The interaction needs and performance of distance learners in synchronous and asynchronous classes were compared in a study of 313 students enrolled in 16 distance education courses at Iowa State University in 1995 and 1996. The courses were offered through traditional face-to-face classroom instruction, over the Iowa Communications Network (ICN),…

This guide is designed for students and other individuals intending to live or study abroad and learn about another culture or cultures. These individuals are encouraged to acknowledge and come to terms with responses, particularly negative ones, to aspects of the culture they are visiting. An introductory chapter discusses the general process of…

On average, unemployed U.S. citizens remain jobless for much less time than their European counterparts do. The relatively low level of unemployment in the United States is attributable to two factors: a social protection system that offers far less protection than those in Western Europe do and a broad range of job openings. The fact that…

The validity of the notion that welfare receipt is equivalent to "dependency" and work represents "self-sufficiency" was examined in a qualitative study during which 214 recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and 165 low-wage single mothers in 4 U.S. cities were interviewed. The women were contacted…

This study examined the hypothesis that children who had participated in a full-day kindergarten program would not show a significantly higher academic achievement in first grade as measured by the standardized portfolio assessment than children who participated in a half-day program. The study compared four portfolio assessment scores of two…

A study examined the degree to which children with limited English proficiency can benefit from English instruction in phonemic awareness and phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Subjects were 27 kindergarten children in a suburban northern California school--16 spoke Hmong as their primary language and the rest were monolingual English speakers. The…

The experiences of tech prep students who have made the transition from high school to some form of postsecondary career-oriented education were examined through a survey sent to 38,325 postsecondary students enrolled in 1,948 programs in 362 postsecondary institutions in 14 states. Nearly 90% of those surveyed were under the age of 25. Compared…

Project AFFIRM (African-American First Investment Return Module) was established at Evergreen Community College in fall 1989 as a comprehensive academic and support program to help African-American students achieve their college transfer or associate degree goals. AFFIRM courses have the same content as traditional courses, but utilize…

Elementary education majors at Emporia State University (ESU), Kansas, were subjects in a research project designed to administer, analyze, and interpret a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures of two groups. An experimental group consisted of 16 interns placed at one of two professional development schools (PDS) that ESU operates in…

This report distills hundreds of indicators from both domestic and international sources to determine how the United States compares to other countries and to its own past performance in competitiveness. It attempts to establish a baseline of some key education and training indicators that, taken together, show where the nation stands and where it…

The School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA) qualifies as "historic" legislation for several reasons. STWOA is the first federal education legislation to declare that preparation for earning a living is a legitimate and important role of schooling for all students and the first education legislation to affirm that learning takes…

Data from the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) 1998 Reading Report Card show increased scores for low-performing students in the 4th and 8th grades in 1998 as compared to 1994, but no change at the 12th grade. Scores for low-performing students in the 8th grade were higher in 1998 than in either 1994 or 1992. Scores for…

Noting that it is by studying children's regular activities and their roles and interpersonal relationships that we come to understand how children develop as members of their cultural groups, this study examined children growing up in urban settings in a variety of societies. The study used an ecological perspective largely based on…

This report, from the National Association of College and University Business Officers' (NACUBO), is the nineteenth in a series of comparative data studies of public two-year colleges. A result of an intensive six-month study involving 252 community colleges, it contains financial and other statistics for fiscal year 1997-98. Report highlights…

This study examined the relationship between family structure, expenditures on education, and children's educational outcomes for black South Africans, using the nationally representative 1995 October Household Survey. The analyses focused on 28,215 individuals, ages 10 to 24 years, who had not completed secondary schools. The findings indicated…