The mismatch between employer needs and educational response is examined, and skills and attitudes that are transferable are discussed. Employers need skills in communication, cooperation, and teamwork and positive qualities such as the will to set and meet objectives and to be innovative. (Author/RM)

A controversial Arkansas law requires that all currently employed certified teachers pass a specially developed literacy test. This article describes the rational for teacher testing in terms of professional, ethical, and political issues. Testing is necessary for public support for reforms that improve the professional status and salaries of…

The article (1) examines the inquiry process and discusses questions raised by the National Commission for Secondary Vocational Education; (2) identifies implications for policy research, educational research, and evaluation research; and (3) offers observations about research on vocational education in secondary schools. (Author/CH)

This paper describes the conduct and the results of an evaluability assessment of the Adult Education Program, PL 91-230. It presents the findings on the intended program, the actual program, the plausibility of the objectives, the measurement of the objectives, and the program evaluability and options for improvement. (Author/LMO)

Describes and evaluates the staffing, scheduling, thematic underpinning, activities, and student recruitment efforts of New York City's 1983 summer PREP program for introducing new students to the city's high schools. Also covers site selection, student and teacher attitudes, differences from previous years' programs, and recommendations for the…

Discusses the relationships between fiscal stress in California public schools after the passage of Proposition 13 and high school curricular changes. Reports that school staff and parents interviewed in California's Big Eight districts perceived reduced course offerings in similar areas and understood the intimate ties between financial pressures…

Identifies six approaches to teaching English practiced by Australian teachers: basic literacy, language meaning, oral language, creative performance, passive listening, and literary discussion. (HOD)

Describes a project in which underprepared college freshmen in a basic skills English class heard materials read aloud while they followed along in the text. Concludes that the students made gains in writing skills but not in reading. (FL)

Inquiry teaching requires students to engage in hypothesis formation, collection and evaluation of evidence, and the drawing of logical conclusions. Prerequisite skills for inquiry learning are discussed, and examples of inquiry learning in a college level general psychology course are presented. (RM)

Drawing from a review of the literature and a study of 6,000 urban community college students, assesses whether students in college reading and writing courses achieve ability gains in these areas and whether their abilities improve as students advance through the curriculum. (DMM)

Argues that schools do not adequately prepare students for the rapidly changing requirements of the American workplace. Proposes an Action Plan on Education for Economic Growth, and discusses its feasibility. Outlines basic skills and competencies for productive employment. (KH)

This review of recent research on minimum competency testing requirements focuses on the impact of such requirements on school curricula and on the processes of selecting which competencies are to be tested, determining cutoff scores, and ensuring test validity and reliability. (JBM)

In 1978, Florida was sued by 11 Black students on the grounds that its functional literacy requirement violated due process. This article summarizes the arguments in the case. The initial decision to retain the test after a four-year delay was appealed, but was subsequently upheld by the State's Appeals Court. (CJM)

Reviews the results of minimum competency testing (MCT) programs in states using diploma denials as a sanction against MCT failure. Finds substantial discrepancies between the test performances of Black and White classmates. Proposes that competency testing emphasize the remedial rather than the punitive function of these programs. (KH)

The numeracy abilities of adults is now part of the 2002 International Life Skills Survey (ILSS) to be administered to representative samples of adults aged 16-65 in participating countries. The Numeracy Working Group has spent more than two years developing a conceptual framework based on the premise that numeracy is the bridge between…