This Policy Brief is intended to help the National Commission on Adult Literacy consider state and federal policy strategies that hold promise for increasing the number of lower-skilled adults, including those with limited English skills, who earn postsecondary credentials that can open the door to family-supporting jobs and careers. It examines…

Academic achievement--the credentials of schooling completed and degrees attained, as well as the skills and capabilities associated with these credentials--is an important determinant of socioeconomic success. Few if any personal characteristics are more strongly and positively related to an individual's later occupational attainment, employment,…

This volume endeavors to provide comprehensive factual information on the Soviet system of education. Chapter 1 offers basic information on the Soviet Republics. Chapter 2 describes the foundations of Soviet Education. Chapter 3 describes preschool through upper secondary education including academic calendars and curriculum. Chapter 4,…

This report discusses forces that are shaping alternative approaches to the delivery of postsecondary education, particularly distance education and open learning. One of these forces is the ever-changing composition of the student body, whose demands are increasing and whose needs are becoming more disparate because of a more and more…

Britain's National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are work qualifications that measure what an employee or potential employee can do as well as how much he or she knows and understands about a particular job. Used as written proof of usable workplace skills that can be put to profitable use by an employer, NVQs range from basic Level 1, for…

The University of Massachusetts-Lowell's efforts to help Southeast Asian refugees reconstruct their academic credentials for teaching and further higher education are described. The program evolved in response to refugee frustration at difficulty in establishing existing teaching credentials and obtaining admission to higher education…

In an attempt to determine their role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of skill training programs, existing standards and certification systems in 20 selected occupations were reviewed to identify the following: their common characteristics, barriers to their development and use, benefits of standards and certification to employers…

Information on Colorado's certificated school personnel and related information was gathered from the state's public school districts and Boards of Cooperative Services during fall 1997. This information shows that the fall 1997 average salary for Colorado's 37,840.9 full-time-equivalent (FTE) public school teachers was $37,240, which represented…

This report analyzes information gathered by a task force, appointed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), to investigate the current status of emergency or substandard certification measures used by state agencies and school districts. In an overview, the task force defines the role of teacher certification and…

The learning gap between high school students in the United States and those in many other countries has several causes. First, U.S. students devote a lot less time and interest to learning. A second major reason is parental and school board apathy. Cultural comparisons reveal a lack of incentives for learning accomplishment in the United States,…

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…

The resurgence of public interest in education highlights the connection between education and employment success. The emphasis on excellence puts concommitant pressure on the other end of the spectrum--remediation programs such as the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), a program that mandates closer collaboration between the public and private…

Several assumptions currently held by many inservice planners and deliverers are presented and challenged. A new model of inservice programs is outlined that pays attention to the characteristics of maturing and growing professional educators and that demands new forms for delivering inservice to individuals and school clients. Inservice delivery…

This survey of state certification practices and requirements for modern foreign languages reports on standard credit and hour requirements for elementary, secondary, supervisory, and coordinator certification. It also discusses the "approved program" option, proficiency testing, foreign language in the elementary school (FLES), reciprocal…

The results of the research and planning activities for the first year's operation of the School Based Teacher Educator (SBTE) project are reported in this document. Two goals were established for the project. The first was to develop competency specifications and prototype training materials for the school based teacher educator. The second goal…