The federal government and private foundations for education have established postsecondary credential completion as a national imperative. Washington State's Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) model was developed to increase the rate at which basic skills students advance to and succeed in college-level occupational programs,…

The English Learning and Skills Sector (LSS) contains a highly diverse range of learners and covers all aspects of post-16 learning with the exception of higher education. In the research on which this paper is based we are concerned with the effects of policy on three types of learners--unemployed adults attempting to improve their basic skills…

Reports on school research identifying and setting priorities for essential skills needed by the end of primary school to enable students to function effectively in Australian society. (MD)

To teach the New Basic Skills to all students, schools can adopt the five principles of high-performance firms: (1) develop clear goals; (2) provide opportunities to solve problems and the incentives to do so; (3) provide the training needed to pursue solutions effectively; (4) measure progress toward goals regularly; and (5) persevere and learn…

Children, grades three through six, in Lawrence (Massachusetts) were studied during the 1986-87 school year to determine whether participation in the School Breakfast Program by low-income children is associated with improvements in standardized achievement test scores and attendance rates. Findings indicate that participation is associated with…

Using data from a nationwide random sample for the 1976-1977 school year, this article studies effects of increasing the amount of math and reading instruction offered to third through sixth graders. All racial groups studied experienced diminishing returns at the observed amounts of instruction during the extended school day. Included are 3…

The past decade of educational reforms has had little effect on improved national reading and writing skills, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as "The Nation's Report Card." However, Black students made steady improvement in reading skills. (FMW)

Describes the Young Adult Learning Academy in New York (New York), a collaborative offering educational services to dropouts between 16 and 24 years old whose low reading levels make them ineligible for adult education programs. Emphasizes cooperation, staffing, and development of the instructional program. (FMW)

A proposal is offered for restructuring the elementary school into two divisions. At the primary level (K-3) the focus would be on acquiring basic skills, while at the upper level (4-6) these skills would be applied to literature, social studies, mathematics, and science. (TE)

Describes the Parent and Child Education (PACE) program, a statewide family literacy program in Kentucky that promotes positive attitudes toward schooling and academic achievement. PACE focuses on parents' basic skills, children's learning skills, and parents' child care skills. (FMW)

Education Secretary Bennett reports on specific problems in the nation's educational system and defines curriculum goals in the following areas: reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, cultural literacy, the arts, foreign languages, and health and physical education. Appended are 27 footnotes. (IW)

Promotes the development of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programs as a way of educating illiterate parents and nonreading adults in general. Notes several programs of this nature already in operation around the nation. Describes some nonthreatening courseware that is being used to recruit more adults into such programs. (TW)

Offers 11 recommendations (based on the success of vocational training programs established at Wisconsin's Ethan Allen and Lincoln Hills correctional high schools) for establishing a curriculum that meets problem students' needs. (IW)