This document consists of four papers presented during a symposium on work force issues moderated by Jan DeJong at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). "Rethinking the Ties that Bind: An Exploratory Study of Employee Development in Utilities in Canada and the United States" (Michael Aherne, David…

North Carolina employers were asked to evaluate the skills possessed by graduates of the state's educational institutions. The study also profiled any problems employers had in finding qualified applicants for positions. Baseline data were collected to profile education and training programs provided by employers. A random sample of 2,334…

The booklet is part of a grade 10-12 social studies series produced for bilingual education. The series consists of six major thematic modules, with four to five booklets in each. The interdisciplinary modules are based on major ideas and are designed to help students understand some major human problems and make sound, responsive decisions to…

This collection of papers, the fourth in an annual series, presents views of members of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education on faculty, instructional, and institutional development. Papers and authors are as follows: "The Kahuna as Professional and Organizational Development Specialists" (Susanne Whitcomb…

A study investigated the effectiveness of structured viewing of television news on listening comprehension in English as a Second Language (ESL), as compared with the effectiveness of standard listening comprehension materials. Subjects were 66 students aged 18-22 in diverse disciplines, 34 in the experimental group and 32 in a control group.…

This text, designed for both preservice and inservice educators, promotes critical thinking and problem solving across the curriculum. Chapter 1 presents information from personal observations and national studies to support the conclusion that educators need to spend more time creating environments that foster thoughtfulness. Chapter 2 defines…

Ideas for teaching elementary and secondary students of English as a Second Language (ESL) through a unit on kites and kite-making are offered. First, unit objectives are outlined. These include objectives for cognitive skill development (classification, comparison), psychomotor skills (constructing a kite), mathematical operations (measuring,…

A study investigated the emerging journal-writing skills of 16 monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans and 10 monolingual English-speaking first-graders in San Diego County, California, in a whole-language, two-way bilingual classroom. The research looked for developmental stages in writing in the primary language, similarities or…

A study investigated the use of varied reading materials to improve French second-language reading skills, found to be unacceptably low at the second-year level. Subjects were 30 high school students of second-year French. A pretest of reading skills and a language and reading attitude survey were administered to the students. Subsequently, a…

The Commission on Vocational Education and Career Opportunities in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) studied vocational education and career preparation activities in the DCPS and explored strategies for improving them. The study established that DCPS is failing to fulfill its career preparation mission. The problems of too many…

This study evaluated the computer skills and learning expectations of students in an introductory course at a regional university in the southeastern United States. A survey was administered to 595 students enrolled in sections of the Introduction to Computer Information Systems (CIS) course. The survey instrument charted such things as major and…

This instructor's guide was used to help instructors present a course in test-taking skills and five areas that are tested in a standardized test used for apprenticeship screening at many manufacturing companies. The course description lists target audience, general objective, and typical results observed. The rationale for the whole language…

A 3-year workplace literacy project combined the resources and efforts of a junior and a technical college, literacy education providers, and businesses to implement an assessment and education program for textile workers. The program included four components: (1) reading, writing, speaking, listening, and mathematics skills; (2) creative…

This practicum was designed to assist 62 incoming, at-risk, ninth-grade students to acquire the knowledge, motivation, interest, and skills necessary to make a successful transition to high school. Primary objectives were to reduce the number of disciplinary infractions; decrease school absences; involve more of the students in school-related…

The Tech Prep/Associate Degree concept offers an answer to the nationwide mandate to improve the U.S. educational system and thus to enable the country to remain competitive in the world market. Tech Prep is a sequence of study beginning in high school and continuing through at least 2 years of postsecondary occupational education. The Tech Prep…