Available vocational education and training in the United Kingdom's retail sector were examined in an employee-centered study during which data were collected primarily from two sources: questionnaires completed by 1,974 from a random sample of approximately 6,000 British retail employees who were surveyed, and semistructured face-to-face…

This report provides a history of the North American Association of Summer Sessions (NAASS), founded in 1964 to bring together the deans and directors of American, Canadian, and Mexican university summer programming. The report examines the circumstances leading to the association's founding, its early development, and major programs and…

A study investigated parents' perceptions of the quality of kindergarten education in Singapore. Subjects (437 parents from 10 kindergartens) responded to a survey on reasons for wanting their children to attend kindergarten and their choice of kindergarten. Responses were categorized according to: (1) socioeconomic characteristics of the parents;…

Two studies examined why many adults choose not to attend adult basic education (ABE) classes and ways of improving retention in ABE. In the first study, 17 adults from the Pittsburgh area who had recently quit attending ABE classes (termed "reluctant learners") and 20 adults who had persisted in ABE were interviewed. It was recommended…

This report discusses the Federal Pell Grant Program, the largest need-related federal postsecondary student grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education, along with recent changes in the program authorized by the 1992 Amendments to the Higher Education Act. The program is designed to assist student from low-income families who…

A study was conducted to develop a conceptual framework for tech prep programs based on the perceptions of personnel involved in the planning and implementation of local tech prep programs. A structured conceptualization process called concept mapping was used to develop a pictorial representation of stakeholders' perceptions of tech prep. Using a…

On June 8, 1992, the presidents of the nation's two largest teachers unions joined the directors and presidents of virtually every educational organization, as well as political leaders and executives from Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler in an effort to redesign U.S. schools using the quality principles of W. Edwards Deming. Panelists spent the…

This study examined the attitudes of State Higher Education Finance Officers (SHEFOs) in regard to performance budgeting and performance funding of public higher education. A telephone survey of all 50 SHEFOs or alternate officers was conducted in June 1998, and the results were then compared to a similar survey conducted in April 1997. It was…

This study examined faculty, student, and community perceptions of the purpose and value of a college education. A total of 536 undergraduates, 121 faculty, 211 members of the community of a metropolitan university completed a survey based on the ACT College Outcomes Survey that focused on educational outcomes and student growth. The results…

This study examined the work roles and events that signified affirmation or marginalization among female full professors at a research university. Semistructured interviews conducted with 26 female full professors at Iowa State University covered questions in four primary areas: promotion and tenure experiences, institutional citizenship and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate some variables that relate to students' anxiety in learning statistics. The variables included sex, class level, students' achievement, school, mathematical background, previous statistics courses, and race. The instrument used was the 24-item Students' Attitudes Toward Statistics (STATS), which was…

Recent research in second language acquisition (SLA) suggests that cultural pluralism can be an effective approach to assisting immigrants blend into the majority society. This handbook was designed to assist educators to be responsive and sensitive to the needs of a group of Kurdish political refugees who recently resettled in Idaho. It provides…

In addressing the challenges facing the country into the 21st century, educational reform represents one of the key elements to assuring and sustaining the nation's economical, social, political, and cultural well-being. It is essential in any reform effort, moreover, that we identify and address the barriers to equal educational opportunity.…

With Chile's return to democracy in 1990, evidence of serious deficiencies in quality and equity in Chilean schools prompted the Ministry of Education to design and implement the 900 Schools Programme, a reform measure to improve the quality of primary education in the country's impoverished areas. The guiding principles of the program are…

This practicum was designed to improve adult skills in facilitating science learning in preschool children by improving teaching staff and parent understanding of active learning and science processes. A series of workshops was presented to pre-kindergarten teachers, family home child care providers, parents, and college students preparing to…