The Education Commission of the States (ECS) Task Force on Education for Economic Growth was established in 1982 and is made up of governors, business and industry leaders, labor representatives, members of the technical community, and educators. The task force has surveyed 40 states and found programs and activities enhancing economic growth.…

The Education Action Zone programme in Gauteng province, South Africa, has been widely seen as a very successful school improvement initiative, with particular significance as it represents a unique model of top-down, bureaucratic accountability as a vehicle for turning- around dysfunctional secondary schools. In this article I evaluate the impact…

The age distribution and growth of the Latino population have critical implications for the present and future of social and economic policy, with particular emphasis on early care and education. Following a discussion of the demographic trends involving Latino children and families, this paper discusses the child care and early education needs of…

Based on observation and experience, analysis translates into a proposal for reform. Eight essays explore in personal terms several troubling educational issues undergirded by the fundamental belief that the purpose of public education is the cultivation of civic virtue. The first essay addresses the widespread loss of faith in public schooling.…

Private sector training is a primary force in education in the United States for a number of reasons: (1) the sheer amount of such training makes it a major factor; (2) this training has a significant impact on the nation's productivity and competitiveness; (3) it plays a major role in creating innovative and cost-effective solutions to training…

Monumental social and economic problems confront the rural communities of the South. Diversification of the rural economy is the key to revitalizing the rural South, but new industries, anticipating the need for a more highly skilled work force, find the region's human capital resources to be deficient. Vibrant economies are not sustainable in a…

An examination of the reasons for the gap between academic and vocational courses of study in secondary schools showed problems in the basic competencies of vocational completers and proposed strategies for improving them. The following issues were identified: (1) presently, there is no such thing as a vocational program of studies in the average…

The problem of adult illiteracy in Canada is now accepted as socially significant, whether defined in terms of numbers, impact on the economy, or implications for the future. A reasonable estimate would be that one in five Canadian adults has a severe enough problem with reading, writing, or arithmetic that his or her functioning in society is to…

This paper argues for the participation and partnership of diverse elements in the community in order to achieve the goals of educational reform, and especially to encourage academic achievement among minority students. In a speech before the Forum '88 conference of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, the cooperative…

Among the suggestions that have been put forward to increase the collaboration between the business sector and educational institutions as a means for accomplishing program improvement are supporting the existing system where the schools are generally healthy, fostering innovative change, and working for major structural reforms in the system.…

A globally competitive Mississippi must be built through investment in the education, training, and skills of its people. Recommendations for improving the system involve (1) a human resource and economic development strategy built on a partnership between the state and communities and (2) a state-level human capital strategy board. Critical…

At the education "summit" held in 1989 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the President and the Governors called for the establishment of clear national performance goals designed to make the United States internationally competitive. Six national education goals, to be reached by the year 2000, were identified as the first step in carrying out that…

Current science assessments in use in the states were studied, and the extent to which these assessments meet the goals of reform of science education specified by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was investigated. These goals were identified by the AAAS in "Project 2061: Science for All Americans?" Data…

This paper presents, describes, and explains the results of Project SIGN (a school improvement groups network) collaboratively conducted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the Camp Lejeune Dependents' Schools during the 1989-90 school year. The collegial, professional in-service program, designed to improve school effectiveness…

This paper describes the emerging debate on efficiency and program quality in rural schools, explores the strengths and weaknesses of rural district consolidation, and suggests policy options for redesigning rural education. An examination of economic trends, demographics, and philosophical changes regarding rural education's purpose puts…