University and school-based members of the League of Professional Schools, a collaborative formed to support school renewal, engage in disciplined inquiry on the effects of this school/university collaborative on life in member schools. Essentially, the League conducts action research on action research. The League and its definition of schoolwide…

The role of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the certification of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers is discussed. The professional association has been considering taking on a certification role to reduce discrimination against non-native speakers trained to teach ESL, sometimes passed over in favor of…

As a result of federal legislation aimed at welfare reform, states have been transforming welfare in new ways. Critical questions remain, however, and policymakers must continue to develop new ideas and implement programs from other states. This book contributes to the learning process among states by sharing program innovations and analyses to…

A national focus group with 25 participants explored the current state of services for persons with disabilities in adult basic education (ABE) and how the ABE and disability communities could work together to create better service models. It found many states are doing little in this area. Six key findings were as follows: state ABE programs are…

The congressional hearing report scrutinized the role of banks, guarantee agencies, student loan secondary markets, and loan servicers in the operation of federal student aid programs. Program weaknesses which have contributed towards to abuse and fraudulent practices of federally backed student loans were identified. Witnesses included officials…

This paper discusses economic, social, and political trends and values/beliefs that will affect the quality of life of persons with developmental disabilities and their families to the year 2000. The paper describes four plausible future scenarios: "America Revitalized"; "Post-Industrial Reformation"; "The Stressed Society"; and "The…

The advantages of resource sharing in higher education are discussed, and the role of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) in facilitating cooperation is considered. A primary concern is to overcome the barriers of state boundaries to promote academic planning in the West. These issues are considered in a WICHE conference…

Hearings on the question of debt collection on student loans are presented. It is noted that in 1981 the Department of Education decided that collections on student loans would be shifted from the public to the private sector. The following concerns are addressed: the reasons for the Department's decision to transfer collection of defaulted…

A plan for studying management procedures that structure the relationships between federal agencies and federally-created research and development (R&D) organizations is discussed. The objective is to identify the types of federal management approaches, examine these approaches from the perspective of their relative emphasis on accountability…

A report of a 1986 planning conference on postsecondary assessment is presented along with four commissioned papers from the conference and their summaries. Titles and authors of the papers are as follows: "Postsecondary Assessment: The State of the Art" (Leonard L. Baird); "Assessing Student Progress in College: A Process-Oriented…

The Takoma Park (Maryland) Adult Education Refugee Center offers intensive programs for adults granted refugee or asylum status. Recently, adult Asian children of Americans stationed in Vietnam have entered the center's programs. Program goals include the development of students' cultural communication and English language skills needed for…

This digest examines the organization of and international studies conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The IEA is a non-profit, private association that conducts international comparative studies on schools and aids the research community in developing international tests and statistical…

Advice on prospect research to help colleges raise more money from major donors is provided in 14 chapters, and 15 sample forms for processing research are appended. The advice covers how to discover prospects' interests and assets, and the potential match of a donor to the college's needs. Chapters address: collecting, organizing, and evaluating…

The development of the role of higher education associations based in Washington, District of Columbia, from the 1960s to the present, is traced, with attention to events, problems, and issues. Also considered are: reasons for joining voluntary associations; the policy-making arena for higher education and the general principles that guide federal…

The purpose of this report is to analyze a new higher education policy adoped by the Dominican Republic in Decree 1255 of 1983, "Regulations for Private Higher Education." Geographical, historical, and political characteristics of the Dominican Republic are described, and theoretical and methodological considerations in the study of…