This Congressional report contains the testimony given at a hearing pertaining to passage of the Youth Employment Opportunity Wage Act of 1985. (The act, which would terminate in September 1987, would authorize an employer to pay a subminimum, "youth employment opportunity wage" to a person under 20 years of age.) Included among those…

This hearing focuses on scientific and policy deficiencies in the area of drug-induced birth defects. Witnesses charge that (1) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require the kinds of clinical studies that are necessary to actually determine the safety of drugs used in pregnancy, (2) the FDA does nothing to enable women to find out…

The Alaska School Effectiveness Project produced several reports in a series of reviews of research literature on such topics as class size. Using an ERIC search and conventional library methods, the question raised was "Do small classes have a positive effect on the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students?" Of the 35…

The problem of urban youth unemployment demands that instead of endless policy formulation, more efforts be put into actual problem solving strategies. The failure of government programs to reduce youth unemployment calls for the involvement of community based organizations and various educational agencies in solving the problem. Solutions must…

Using examples from the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.), the authors investigate the use of special or expert commissions in government policy-making in education. They analyze such commissions' impacts, the criticisms made of them, their role in political legitimation, and some alternative instruments for policy formation.…

A conceptual framework for planned educational change is presented in this book. The three studies outlined in part I examine how curriculum decisions are made by teachers and factors that seem to influence this decision making. An attempt is also made to discover explanations for the character of this decision making, through the use of several…

A social impact assessment which focused on a Hawaiian community's evaluation of social change and development is reported. The research occurred on the island of Moloka'i, which depends largely on imports for its energy sources, although it has a number of natural sources (biomass, wind, solar, and water power). Specifically, the study identified…

Differences in perspectives concerning planning between administrators and planning staff were investigated at a midwestern university through interviews, and the results were used to identify ways to reduce these differences. In addition, the literature concerning planning in higher education was reviewed to identify institutional and planning…

This guide is intended to help Connecticut school districts plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive vocational program for secondary schools and to assist in revitalizing existing programs. The guide is divided into three parts. The first part is an overview of vocational education, providing some historical and current perspectives as well…

Responses and changes made, in answer to the passage and implementation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, to preservice and inservice teacher certification patterns and requirements and program approval standards for teacher preparation programs in the United States are described in this report. Part 1 is an analysis of the…

Since the approval of the Basic Skills Improvement Policy in 1978, the Massachusetts Department of Education has been developing tests and alternative forms for the assessment of student achievement in five basic skills content areas: reading, writing, mathematics, listening, and speaking. Because of the lack of previous research on which to draw…

Enrollment projections and the economic environment of higher education are analyzed, along with questions that trustees should ask. Factors that affect enrollment projections are addressed, and trend data at the national, regional, and state levels are presented. Demographic considerations include: future age distribution of the population, past…

Although several fundamental forces are changing the American economy and the American work force, three conditions are pivotal--demographic change, technological change coupled with shifting conditions of competition, and the continuing inadequacies of both public- and private-sector employment and training policies. The employment and training…

Primary health care has a new tool with which to improve its effectiveness, its efficiency, and its decisions about national and local priorities: the accurate measurement of the chances of occurrence of a future event of health or illness. Human and other resources should go where the need is greatest, and assessment of the risk of future…

The lack of high quality data to describe and monitor U.S. educational systems hampers reform decisions and will impair reform evaluation. This paper sets forth the Council of Chief State School Officers' (CCSSO) recommendations for the Council and federal, state, and local education agencies to help improve the quality of educational indicators.…