Wales must overcome political, social, economic, and cultural exclusion in developing a response to European education and training initiatives. Democratic funding and accountability are needed to enable Wales to benefit from the new Europe. (SK)

Black and ethnic minorities must not be denied the chance to take advantage of the opportunities available in the restructuring of Europe. A Black agenda would include increased status for adult education, assessment of regional skills gaps, recognition of qualifications obtained outside the European Community, and provision for multicultural…

A longitudinal study of 2100 high school students indicates a "window of opportunity" opens for individuals entering higher education immediately after high school. Students delaying college entry are less likely to attain a bachelor's degree. The finding is critical for students without characteristics to mediate the disadvantage of stopping out.…

Discussion of educational opportunities in Third World countries focuses on textbook development projects financed by international organizations, including the World Bank. It is concluded that instructional systems development elements are needed in textbook development projects to improve both the quality of textbooks and inservice teacher…

Evaluates the process through which financial resources affect opportunities to learn in U.S. public high schools. Examines direct and indirect effects of school expenditures on students' achievement. Indicates that per-pupil expenditures indirectly increase students' achievement by giving them access to educated teachers who use effective…

Expansion of higher education in Britain is driven by political expediency, resulting in imbalance between initial and recurrent education. To reach the goal of a learning society, there must be a better distribution between working time and education and recognition of learning as a social activity, not merely a human capital investment. (SK)

The 1987 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act and amendments provide considerable protection for the education of homeless children and youth. They also provide formula grants to state education agencies to carry out the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. This article reviews major program components and critiques these…

Discusses changes in the bachelor of arts degree awarded by French universities, changes that were instituted to increase the opportunities for students to earn a degree within a field corresponding to their aspirations and aptitudes and, consequently, to improve their chances of finding satisfactory employment after graduation. (46 references)…

Describes the commitment of the Northwest Center for Sustainable Resources at Chemeketa Community College's (Oregon) to include Native American traditions in its resource management curriculum. Recounts the Education and Career Conference sponsored by the college this spring aimed at educating northwestern Indian tribal students about college,…

Although special services providers are trained to address a range of behavioral problems, there has been little attention paid to non-traditional training sites which can prepare special service providers for working with seriously delinquent youth. Article considers the increasingly delinquent behaviors of children and describes an internship…

Examines the debate over private versus public education, both sides of which claim that their position either preserves or creates opportunities for choice. Uses a historical perspective to reflect on what actually constitutes an opportunity in education. Suggests that apparent opportunities often have hidden costs or unintended consequences. (SV)

Repertory grid analysis of data from 336 Australian career and vocational teachers and other teachers revealed how they constructed meaning for career-vocational education (CVE). Interviews and questionnaires indicated that CVE lacked status in schools. A causal model was developed to show that institutionalization of CVE resulted from personal…

Opportunity to learn is considered an important contributing factor in learning outcomes. In some of the latest international comparative studies of mathematics achievement, such as SIMS and TIMSS, painstaking efforts have been made to find out what the participating students' opportunities to learn mathematics had been. However, there have been…

Higher education academicians are concerned with issues of enrollment management; distance education; virtual classrooms; international education; and diversity. However, in this new society, producing quality students remains the central focus. To fulfill this responsibility, the university must: Provide students with opportunities that encourage…

The Summer 2004 issue of Research Points, a four-page flier from the American Educational Research Association, opens with the fundamental case for value-added assessment: Today's accountability systems place the blame on schools for inadequate student academic achievement, which seems unfair to many people. They believe that family background and…