This book discusses issues involved in the current debate over the nature and effectiveness of anti-poverty programs, and examines the high economic and social costs of, and the risk factors involved in, cyclical poverty. The book offers suggestions to help solve the problems of cyclical poverty and chronic disadvantage by highlighting effective…

A 2-year teacher preparation and induction process for faculty new to teaching is being implemented in Iowa's community colleges. The process includes a series of credit-earning seminars that are sequentially taught at predefined levels of competence and implemented in the teacher's classroom with the assistance of the master teacher and…

This report contains materials from a workshop on the production and use of audiovisual, printed, and folk media as literacy follow-up materials. Chapter I contains the proceedings and consists of an introduction, objective, and summaries of opening speeches, technical/academic presentations, group work, and closing speeches. Chapter II provides…

The Positive Impact Program (PIP) is a program that involves the community through role models as mentors in striving to meet the needs of at-risk students. The program is directed by 16 black men who work every week with school-age black males (N=18) who have been identified as being "at-risk" by their teachers. The teachers identified…

The Appalachian Adult Education Center project developed a practical assistance center for adult education demonstration programs through interagency funding and cooperation. During the period July 1, 1972 through February 28, 1973, the project was funded (for half the requested amount), and major objectives began to be achieved. Projects carried…

In 1992, a study was conducted at Golden West College (California) to determine the predictive validity of the Math Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests. A total of 1,137 students were tested in-class; 601 took the Algebra Readiness test, 376 took the Elementary Algebra test, and 160 took the Intermediate Algebra test. Two correlation…

Miami-Dade Community College's (MDCC's) implementation and assessment of computer software as a part of Project SYNERGY, a multi-institutional project funded by the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation designed to seek technological solutions for helping students underprepared in reading, writing and mathematics, is described in this…

In 1992, a study was conducted at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) to provide a comparative analysis of PVCC salaries and an examination of local cost-of-living data. PVCC salary data were compared internally, examining such factors as sex, rank, degree qualification, and seniority; and externally, looking at appropriate state, regional,…

The present crisis in education is so severe that to return to the "basics," or simply to improve the standard approach to instruction, will only make the situation worse. Missing is a recognition of the importance of the imagination in the learning process. I. A. Richards (1925) has identified six distinct aspects of the imagination: (1) the…

In 1985-86, Northern Michigan College (NMC) used funds received from the United States Department of Education to develop a system of assessment, advisement, and placement--Placement/Advisement for Student Success (PASS), an integrated system designed to improve student retention. PASS currently consists of three components: summer orientation,…

In 1991, a survey was mailed to Arrowhead Community College Region (Minnesota) students who had graduated during the 1985-86 academic year. Of the 750 graduates that year, 213 responded. Survey findings, based on this 28.4% response rate, included the following: (1) 44.6% of the respondents had earned a bachelor's degree, 4.2% had earned a…

Drawing from the personal experiences of faculty members from Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC), this paper presented by three panel members explores methods of publishing student work, some of the problems and rewards inherent in doing so, and ways in which other composition instructors may provide a broader audience for the writings of…

Prince George's Community College (PGCC), in Maryland, has monitored minority student performance for over a decade, and has several programs in place to assist minority students in their endeavors at the college. The college's enrollment has always reflected the demographics of Prince George's County, mirroring the rapid changes in the county's…

This report considers the basic skills levels of adults in Kansas, the provision of basic skills training by public and private agencies, and policy options for improving the basic skills of Kansas's workforce. Following a detailed executive report, chapter 1 reviews the workforce challenge, economic and technological changes, and shifts in…

In 1991, a study was conducted to determine perceptions regarding the deterrents to college attendance among adult learners in an isolated northern community. The study consisted of a survey of 40 students at the Fort Nelson campus of Northern Lights College (NLC) in British Columbia, and a follow-up interview of eight of the survey respondents.…