Provides an overview of computer conferencing and discusses its advantages and efficacy in developing industry-valued competences in terms of: ease of information dissemination, time efficiency, facilitation of multiple tasks, inclusiveness, reflection, student centeredness, learning versus teaching, distance capabilities, presence of moderators,…

Discusses the following aspects of associate degrees: which occupations they prepare students for, how to select and prepare for a college program, and where to find information about associate degree programs and careers. (JOW)

Two tenets of U.S. ideology are equality of opportunity and social mobility. However, class-based analysis shows that higher education uses meritocratic rather democratic norms, limiting educational opportunities for the poor, the working class, and racial minorities. (SK)

The patriarchal policies and practices of the New Zealand Association for Community and Continuing Education contributed to the decline in educational opportunities for women from 1982-92. Feminist perspectives and women's influence in the internal workings of the association had little lasting impact on mainstream practices. (SK)

Educational opportunity and civil rights are the bedrock of America's best and worst attempts to achieve pluralism. The civil rights movement shook the nation's moral fiber, weakening only after reaching the highest governing bodies. Educational reform efforts could learn much from this lesson in successful social transformation. Educational…

Disadvantaged youth should not be penalized for their economic status or stereotyped as unintelligent. Despite schools' best intentions, poor youngsters are underrepresented in gifted and talented education programs. This article shows what administrators and communities can do to ensure that highly able disadvantaged youth are included in…

Issues of public concern for higher education are identified: quality of higher education; opportunity and choice for all qualified citizens; price and cost of higher education; public understanding of the purposes of higher education; and higher education's relation to the workplace and economic development. (MLW)

Employs critical race theory to examine the potential influence of opportunity-to-learn standards on African American students' mathematics education. Questions these standards' adequacy. Equal opportunity standards should be built on the rapid growth and changes in mathematics, constructivist learning principles, the concept of fiscal adequacy,…

Women's education must address wider economic, political, and social issues. Provision for women in adult education must prepare them for mainstream opportunities in education, training, or employment. (SK)

This study of 6 students with severe disabilities and 12 without disabilities in an inclusive elementary school found that both groups evidenced comparable levels of engaged time in general education classrooms. The quantity of time actually used for instruction was unaffected by the presence of students with severe disabilities. (Author/JDD)

Describes the number of barriers that prevent girls from accessing education at every level in Papua New Guinea, from physical and geographical factors to psychosocial and economic factors. Proposes distance education as one of the few "second chances" for these girls. Contains 30 references. (AMA)

Suggests the reason few students of biological and environmental sciences study in international settings is that there is not agreement on the value of international science education. Reviews obstacles to reaching an agreement as well as recent successes at St. Lawrence University. Provides examples of the value of improving international…

The Leisure/Occupational Connection Search is a self-assessment instrument that measures transferable skills developed in leisure pursuits. When used by 112 displaced workers, 74% felt it helped develop awareness of their transferable skills; over 60% increased awareness of their occupational and educational options. (SK)

After five years, the AmeriCorps program, a federal program designed to encourage youth to perform public service by providing substantial scholarships after completion, has been both praised as effective in getting things done and criticized as cost-ineffective. Some feel the money could have been better spent for federal grants or work-study…

A Maryland middle school helps students navigate passage to high school with 10 crossings: parent engagement, mentoring transitional opportunities program, a middle-school exit form, a special assembly, a closing ceremony, a unification process, departmental articulation, a roundtable involving middle- and high-school principals, and a high-school…