALI) programs. It specifies the number of students served by each literacy provider agency (LPA) and the types of classes they attend. It includes data on total instructional hours offered, total hours of student attendance, enrollment figures…

This report responds to a request by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to analyze the need for and location of a new educational center in the Palmdale area of the Antelope Valley Community College District north of Los Angeles. The failure of Proposition 1C has cast the timing of this and many other college and university…

Senate Bill 156 of 1989 established the "Teacher Assistant, Associate of Arts" degree program in the California Education Code as a new offering of the California Community Colleges. It funded the creation of the program by two community colleges in different regions of the State, and it directed the California Commission on Teacher…

This document contains 14 research papers presented at the American Vocational Education Research Association (AVERA) annual meeting. The following papers are included: "Factors that Influence Students to Attend 4-Year Automotive Programs" (Gregory G. Belcher, Robert L. Frisbee); "The Training Needs of Vocational Teachers for…

Results of a large set of interviews and discussions conducted by the National Employer Leadership Council showed that approximately 23,000 businesspeople were involved in school-to-career partnerships in Colorado, as of January 1997. Colorado employers identified 12 lessons essential to efforts to build school-to-career systems: (1) recognize,…

This text addresses wide-ranging topics that provide foundational information and guidelines for present and future adult educators to consider as they contemplate decisions regarding adult education programs. Content and materials are organized as a practical reference for upper-level undergraduate or graduate students interested in planning and…

This guide provides introductory information on developmental and cultural issues that may affect evaluation of culturally and linguistically diverse children for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Although much of the information in this document may be useful for determining instruction and…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of a 4-year federally funded project designed to meet the critical need in Alabama to provide effective practices in the delivery of educational services to children and youth with deaf-blindness from birth through 21 years of age and to their families and service providers. The project…