This congressional hearing consists of testimony on the nursing shortage facing the country. It examines the causes and impact of the nursing shortage that the nation faces and introduces innovative remedies currently being undertaken by educational institutions and the health care industry, and makes suggestions for further action. Testimony…

This paper is for policymakers, advocates, and analysts who understand that the issues surrounding the introduction of more market-based mechanisms into education are complex and who accept the view that evidence is useful in sorting out the issues. It uses the market framework of demand, supply, and market pricing to organize the extensive but…

The 2000-2003 goals and objectives of the Houston Community College System (HCCS) in Texas include the following: (1) focus on student learning in the classroom; (2) ensure student access and success through comprehensive student services; (3) develop and maintain outstanding educational programs; (4) ensure a quality learning experience; and (5)…

This is the report of the 2000 New Mexico Association of Community Colleges (NMACC) Strategic Planning Conference. Participants worked in small groups to identify the most probable and the most desirable world for the year 2000. Results for the most probable world include: (1) education would be available to many consumers, using many delivery…

This report examines the role of the state in ensuring access to advanced telecommunications technologies by all Minnesotans and explores viable policy alternatives. Recommendations fall into four categories: access, affordability and competition, training and skills, and local initiative. Concerning access, the goal is for all Minnesotans to have…

The Ontario Industrial Workers' research site offered a basic analysis of issues relevant to the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) research and the labor education community. Project goals revolved around the need to examine development and applications of a new PLAR instrument, the Skills and Knowledge Profile (SKP), which is…

This is a report on a business survey conducted by Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) (Oregon) to review the success and quality of the college's degree and certificate programs in business administration, computer application systems, and computer information systems. The community college surveyed 104 local businesses to verify the…

This document discusses the teacher preparation recommendations from a task force put together by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). These recommendations are needed due to the shortage of teachers and the lower national tests scores of U.S. high school students. The task force offers suggestions on four faculty-related topics: (1)…

The Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) is a nonprofit sectoral council that speaks for software professionals throughout the Canadian economy. The SHRC's mission is to increase the number of Information Technology (IT) workers in Canada. This paper gives a brief overview of the evolution of SHRC's Information Technology Professional Program…

This paper contends that, because the direct connection between education and earnings is growing, with higher earnings increasingly linked to some form of postsecondary education and training, economic self-sufficiency frequently requires that workers advance beyond high school. At the same time, employers are increasingly reporting difficulty in…

Workforce development organizations are more and more focused on achieving and documenting performance outcomes; yet managers frequently face a challenge getting buy-in from frontline staff about collecting and using data--not only to satisfy funders' needs but to improve services. "Good Stories Aren't Enough" looks at the experience and…

School districts have participated in multiple rounds of education reform activity in the past few decades, yet few have made headway on system-wide school improvement. This paper addresses the questions of whether districts matter for school reform progress and what successful "reforming" districts do to achieve system change and to…

Rigorous college preparatory course sequences are critical to preparing students for postsecondary education and work. Yet, large numbers of students still do not participate in the most beneficial courses, and there is little evidence that the high school curriculum is rigorous enough to ensure that most students are adequately prepared for…

Writing in the workplace is among the understudied business topics in the field of HRD. Yet, the impacts of writing in today's workplace are significant, and organizations making it a priority benefit from it. Furthermore, writing is related to the issue of workplace literacy which is the umbrella term for basic communication skills. This…

This E.D. Tab focuses on degree completions in academic programs that have been deemed areas of national need by federal legislation. The analysis focuses on completions data from 1996-97 and 2001-02 and examines completions at institutions granting awards of associate's degrees and higher. In particular, it looks at the change in the total number…