In a paper presented in July 2003 to Labour's National Policy Forum, the main policy-making body in the United Kingdom, Liam Byrne, a research associate of the Social Market Foundation, forecast the major problems that will face government in Britain in 2020. As reported in the "Guardian" (9 August 2003): "British national…

The United States faces an economic-influenced educational crisis. According to the U.S. Department of Commence, Census Bureau data (2002) the difference in household earnings between the upper and lower quintiles has worsened over the last forty years. Future generations possess suspect knowledge to properly manage this income, as youth possess…

Messages in the consumer culture are often youth oriented, aiming at the prevention of the bodily decay associated with biological aging. In gerontological discourses, this has been hypothesized to generate negative attitudes toward embodied aging and old age. Studies about general attitudes toward old age show that younger respondents have more…

This article presents the development process of a consumer-oriented, illustrative benchmarking tool enabling consumers to use the results of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) to make informed decisions. LCA provides a wealth of information on the environmental impacts of products, but its results are very difficult to present concisely…

These two issues are designed to provide secondary school educators with a greater knowledge of insurance and access to teaching materials regarding insurance and to provide students with information about insurance and insurance careers. The following feature articles are included in the newsletters: "Life Insurance: Why and When People Buy…

A study researched the development of consumer education in British schools 5 years after the introduction of the national curriculum. Information was gathered through the following methods: a literature review, questionnaires sent to all local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales and all primary and secondary schools in two LEAs in…

This resource list cites nationwide tests indicating that many teenagers and adults have not been well prepared to function as marketplace consumers. It notes that a survey of chief state school administrators (1990) found unanimous support among respondents for consumer education as a top or middle priority in educational revitalization. The…

This paper describes a nurse practitioner directed health center education program for senior citizens in Medford, Massachusetts. The planning process, including needs and location decisions, is defined, and a summary of needs survey data on the population is offered, including health problems (medication problems, lack of exercise, depression,…

Discusses some of the educational needs not presently being met by the formal educational system in the United States and suggests some ways that community education programs can address these needs through the use of existing educational facilities and professional expertise. (JG)

The article offers an overview of the product safety issue and offers ideas for helping students develop product safety awareness. The role of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and safety legislation are discussed. (MW)

This document is a progress report on a British project designed to help disabled adults gain self-advocacy skills, becoming active consumers of the rights and benefits to which they are entitled. The aims of the project, which began in September 1988, are as follows: (1) promote staff development on advocacy among professionals working with the…

This guide is designed for use with the "Consumer's Resource Handbook" published by the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. The handbook's overall purpose is to help build consumer literacy for the global marketplace of the 21st century. The handbook can familiarize students--both youth and adults--with sources of marketplace information/assistance…

The results of the first systematic content analysis of free consumer curriculum materials indicate the extent to which such business sponsored materials are an advertising vehicle for their producers. The business sponsored materials in this sample of 116 items contain nearly twice as many advertising statements as the non-business materials.…

This bilingual booklet is intended to help Vietnamese refugees gain a basic understanding of tenants' and landlords' rights and responsibilities. The booklet consists of parallel English and Vietnamese translations of information dealing with the following topics: tenants' rights and responsibilities, landlords' responsibilities, eviction,…

The enormous and rapidly-increasing number of goods on the market makes it difficult to ensure that all consumer products are safe to use. Public concern about product safety has caused the enactment of a wide range of consumer protection laws. The result of this legislation has been that many agencies have been established to protect the public.…