This publication reviews and summarizes the findings of the major benchmark studies and reports in adult literacy--beginning with the University of Texas' Adult Performance Level Study of 1977 and continuing through the 2006 NAAL survey results, A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century.

The Forum on Microbial Threats (previously named the Forum on Emerging Infections) was created in 1996 in response to a request from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of the Forum is to provide structured opportunities for representatives from academia, industry, professional…

Policy-makers in almost all countries agree on one thing: namely on the importance of education and skills to ensuring future economic prosperity. A fruitful line of research has focused on determining the impact that acquiring education or training has on an individual's labour market productivity and earning prospects: this is known as rate of…

At the 18th meeting of Ministerial Council on Education (MCEETYA) (12th-13th May 2005), Council urged the Australian Government to: (1) increase per capita assistance to ESL-NA students with high educational needs, in particular, refugees and humanitarian entrants; (2) provide a new per capita allocation so that specific ethnic and cultural issues…

Not since the Depression, when the unemployed flocked to community colleges for training, have community colleges been more squarely in the workforce development spotlight than now. Long recognized for providing affordable access to students seeking associate's degrees or transfer to four-year postsecondary institutions, community colleges have…

This document provides a comprehensive overview and annotated bibliography, and is focused upon the period of 1994-2005. Beyond the challenges, the opportunities captured and unique solutions are also reported. This third edition of "Mental Health and Rural America: 1994-2005" seeks to concisely present a comprehensive summary of the…

Australian public policy adopted the concept of lifelong learning in the 1980s and harnessed it to human capital theory to articulate a new policy emphasis on "up-skilling" the Australian labour force. This paper addresses the question of how this conception of lifelong learning has fared in practice as Australian Commonwealth government…

Because their fiscal health depends on having a large base of high-wage taxpayers, states have an economic interest in increasing their citizens' skill levels. In today's global economy, high wages are increasingly tied to the high skills required to function successfully in high performance work organizations. Employer-provided skill upgrading…

The generic workplace curricula in this document were developed in a workplace education project conducted in Pima County, Arizona, which served 524 workers (58 percent from minority groups) at 14 worksites. Generic curriculum and competencies were developed for each subject area rather than each specific worksite. Of 374 workers who completed the…

A study examined the problems encountered when organizations adopt management strategies based on teamwork and total quality management (TQM) and the effectiveness of training in avoiding such problems. Survey instruments were mailed to 85 individuals involved in implementing work teams at 85 companies in 4 Missouri cities; 23 responses (27.1%…

This publication contains detailed reports from the eight subcouncils established by the Competitiveness Policy Council to develop specific policy recommendations in eight areas. "Building a Standards-Based School System" (Education Subcouncil) recommends redirecting the education system toward achieving the National Education Goals,…

Project RAISE (Rural America Institute for Special Educators) was a preservice teacher training program specifically designed for preparing special educators for the demands of rural settings. The project was conducted by the Department of Special Education at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and concentrated on training special educators in…

Lack of a comprehensive state policy on state government aid for postsecondary work force training has resulted in duplicate funding and competitive relationships between the vocational high schools and the county colleges in New Jersey. Major attempts by state government agencies and the legislature to influence the future of work force training…

A study examined the extent to which employers in the United Kingdom (UK) are involved in the youth labor market and in the UK's Training Credits model within the South London Training and Enterprise Council (SOLOTEC) area. Data were collected from the following sources: review of labor market trends; qualitative interviews with 36 employers…

The Workforce Development Center (WDC), in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, is a cooperative effort of nine public and private agencies, including the Wisconsin Job Service, the Private Industry Council, and Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), to provide integrated employment services to area citizens and employers. Located on the WCTC campus,…