Dropout rates reported by states and school districts are produced by a variety of accounting procedures. Since these rates are difficult to compare and interpret, they fail to correctly measure the dropout rate. A uniform definition of school dropout is needed. The degree of variation was examined by analyzing 21 local definitions. The five…

This report describes results of a survey on school-based budgeting (SBB) in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, public schools (APS). SBB began in the 1986-87 school year at 33 of the 116 APS schools and alternative schools, with 16 elementary, 11 middle, and 6 high schools, participating in the first year. A total of 131 responses were received from…

One of a series offering practical advice and information on distance teaching, this broadsheet focuses on the ways in which distance teaching can support, expand, and change secondary education. Traditional criticisms of secondary schools are examined, including their irrelevancy, inefficiency, and inequity. Issues of distance education…

Many degree programs for adults include a self-directed learning component to offer learners the opportunity to use mature skills in a flexible learning environment. Problems with making the self-directed component work may be the learning setting, learner attitudes, and fears of both skilled and less skilled adult learners. Some learner fears are…

This paper summarizes a diverse body of literature on Achievement Place, a community-based program for juveniles in group home settings. The program's Teaching-Family treatment model is described in detail as a base for presenting findings about its ability to change behaviors. Preliminary data from follow-up studies of attempts to extend the…

A description is given of administrative and policy changes made in an alternative school serving delinquent students at the high school level. Previous to a reorganization of the school, and the development of a different philosophy, the school was mainly attended by students simply because they were on probation and the only alternative to…

In view of the fact that in the past decade parents have increasingly begun to educate their children at home, this paper aims to provide an overview of home schooling in the United States. The paper reviews the history of home schooling, describes the characteristics of families involved in home schooling, and discusses the future of home…

In 1983, the Des Moines (Iowa) Schools applied for approval to use the allowable growth funding provided in Senate File 2168 to expand and create additional programs for the prevention of dropping out as well as programs for students who had dropped out but were returning to school. The original proposal included the following: (1) an expansion of…

This document contains two reports on an independent, self-paced educational program in library and information science which was offered by the School of Library Science of the University of Southern California. The program was designed for persons who, because of financial, job-related, family, or other personal obligations, are unable to attend…

This pamphlet summarizes a conference in Boston on May 6, 1986. Its goal was to assess and plan strategies for the dropout problem in the Boston Public Schools. The Boston Compact, the draft plan contained in this document and prepared before the conference, served as the focus for discussion. Educators and administrators from across the country…

These 15 presentations are from a conference held to draw attention to the importance of countries bordering the Pacific Ocean and their contributions to continuing education. They provide perspectives on continuing education opportunities from the standpoint of programming, marketing, technology, and intercultural relations. Presentations include…

This overview of continuing education in the People's Republic of China since 1949 delineates its history, describes its current practices and needs, and discusses its future prospects. The paper opens with a discussion of the term "continuing education"; in China, adult education or spare-time education are the usual nomenclature. A…

This collection of five documents presents data provided by approximately 200 different students in 26 2- and 4-year institutions who, during the fall of 1984, were enrolled in one of five Annenberg/CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) telecourses: The Brain, Mind and Behavior; The Write Course; The Constitution: That Delicate Balance; The…

The parental right to select a child's school involves more than the option to choose nonpublic education. This document reviews a number of policy options availaable to public education systems for providing educational choice. Options at the state level include the use of education vouchers, subsidized transfer to selected schools, and…

Teachers from a rural Pennsylvania elementary school were the focus of a 4-year (1977-1981) field-based Teacher Corps delivery system program. The school site was located 30 miles from its administrative offices and 75 miles from Pennsylvania State University. Inservice workshops held over a 2-year period identified the need for an on-site,…