The United States is in the midst of a profound transformation the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Industrial Revolution, when America's classical colleges adapted to meet the needs of an emerging industrial economy. Today, as the world shifts to an increasingly interconnected knowledge economy, the intersecting forces of technological…

This book investigates the content of the grammar syllabus typically employed in mainstream English Language Teaching. Using a mixed-methods approach, the author examines how the syllabuses used in coursebooks are actually constructed, how they evolved and how valid their contents are as a basis for teaching. The research reported consists of a…

In the face of so many daunting near-term challenges, U.S. government and industry are letting the crucial strategic issues of U.S. competitiveness slip below the surface. Five years ago, the National Academies prepared "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," a book that cautioned: "Without a renewed effort to bolster the foundations of…

American universities today serve as economic engines, performing the scientific research that will create new industries, drive economic growth, and keep the United States globally competitive. But only a few decades ago, these same universities self-consciously held themselves apart from the world of commerce. "Creating the Market University" is…

Higher education in the U.S. has traditionally prepared students for work and social success, but with families, work, and society itself undergoing revolutionary change, is this preparation sufficient to develop the 21st-century workforce? This book explores how evolving family structures, new ways of balancing work and personal lives, and rapid…

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable. In the book "Science, Evolution, and…

The Task Force on Sex-Role Stereotyping was established in 1979 by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Comprised of members of the broadcasting industry, the task force included the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), the advertising industry, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), public members,…

To enhance the nation's economic productivity and improve the quality of life worldwide, engineering education in the United States must anticipate and adapt to the dramatic changes of engineering practice. The Engineer of 2020 urges the engineering profession to recognize what engineers can build for the future through a wide range of leadership…

In January 2006, the President announced a new civilian space policy focusing on exploration. As part of its preparations to implement that policy, NASA asked the NRC to explore long-range science and technology workforce needs to achieve the space exploration vision, identify obstacles to filling those needs, and put forward solutions to those…

This book has its origins in the deliberations of the international congress on "Education and Informatics; Strengthening International Co-operation," organized in 1989 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to draw up recommendations to the Director-General of UNESCO and the international…

This report examines the nature of the modern basal reader, its economics, and use. First, the report provides a history showing how the confluence of business principles, positivistic science, and behavioral psychology led to the transformation of reading textbooks into basal readers. Next, the report examines objectives and subjective factors…

Focusing on the issue of censorship, this book explores the causes, instances, and implications of censorship in the United States from 1950 to 1985. The book is divided into the following eight chapters: (1) "Montello, Wisconsin: A Case Study in Censorship"; (2) "A Survey of the Censorship Situation: Sources, Objections, Increases…

Based on the findings of a nine-month-long investigation, this report represents the efforts of the Carnegie Commission to design a new structure for public telecommunications that can accommodate the divergent needs of public broadcasting in the United States in the coming decade. Following a summary of the findings and recommendations, the…

This book examines the intersection of information technologies, power, people, and bodies. It explores how information technologies are on a path of creating efficiency, productivity, profitability, surveillance, and control, and looks at the ways in which human-machine interface technologies, such as wearable computers, biometric technologies,…

Stanford University law professor Lawrence Lessig asserts that laws concerning copyright and the Internet have a negative impact on the expression and dissemination of ideas and innovation. Unlike other technologies, the Internet's historical design and technical structure produced an environment that was creative, protected, and free--a place in…