Objective: Responding to the need for more foster families to provide care for increasing numbers of children coming into care, this study was designed to understand the motivations and needs of foster parents in order to improve recruitment and retention. To meet this goal, the study identified characteristics of current foster families,…

The emergence of Management Advice for Family Farms in West Africa is closely related to the increased integration of farmers into an open market economy. This is creating a strong demand from farmers for advisory support services, focusing on management of the farm. With the gradual withdrawal of the State from extension services delivery, a…

This article describes some of the special health and safety concerns that many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth face in schools. Among these problems are increased drug and alcohol use, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy risks, depression and suicidality, and increased likelihood of being a victim of harassment or assault.…

Since the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Education has enthusiastically embraced bilingual education. In this paper, the author evaluates the federal bilingual education program. Based on her studies of the implementation of bilingual education in California, Massachusetts, and New York City, she concludes that the program is of dubious value. She…

The authors conducted a needs assessment among students and health-care providers of a southwestern university health center with the goal of developing health-care -provider training addressing substance-abuse screening and intervention. They collected data from focus groups of undergraduate students and structured interviews and questionnaires…

This paper describes the theoretical foundations of an online course to teach clinical educators how to convert a traditional face-to-face course for either flexible or distance delivery. We describe the design research approach to the creation of the course and the pedagogical theory behind the course development. We also present the details of…

Learning for sustainability has the potential to play a significant role in enhancing social ecological resilience--as individuals and institutions develop the capacity to adaptively manage the environment. This article outlines an audience and learning needs analysis of irrigators in Western Australia's East Wanneroo area. Interviews were…

The National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind is the first and longest running registry and knowledge base of children who are deaf-blind in the world. Begun in 1986 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (Baldwin, 1993), it represents a thirty plus year collaborative effort between the National Consortium on…

This study investigated the needs of low-literate students participating in a Human Resources Administration/City University of New York (HRA/CUNY) program offering English-as-a-Second-Language and employment-related training to low-income Hispanic women receiving welfare. It identified participants in need of literacy instruction based on grade…

This publication is part of the study materials for the distance education course, Language and Literacies: Contexts and Challenges in the Workplace, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University. The document traces the historical development of Australia's Workplace Basic Education Project (WBEP) model for taking literacy provision into the…

This federally funded report describes the process of developing supplemental instructional materials to accompany a high school social studies text, in order to improve instruction of mainstreamed students with mild disabilities. In producing adapted materials for "Our Common Heritage: A World History," emphasis was placed on…

In an effort to improve cooperative education (CE) programs, or those which formally integrate academic studies with work experience, in the New Brunswick Community College System (Canada), a study was conducted to explore the current status and structure of existing CE programs and determine approaches for future program development. This report…

This discussion paper provides background information describing the service base of adult literacy education programs in Washington State and highlights local initiatives to coordinate services. Based on "The Washington State Literacy Resource Directory," the report identifies 102 local service providers of literacy services to adults.…

In most countries of the Asia-Pacific region, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) are considered essential to economic development. As a result of growing awareness of the need to adapt TVET to meet the rapidly changing national, regional, and global economic requirements, TVET is in a period of transition and reorientation…

This study reports on the results of a survey of current graduate students at Boise State University (BSU) in Idaho, seniors with good grade point averages, and individuals working in the Boise area mainly in the areas of technology and education. Survey respondents (N=297) were asked what obstacles kept or had kept them from enrolling in graduate…