A 1994 Department of Education national evaluation of federally-supported adult education programs looked at programs' effectiveness in improving literacy skills, English language proficiency, and secondary school completion. National policy on adult literacy education is articulated in the Adult Education Act (AEA) and National Literacy Act,…

This report presents the findings of a major study of preschool provision in Scotland. Part 1 of the report sets the context for the project, clarifying its aims, providing information on relevant issues, and discussing the research questions addressed. Part 2 presents the findings arising from the various methods used to collect evidence.…

This study examines the economic factors that have contributed to the escalating cost of higher education at elite colleges and universities. It reviews the major explanations that have been offered for rising expenditures in higher education, and then focuses on the rise in spending in the arts and sciences at Harvard University (Massachusetts),…

Knowledge and learning are becoming increasingly central to work and everyday life at the close of the 20th century. This document examines the potential for creating a new match between the demand for and the supply of new forms of learning. It draws on a range of recent Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) work and summarizes…

This collection of 16 essays examines forces transforming higher education around the world, including demands for greater access to higher education, funding problems, the conflicting requirements of various constituencies, and pressures to contribute to a country's economic and social development. The essays include: (1) "Forces for Change"…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the role of economic, social, and logistical factors on Ethiopian parents' decisions whether or not to enroll their children in public primary school. Data were obtained from a survey of four rural regions in Ethiopia--130 households per region. Findings indicate that parents made enrollment…

This report, one of a series of country studies on higher education and employment particularly in continuing professional education, looks at recent developments in Germany. The first of six chapters offers a series of definitions of central concepts and focuses the paper's discussion on continuing education offered by higher education…

This report presents findings of a study of higher education in Tunisia. It finds that higher education in Tunisia is a largely effective and well-performing system. However, it notes an expected doubling of enrollment over the next 10 years which will create obstacles that prevent it from playing the role expected of it by a society and economy…

This report presents the results of a review of policy and research literature that focused on the following: the vocational education and training (VET) market in Australia; the role of the concept of a training market in government policy on VET in Australia; the effect of economic rationalism and corporate managerialism on VET policy and…

In this report, the executive director of the California State Postsecondary Education Commission summarizes the major demographic and political forces that will likely affect the shape of higher education leadership in California during the 1990s. The report discusses the implications of increased enrollment pressures on educational equity,…

This report focuses on issues relating to replenishing California's college faculty and increasing the number of faculty due to increasing student enrollment. The report provides recommendations for both higher education institutions and the State on 12 policy options that hold promise for increasing the supply of individuals with doctoral degrees…

Common variables that can be isolated to explain mergers of academic units within universities were investigated, along with variables associated with the potential and actual benefits of the mergers as perceived by faculty and administrators. Central tendencies were used to compute the similarities and differences in the external and internal…

Connecticut is small, densely populated, and very urban; its residents are typically well educated and wealthy. The state's diverse economy allows it to ride through recessions with ease. Housing costs are so high, though, that some of the benefits of the high income levels are negated. The state's population is the fourth oldest in the nation…

It is easy to perceive Pennsylvania as a state in decline, but that would be a big mistake. While its population total has dropped from fourth largest in 1980 to fifth largest in 1987, Pennsylvania is still one of the 10 states in the nation that contain half of the country's residents. The state's two major metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh and…

The effects of initiatives taken by 43 private liberal arts colleges in order to maintain enrollment were assessed in 1983 as part of a 10-year study. Research objectives were to identify: institutions where officials engaged in early planning (1978 or before) to moderate enrollment decline; key strategies employed; key operating ratios resulting…