The U.S. General Accounting Office studied the characteristics of individual participants in training provided by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), the kinds and intensity of services they received, and the occupations in which they were employed after leaving the program. Visits to 63 randomly selected service delivery areas provided…

The monograph interprets individualized education program (IEP) requirements of Part B of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. After introductory information outlining the purpose of the IEP and basic IEP requirements, a question and answer format of 60 questions provides specific details. Nine inserts highlight major…

Poor educational performance and the changing nature of work and workers have prompted calls for a major restructuring of American schools. The following broad categories of restructuring options are discussed and supporting research is reviewed: (1) decentralizing authority over schooling through school-based management, more professional…

In 1989, North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) conducted a study of transfer students to examine the relative effect of college attendance on academic achievement, transfer students' satisfaction with their college experience, and the college's fulfillment of general education goals. The study examined the length of exposure to college…

One of the changes advocated by the Regular Education Initiative (REI) is the placement of all students with disabilities in regular education classes. This paper analyzes this REI proposal and discusses four objections, with citations to relevant literature: (1) restriction of the continuum of services, which may result in students being put…

This paper addresses the following questions: (1) What skills are needed in the U.S. economy? (2) What are citizens getting from U.S. schools? and (3) How does the United States get what is needed? The paper is divided into three sections. The first section, "The Transformation of the American Economy," examines the following data…

In this report four educators discuss the issues which they see to be most current in the fields of testing, measurement and evaluation. The first section discusses the mastery of basic skills, defined by minimum levels of competence. Factors such as accountability, social policy, instructional implications, and psychometric issues are brought to…

The importance of legislative initiatives to improve postsecondary education is discussed, along with mechanisms that legislatures have used to induce change in higher education, and guidelines for action. Structural obstacles to improvements that have confronted most public colleges include lack of clear priorities, fragmented responsibilities,…

The main theme of the conference was the politics of adult education research. The following papers from the conference are included in this compilation, following the opening address (Nisbet): "Some Tension Points in Adult Education Research" (Bryant and Usher); "Key Issues in Adult Education Research" (Gerver); "Some…

Reporting of zero/low income by applicants for Basic Educational Opportunity Grants (BEOGs) was studied, with attention to the extent that such reporting was inaccurate. The BEOG applicant database was studied to gain understanding of the characteristics of those who report zero-income on Basic Grant applications. A random sample of 400,000 BEOG…

State plans for higher education since 1960 are considered, with attention to factors highlighted for attention in planning documents, goals established for the higher education planning process, and recommendations advanced to achieve those goals. A total of 63 comprehensive state plans for higher education were included: 7 state plans were…

This report reviews the use of federal foster care funds under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act for emotionally disturbed and delinquent adolescent boys placed in the Rite of Passage (ROP) program which operates three facilities on Indian land in Nevada. The report indicates: (1) California counties paid about $434,000 in Title IV-E funds for…

Monitoring is an ongoing and systematic activity which provides school districts, private schools, private Early Childhood Services operators, and Alberta Education with information needed to determine whether policies and programs are being implemented as planned, are meeting basic Provincial requirements, and what improvements are needed.…

Cooperative Learning is a teaching methodology based on the belief that learning increases as students develop cooperative skills. A recent experiment with cooperative learning at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center indicates that it can be used effectively with low-level learners of English as a second language to foster both language…

The Maryland Accountability Testing Program Annual Report is a reference document on basic skills test data for the public, providing a survey of test results and the progress made by state students in grades 3, 5, and 8. Basic skills areas for these grade levels are covered, along with average grade equivalent scores. The California Achievement…