This paper explores issues that designers of learning environments should consider, omitting issues about knowledge learned and the social settings in which learning occurs that are addressed elsewhere. The perspective taken on design is to think of each decision in terms of its costs and benefits, an approach that may allow designers to minimize…

This document, prepared for an ongoing assessment on adult literacy and new technologies, reports on a study that examined the scope and suitability of software for adult literacy programs, available sources of information concerning software use in adult literacy programs, and the implications for federal policy. First, a quantitative analysis of…

Materials intended for use by adult members of low income families are provided for various topics related to low income family resource management. Types of materials included are check lists, questionnaires, planning charts, budgeting forms, informational handouts, and sample forms. These topics are covered: (1) goals, money values, budget…

This study, which examined the curricular decision making of student teachers, links research on the socialization of preservice teacher education with work focusing on socialization in the workplace. Interviews were conducted with four student teachers during their student teaching experience and 1 year after it. Curriculum materials used by the…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act legislated by the 1990 General Assembly created a high-stakes school performance accountability system to monitor the progress of implementation. One major component of the accountability system is a schedule of consequences designed to reward those schools making sufficient progress in improving student…

At Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT), in Williamsport, long range planning is used to define institutional philosophy and mission and determine strategies to make the best use of available resources and implement actions to fulfill institutional mission. This document presents PCT's long-range plan for 1993-96 in three parts. Following an…

Rising competition in world and domestic markets for the past 2 decades has necessitated that U.S. companies undergo significant transformations to improve their performance with respect to a wide array of efficiency and quality indicators. Research on the transformations recently undertaken by some U.S. companies to boost performance revealed two…

This document is a class simulation that details the work of a fictitious consulting firm that was challenged by a group of 10 doctors (who were each willing to commit $50,000) to study the feasibility of starting a company that would employ the greatest possible number of people from Monongalia and Preston counties in northern West Virginia. The…

This collection of information pieces is intended to help school personnel make better decisions regarding compliance with, first, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and, second, with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It is stressed that some students…

The role that achievement testing plays in the educational system of Trinidad and Tobago and results from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) tests administered in 1989 are discussed (for these tests, students generally sit for five to eight examinations on subjects they have taken throughout their secondary schooling). The educational system…

This book presents information from the Commonwealth Ministers of Education's Ninth Conference in Nicosia, held in Cyprus in 1984, that addressed strategies to (1) increase resources for the development of education in developing countries, and (2) make better use of existing resources for educational needs. The book's main intent is to present…

An emerging U.S. employment system is the Security, Employee Involvement, and Training (SET) system. The system is characterized by the following: (1) a high degree of employment security based upon flexible job assignment; (2) employee involvement in problem solving and continuous improvement; and (3) continuous training of all employees. Case…

The intent of the study discussed in this paper was to document and describe discrepancies between the content of university course work and practices observed in the schools and to examine the thinking and decision making of preservice teachers faced with dilemmas created by the discrepancies. Two fifth year programs that integrated course work…

The naturalistic study described in this report was conducted for the purpose of determining the perspectives held by beginning teachers, the decisions based on those perspectives, the factors affecting perspectives and decision making, and implications of the knowledge gained for refining and redesigning teacher preparation and inservice training…

The case study method refers to a descriptive research document based on a real-life situation, problem, or incident. Cases describe situations calling for analysis, planning, decision-making, and/or action. The method requires that every attempt be made to provide an unbiased, multidimensional perspective in presenting the case and arriving at…