Five years after the bipartisan passage of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," the U.S. Department of Education remains dedicated to promoting education excellence in every corner of the country. The Department's "Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2007-12" sets high expectations for America's schools and students, and for…

This study set out to answer the question, "What are the components of high school courses that prepare students for successful entry into postsecondary education without the need for remediation?" Ten schools were identified where, in 2001 and 2002, students achieved scores on the ACT Assessment that made it likely they would succeed in…

In "Reclaiming the Game," William Bowen and Sarah Levin disentangle the admissions and academic experiences of recruited athletes, walk-on athletes, and other students. In a field overwhelmed by reliance on anecdotes, the factual findings are striking--and sobering. Anyone seriously concerned about higher education will find it hard to…

In 2001, Dr. Jordan Cohen, President of the AAMC, called for medical schools to consider using an Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) threshold to eliminate high-risk applicants from consideration and then to use non-academic qualifications for further consideration. This approach would seem to be consistent with the recent Supreme Court ruling…

A national framework of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in Scotland has emerged since the McCrone Inquiry. The CPD Framework is intended to help teachers to identify and access relevant, high-quality development opportunities that enable them to realise their full potential. There is now a professional standard for each of…

This article investigates the contribution skills development can make in promoting South Africa's wider socio-economic development. It provides a broad overview of the emerging gap between those who are benefiting from South Africa's transition to democracy and those who are not. Overcoming these worsening social conditions has become a major…

The purpose of this study is to explore how well a curriculum that combines operations management and information systems uniquely prepares students for the workforce. To address our research questions, a Web-based survey was developed. We sent our survey to 203 alumni that graduated from the Department of Operations Management and Information…

Research evidence demonstrates that a high-quality early education can ameliorate the effects of disadvantage and produce positive outcomes not only for children and their families, but society as well (Barnett, 1998; Vandell & Wolfe, 2000). One of the most consistent indicators of quality is the presence of qualified teachers who have…

In this chapter, the authors argue that alignment of higher education with workforce needs should be based on careful action by institutions to embed skills and attributes within instructional programs. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

This article analyses the increasingly diverse and sophisticated critique of "outcomes approaches" in vocational qualifications; critique which has now moved well beyond the early claims of reductivism and behaviourism. Avoiding a naive position on extraction of points of consensus, this article attempts to extract key issues which have…

This paper surveys the past, present and future of teacher training in South Africa, in the context of the educational and societal reconstruction of South Africa. Before the twentieth century the bulk of the country's teachers were imported from Europe. In the twentieth century first a teacher-pupil system, then a system of teachers' training…

The improvement of the rural schools of the United States is the most important school problem. The most important factor in their improvement must be better educated and better trained teachers. The education and training of teachers should always have some special reference to the work of the schools in which they are to teach. Therefore any…

In 1981 a questionnaire was mailed to personnel at 42 Kentucky colleges and universities to determine the number of faculty members teaching technical writing, the academic qualifications and professional experiences of these individuals, and the methods they used to teach technical writing. Of the 29 responding, 20 (68.9%) institutions offered…

While no one can predict the future, today's economic and demographic realities suggest the opportunities and challenges that will face America in the years to come. The U.S. economy has already undergone dramatic changes in the latter part of the twentieth century. The extension of product and labor markets has expanded global competition, and…

This Policy Brief is intended to help the National Commission on Adult Literacy consider state and federal policy strategies that hold promise for increasing the number of lower-skilled adults, including those with limited English skills, who earn postsecondary credentials that can open the door to family-supporting jobs and careers. It examines…