This article analyzes a subset of data gathered during a survey of 155 school systems and communities across the nation. The data were obtained from a capability survey as part of the application for a Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP) grant. Educators and civic leaders in 38 states responded to questions about their five greatest challenges…

Education as the cure-all for any adverse economic condition is everywhere. But this contention exaggerates the role of schools in the economy, and it conflates two issues: First, how can American firms increase productivity to improve their ability to compete? Education can help in the first area, although it is far from a silver bullet. As to…

Whereas period life expectancy constitutes an intuitive indicator of the survival conditions prevailing at a particular period, this paper argues that, given the existence of welfare interdependencies, that widespread indicator is nonetheless an incomplete measure of the longevity achievements relevant for human well-being. The central importance…

Singapore is no longer content to produce only engineers and technocrats, says Tharman Shanmugaratnam, minister for education. The government wants to foster a dynamic environment that can attract thinkers and leaders in many fields, not just science. Singapore's planners envision their city as the "Boston of the East"--where the alchemy…

A request from the Ford Foundation prompted a fourth and final assessment of the demonstration phase of the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI), established by the Ford Foundation. Between 1994 to 2002, 24 community colleges answered the foundation's charge to improve access to higher education and to expand the economic development of their…

This paper reviews recent measurement work on User-Created Content (UCC) undertaken in OECD countries. It shows that UCC is emerging as a significant area of economic and social activity worthy of consideration for official measurement and discusses the implications for the OECD Model Survey on ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals.…

Similar to other underdeveloped countries, the Republic of Turkey is also faced with high levels of poverty and unemployment, and to ameliorate these problems the state has traditionally devoted much of its social welfare efforts towards improving health and education. Certain private sector corporations also recognize that to grow and advance…

This study explores the recent trend where African countries have shown a decline in expansion of their school systems and in replacing expatriates engaged in vital public and private activity. The study explores policy options and traces the evolution of World Bank ideas and actions to help practitioners design policies and programs better…

This guide is designed to provide information, advice, and programming strategies that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) might use to enhance the involvement of their continuing education programs with community economic development. It includes a review of the literature on successful higher education-economic development…

This report describes functions of the University of Maryland (UM) program, Office of Public Service which focuses on developing a special liaison relationship with the private sector in support of the State's expanding initiative in economic development. The Office provides a single point of access for University resources and services in what is…

This seminar paper discusses the enormous economic benefits of investing in women's education. Over time increases in girls' education have the potential to transform societies. Four conclusions were reached: (1) the excess female mortality in many developing countries is a horrifying problem that is the most obvious manifestation of a much…

This series of reports explores a statewide solution to the work force problems in Texas. The previous report, A Call to Action, described the current status of the Texas work force and introduced the concept of the Human Investment System as a means to improve that status by making human investment and people-serving programs and services in…

This paper is an attempt to summarize the responses provided by African member states to a questionnaire that was part of the preparation activities for a conference on education. The questionnaire dealt with: (1) education, culture, and development policies; (2) taking the cultural dimension into account in educational programs; (3) the role of…

The correlations between literacy and development are universally recognized, though not always fully understood. Since the individual is the locus of all learning as well as the agent of all developmental actions, psychological approaches to the study of the relationship between literacy and development should be promising. The essential question…

REAL Enterprises (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) brings classes in "school-based enterprise" to rural high schools in North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington State. Jonathan Sher, the founder of REAL Enterprises, believes that children learn better by doing, and that successful rural economic development requires an…