This paper explores the identity construction of a number of young-adult only-children who were winners in the fierce competition for a seat at university. The purpose is to gain an understanding of the choices and decisions these young people viewed as significant and how, in negotiating these choices and striving for their life goals, a…

Traditionally, the United States higher education system has been the envy of the world for its high quality, accessibility to millions of Americans, ability to train generations of skilled workers, and its contribution to creating the vast American middle class. Today, however, higher education is experiencing new pressures. A new generation of…

Like many states and the nation, Texas is evaluating the education of its young people in relation to its future economic needs, discovering that the number of degree-attaining young people is far below the national average. That number is also the lowest in two decades, with today's young people being less educated than their peers one and two…

This paper reports on student responses from a survey examining the impact of an experimental, non-competitive evaluation policy on student learning. The policy, implemented at Stanford University for a course examining cultural differences in career and personnel counseling, encouraged students to engage actively in class, learn from each other,…

A study examined the experiences of three states (Minnesota, Maine, Colorado) concerning the development of distance education at the postsecondary level, and the implications of each state's public policy approach. The study's principal objective was to better understand the forces for coordination and competition in state systems of higher…

For a competitive advantage, Ohio must be sensitive to three national trends that will reshape its work force: the growing gap between the skill requirements of jobs and workers' capabilities, the slow growth of the labor force, and demands of a global economy. The future competitiveness of Ohio's economy will depend on its capacity to support the…

Seven articles are presented addressing topics related to United States-Japan trade, foreign investment, and U.S. competitiveness in the global market. The first article, "Super 301 and the Changing Japan-American Relationship" by Glenn Davis describes recent U.S.-Japan trade frictions, epitomized by Super 301, and explains the influence…

Findings of an audit of the New York State Education Department's oversight of school-district transportation contracting practices are provided in this report. The primary purpose of the audit was to assess the extent to which district officials fostered a competitive environment when contracting for transportation services and the effectiveness…

The objectives of this Congressional hearing on high definition information systems were: (1) to receive testimony on standards for systems that permit interoperability between the computer, communications, and broadcasting industries; (2) to examine the implications of the Grand Alliance, an agreement by high definition television (HDTV)…

The International Mathematics Tournament of the Towns is a mathematics competition for junior and senior high school students all over the world. The tournament began in 1980 in the former Soviet Union. Participants write contest papers locally, with emphasis on solving within a very generous time allowance a small number of interesting problems.…

The human geography of Alaska is as diverse as its climate and topography, and 20 native groups, all of them with their own languages and cultural history, as well as many isolated areas. The Battle of the Books, an English-as-a-Second-Language competitive reading program, has been successful in Alaska because through it, diverse people and entire…

Program materials and a brief description of a remedial reading program for grades 3-6 which uses contests to motivate reading at home are presented. The program uses bulletin board displays to keep track of student progress in the contests. The contests operate as follows: (1) students select a name for their figure on the bulletin board; (2)…

Descriptions of scholastic competitions for Marin County (California) students are presented. Following a rationale for conducting scholastic competitions, community groups and businesses which lend support are listed along with the type of support given. Participating grade levels, dates of competition during the 1983-84 school year, and a brief…

New policies are needed for the U.S. telecommunications industry. The continuation of current policies--which emphasize customer and convenience services to the near exclusion of developing domestically produced equipment and improving infrastructure--will constrain the domestic growth of U.S. corporations and make it difficult for smaller…

The telecommunications sector is characterized by massive structural changes due to changes in technology as well as in the regulatory environment. Research and development activities become more and more important for the development of the industry as they determine the competitive position of firms and nations to a large extent. Both the…