This report is the result of a 2-year effort to solicit, produce, and analyze feedback from over 1,500 adults across the United States about what National Education Goal 6--the literacy and lifelong learning goal--meant to them. Part I is a synthesis of adult learner perspectives on Goal 6. It first describes the four purposes that drive adults'…

An exploratory study was conducted to examine the ways in which existing programs or service delivery systems have adapted to meet the needs of homeless families with children. Key issues and model and innovative approaches were identified prior to study site visits in five cities: (1) Atlanta (Georgia); (2) Baltimore (Maryland); (3) Boston…

How to build and support the Empowering School is explained. The Empowering School is one in which caring adults empower students to learn to hold meaningful jobs, to enjoy close relationships with caring adults, and to learn to communicate in positive ways. The Empowering School is also a center for social service. Part 1 of this book describes…

In the summer of 1995, 371 establishments in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, were surveyed regarding their opinions of the quality of the local work force. The purpose of the study was to provide evaluation data for planning and curriculum development at the secondary and post-secondary school levels. Forty-three percent of the employers responded.…

A project examined information currently made available by colleges of further education in Scotland to users and the marketing strategies used. Thirty-eight of 45 colleges completed a questionnaire on current marketing practice. Other activities included focus groups and interviews with students and members of the general public and a postal…

This study sought to determine the most important goals of the University of the Americas-Puebla (Mexico) through a needs-analysis survey of the faculty. A survey instrument was developed which included a series of 58 goal statements. The university's 168 faculty members were asked to rate the degree to which each goal is being met, rate the…

This booklet is a guide to setting up a formal mentor program in the community. Mentor programs can take many shapes, whether sponsored through the schools, by businesses, or by churches and volunteer agencies. Like any operation, a volunteer mentor program has various management functions. The planning function sets a mission statement, goals,…

In 1996, Ohio's Terra Community College undertook a project to substantiate the need for a comprehensive orientation program and to develop such a program, including a pre-college session and a college orientation class. Information was gathered through a literature review, suggesting that orientation creates a bond between the student and the…

At the heart of the controversy over market-driven continuing education programs is the issue of whether they are necessarily antithetical to the principles and philosophy of adult learning. Opponents identify the following problems of market-driven programs: they perpetuate inequality by neglecting needs of those less able to pay; they may meet…

Growth of child care, preschool, and special needs services in the past 10 years in New South Wales (Australia) has left the early childhood professional with a wide variety of systems, both governmental and non-governmental, to consider as support for the child and the family. Between 1990 and 1995, in response to a perceived need for…

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors in states where American Indians reside in large numbers were surveyed to determine the proportion of American Indian clients with alcohol or substance abuse problems in the counselors' caseloads and the kinds of specializes services provided to the clients A total of 124 VR counselors from 14 states…

This guide is intended to help project directors, coordinators, and other professional staff involved in developing and delivering workplace education programs do the following: understand the confidential nature of workplace education skills assessments and recommended measures in dealing with confidentiality; differentiate between the various…

School security is a national concern. Throughout the country, youth crime and violence threaten to undermine the safety of American students' learning environment. This handbook is the product of a joint effort of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and DynCorp to help educators develop plans for reducing violence in…

The Commission on Higher Education conducted a survey in 1995 of 495 member institutions of higher education, most in the Mid-Atlantic region, to determine their progress with outcomes assessment. Sixty-eight percent of the institutions responded, disclosing that: (1) more than half do not have an institution-wide plan for outcomes assessment…

These proceedings are a summary of a working conference for New York State academic library directors sponsored by the Academic and Special Libraries Section of the New York Library Association (NYLA) and the New York Three R's Organization (NYTRO). Library directors from 74 academic institutions around New York State met to develop an agenda…