Systematic knowledge about the dimensions and levels of literacy and information about its distribution are prerequisites for forming good educational policy. This issue discusses the conduct and findings of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). The IALS was not intended to rank literacy skills across countries, but was intended to make…

This publication reports on a study of the education job market in 1,667 public school systems in 11 southeastern states. Questionnaires were completed and returned by 544 public school systems, representing a 32.6 percent return rate. The questionnaire looked at 42 teaching fields and 32 administrative areas in the school year 1996-97; historical…

Data were obtained from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a large-scale longitudinal study in the United Kingdom following up a sample of people born in a single week in 1958 through to adult life, to demonstrate that poor numeracy skills have a major impact. At age 37, a 10 percent sample of 1,714 cohort members were interviewed and…

This digest reviews the population characteristics of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their children. Since the 1960s, federal programs for migrant workers and their families have multiplied. However, these programs have differing definitions for "migrant and seasonal farmworker," and no current data system provides a reliable count…

The underparticipation of women in the fields of science and engineering is a matter of record; the understanding that something might be done to bring qualified women into productive careers as researchers, teachers, and practitioners of science and engineering prompted the National Research Council (NRC) in 1990 to establish the Committee on…

This volume presents data from the 13th annual survey of faculty salaries by discipline and rank in the nation's public colleges and universities. Three hundred and seven institutions participated in the survey. Data are presented by disciplines and major field and for both institutions with and without collective bargaining. A final table…

Child-care arrangements of young working mothers were examined in a study using data from the Youth cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience. The data provided information on a sample of young men and women who were between the ages of 14 and 22 in 1979 and who have been interviewed annually since then. The data…

A study investigated the determinants of success in occupational entry for persons trained specifically for work in mass communications. Two separate criteria were used to judge success in entry: actual employment and salary and fringe benefits, earned upon employment. Subjects, 2,171 recipients of bachelor's degrees from 77 programs in journalism…

A follow-up study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to evaluate and obtain externally required information about the dietetic technician program. Surveys were mailed to the 13 students who graduated from the program between spring 1990 and fall 1992 requesting information on their employment status, job title, length of…

In 1992, 12 million families were maintained by women in the United States--a figure that more than doubled since 1970 when there were only 5.6 million such families. They accounted for 14.8 percent of all families in 1980 and 17.6 percent in 1992. Women maintained 3.5 million Black families in 1992; this represented nearly half of all Black…

This report describes a survey to quantify performance measures related to the national goals and objectives of Technical and Further Education, particularly those related to student satisfaction with course content, delivery, support services, financial support, and outcomes of training. This first national survey of vocational education…

This report takes an in-depth look at the evidence of family well-being since the 1996 federal welfare legislation drawing on new national survey data, a review of studies by states and research institutions, and a compilation of findings from informal community-based monitoring projects. Disturbing findings include: Only a small fraction of…

At many higher education institutions, there is increasing reliance on the services of part-time, instead of full-time, faculty. This article presents critical information on the ethics of employing these adjunct faculty, a trend that is especially prominent in community colleges. The paper's introduction discusses adjunct wages, working…

This report presents data regarding employment and retention within Oklahoma of college graduates. Two specific issues addressed are: (1) the general productivity of the degree fields at the bachelor's and associate degree levels; and (2) the proportion of Oklahomans who receive these degrees and remain in the state over time. Both the academic…

The public policy needs of Colombians and Dominicans in the New York (New York) area and Salvadorans and Guatemalans in the Los Angeles (California) area were studied through a telephone survey of 1,503 Latinos. The survey population was generally representative of the emerging Latino populations, although the sample contained more immigrants and…