This paper examines the concept of "empowerment" and analyzes contrasting perspectives on the empowerment of parents that have informed developments at national and local levels in the United Kingdom and also in the United States and other countries. Empirical data illustrate the limited impact these approaches have on a group of…

This book discusses what can be done to extend literacy and raise literacy standards for all sections of the population, the relationship between home learning and school learning, and the role of parents in their children's education, focusing on the situation in England. It is designed to assist teachers who work cooperatively with parents in…

A survey of 456 further education (FE) colleges in England and Wales identified the FE sector's activities in providing effective training and development to smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Of 120 colleges that responded, 87.5 percent provided direct training to SMEs; 79.2 percent were developing or acquiring teaching or training…

In child care centers, parental involvement as well as staff sensitivity toward children and parents are essential for managing cultural diversity in a way that is beneficial for both migrant and indigenous families. Defining and improving the quality of center education from a multicultural perspective require discussions between staff and…

This paper describes an ongoing program of collaborative school evaluation that involves student teachers, teachers, local authority representatives, and university teachers/researchers working in partnership in schools across a region in southwest England. Focus is on showing ways in which collaborative school evaluation, based on an action…

Twelve chapters describe an 18-nation study of educational attainment at the elementary and secondary school levels. Professional researchers participated in the project, developed through UNESCO and conducted under the auspices of educational research centers in Australia, Belgium, Chile, England, the Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, France,…

Diverse patterns of organization exist across the English post-16 education and training (ET) system. Direct consequences of national policy drivers and the shift to a single mechanism for all publicly funded non-higher education (HE) post-16 provision are strong imperatives toward collaboration between providers, planned provision across an area,…

This report presents goals and recommendations for meeting the special education needs (SEN) of students with disabilities in England by the year 2002. Sections of the report address: (1) policies for excellence, which discuss the definition of SEN, early identification and early intervention, improving literacy and numeracy, school improvement…

STUDIES ON THE EDUCATIONAL USES AND POTENTIAL OF TELEVISION IN CANADA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, AND JAPAN OUTLINE AND DISCUSS (1) THE SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT OF ETV IN EACH NATION, (2) KINDS OF PROGRAMS AND THEIR PURPOSES, (3) EXPLOITATION OF ETV BY ADULTS, (4) RESEARCH ON AUDIENCE CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS, AND (5) FORMS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN…

A project examined skills shortages and gaps in the electrotechnical industry and to what extent stakeholders' training provision was addressing them in two areas in England--the eastern region, and Liverpool with the Wirral peninsula in the northwest. The national training organization called the National Electrotechnical Training (NET) and…

This paper defines benchmarking and its relationship to quality management, describes a project which applied the technique in a library context, and explores the relationship between performance measurement and benchmarking. Numerous benchmarking methods contain similar elements: deciding what to benchmark; identifying partners; gathering…

This study of British primary and secondary teachers and higher education faculty examined teachers' and administrators' responses to government reforms in preservice teacher education. Results indicated that predictions of collapse and major disruption have not materialized, but that systemic instability and fragility raise questions about…

Of potential interest to small towns in rural areas, this report describes England's first attempt at applying to a rural area the concept of a multi-agency information and advice center based on a library. The comprehensive review covers all phases of the project: (1) identification of a community's information and advice needs; (2) consultation…

The report looks at the education service in Inner London as a whole and proposes developments designed to enable it to serve more fully the needs of the whole community. Attention is drawn to the important aspects of the community in Inner London and its problems. The report goes on to describe some of the new developments which have taken place.…

This book describes existing examples of good practice in parent-teacher relations in schools in England as a guide for other schools to develop innovative techniques. Observations are based on the responses of headmasters of some 30 schools the author visited. The opening chapter touches upon attitudes toward parent-teacher cooperation,…