The four papers in this document are centered around several themes in education reform: (1) the need to reimagine and recreate strategies; (2) the need to approach familiar obstacles innovatively; (3) the need to utilize all available resources; and (4) and the need to engage in this work cooperatively and with courage and vision. In the first…

Recognizing the critical importance of parent involvement in early education, this textbook presents a variety of strategies and techniques for parent involvement in early childhood education programs. Chapters in the first part of the book focus on specific issues and challenges in implementing parent involvement. Chapter 1 examines the need for…

Community-based learning (CBL) is a structured approach to learning and teaching that connects meaningful community experience with intellectual development, personal growth, and active citizenship. Enthusiasm for CBL is emerging in Australia and elsewhere because it is seen as the following: strategy for whole-school reform, especially in…

Higher education governance structures are ineffective and new structures of "prospective governance" are needed for future success. Trends affecting higher education include financial scarcity, lack of government funding juxtaposed with the growing public demand for better services, and the competitive pressures of commercialization and…

Approximately 700,000 Federal employees have children under age 13; at least an equal number of Federal employees are estimated to have concerns about their elderly parents and relatives. This handbook was developed primarily to put government employees in touch with the many free resource organizations and agencies around the country that can…

This package consists of a facilitator's guide and three booklets that were developed to provide basic preventive health information for adults caring for young children and presents a story line with characters who become more self-confident in coping with children's health issues as they build their knowledge about preventive health. The…

In response to Taiwan's policy changes concerning university freshman English courses for non-majors, which allowed students to use the courses to fulfill a language requirement, a study investigated course characteristics (credit hours, laboratory requirements, midterm and final examinations, and teacher qualifications) and whether these course…

A study investigated the following: the types of freshman English courses for non-majors offered at Taiwan universities in 1995 and the attitudes of faculty, students, and graduates concerning the language skills emphasized; placement of students in classes; use of standardized teaching materials; and need for summer courses. In spring 1996, 178…

Schools use a variety of ways to group students for instruction; most prevalent in middle level schools seems to be ability grouping. Arguments once considered persuasive for ability grouping are losing influence given evidence that the practice results in few achievement benefits and several negative effects. This Digest discusses attitudes…

This booklet discusses some consequences of internationalization for national training systems from the standpoint of the following two broad approaches often taken by international organizations: (1) the human capital ideology, which assumes human capital is an appropriate basis for education policy; and (2) the human rights and human development…

This report addresses small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs') role in the changing international division of labor and trade in information service activities. Chapter 2 describes the EMERGENCE project to map and measure eWork. Chapter 3 reviews literature that shows SMEs account for the overwhelming majority of companies and make a crucial…

Identifies and assesses various nontraditional approaches to business education in high school, university, and graduate school. "Block Scheduling: Considerations for Business Education" (Gloria Jean Smith, Douglas C. Smith) describes ways to maximize learning for high school students by restructuring class time. "Distance Learning: Challenges and…

Despite the conventional wisdom that comprehensive services are an essential element in the support of children and families, over the past several decades programs and services have continued to be disconnected, separately funded, and provided by these multiple agencies. The need for local intermediaries has emerged through the devolution of…

This collection of essays, which is arranged in four sections, concerns flexibility in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems of Europe. The first section, "Introduction," includes the following chapter: "Shaping Conditions for a Flexible VET" (Nieuwenhuis et al.). The second section, "Institutional and…

The educational, social, and familial influences that lead women to choose information technology (IT) careers were examined in an online survey. Of the 2,500 women who were employed in IT careers in 38 countries and who belonged to the IT professional organization, Systers, 275 responded to the online survey (11% response rate). The respondents…