This document presents information on how the Western states are responding to some of the major policy issues facing U.S. higher education today and on the strategies they have used to implement change. The study, prepared by the Western Policy Exchange Project, defines today's higher education environment as characterized by dynamic global,…

The nature of basic computer occupations has changed greatly since the early 1980s. The changes reveal a shift in the respective roles of the sectors of industry associated with computer services (manufacturing and industrial computing). The service sector has adopted the procedures of industry in terms of organization, methods, and quality,…

Vocational education and training (VET) research in Australia has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. In a 1993 report titled "No Small Change," VET research was characterized as a fragmented activity that was underfunded and had little or no relevance to policy or practice in the VET sector. Since that time, increased funding through the…

This book contains 10 papers on three key questions regarding the effects of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which ended the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program: why welfare caseloads are falling; how welfare recipients are faring; and how the states are responding to changing…

This publication brings together for the first time in a single volume the status of public library standards in the United States. Based on a master's thesis submitted to the Department of Library Science at The Catholic University of America by Mrs. Marian Magg, the study has been brought up to date and also expanded. This bulletin provides not…

Legal limitations faced by law schools adopting university diversity admission policies are considered in light of the new judicial climate in which consideration of nontraditional race criteria is in disfavor. Difficulties in admitting a fully diverse law school class under the traditional application process are examined, appropriate standards…

Campus-based public policy institutes with local, state, and regional orientations may play a profound role in shaping New England's future by addressing a variety of issues, including achieving quality in public schools, access to health care and other social services, job creation, environmental protection and creation of livable communities,…

Presents a case study of the development of kinship care policy in Illinois due to court decisions regarding the provision of financial support to relatives acting as foster parents. Compares recent reform of kinship care policies in Illinois with welfare reform efforts across the country and their national implications. (SD)

A study investigated the impact of six University of Georgia educational leadership workshops conducted for school districts. Positive impacts were seen in developing effective teams; retaining teachers in critical fields; inclusion of students with disabilities; integration of special education teachers and programs; developing successful grants;…

Focusing on national policy and practice, this paper suggests key recommendations for consideration in the context of standards-based reform, including: produce teachers who are multiculturally literate; re-assess ability grouping and tracking practices; reduce K-3 class size and elementary and secondary school size; expand and improve federal…

In the Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 school governing bodies are mandated to manage the funds of schools. The Act also provides guidelines for the school governing body and the principal on their roles and responsibilities in managing the finances of the school. However, some members of school governing bodies and principals either have little…

This article addresses the tensions between Islamic requirements and state provision in physical education initial teacher training (PEITT). Physical education has a firm place in teacher training in England because of its status as a National Curriculum foundation subject which guarantees entitlement for all children. The recruitment and…

This publication describes the results of a 1992 survey of Association of Research Libraries member libraries to determine the extent to which they are becoming virtual libraries, i.e., libraries in which computer and telecommunications technologies make access to a wide range of information resources possible. Areas covered by the survey included…

An ongoing child care improvement study is being conducted of approximately 150 licensed child care providers in 4 Florida counties. The study is assessing the impact of state legislation, which mandated lower caregiver-to-child ratios and increased credentialing. Thus far, the study has found the following effects: (1) children's emotional and…

This two-part document summarizes and analyzes the implications of a national study of adult literacy in Canada that included home interviews with a representative sample of 13,571 Canadians between the ages of 16 and 69. Part 1 summarizes the study's objectives, methodology, and findings. Among the main findings are the following: (1) 16% of…