The United States has provided generations of its residents with the prospect of advancing themselves through education and hard work, and U.S. leaders have the opportunity to make sure this continues for generations to come. To do so, they must handle the national deficit in a decisive, thoughtful manner, ensuring a prosperous future for the…

Despite the obvious fact that high performance can be promoted in many ways, the author of this article assumed for much of his academic life as a student and as a teacher that most students were motivated to learn by grades and not much else. Experiments with pass-fail courses and reports to students of their results seemed to confirm this…

Bill Gates and the governors were quite vague about what makes the schools obsolete or what to do about it. What is it, exactly, that schools are not teaching that they need to? Bill Gates also claimed that American kids were at the top in fourth grade, but at the bottom by 12th. The author congratulates Gates for focusing some attention on…

Support for American public schools is ebbing at a time when it is needed most. This booklet outlines ways in which educators can counteract the criticisms leveled at public education and communicate its successes. It examines and presents data to refute the following charges: (1) SAT scores are falling; (2) students are taking too many "dumbed…

Literacy for participation in the economy has been promoted through legislation providing for adult education upgrading programs in the United States and Canada. More recently, publications and organizations have expressed concern for lack of participation in the economy by many adults who lack the necessary literacy skills. Although few doubt the…

To become one of the world's most innovative countries, Canada requires a national innovation strategy for the 21st century. It is progressing toward a more innovative economy, but lags behind many developed countries in terms of overall innovation performance. A national innovation strategy to meet Canada's innovation challenge proposes goals,…

This report examines findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which describes the educational attainments of today's youth, in combination with economic trends and future projections to reveal the shortcomings of students nationwide. The report begins with a description of three major economic trends within the United States:…

A hearing was held to discuss the prior four years of implementation of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and to recommend further improvements. The opening statements of Chairman Howard McKeon and Dale E. Kildee introduce the meeting and discuss the importance of promoting an educated populace that will maintain the United States'…

Following a brief welcoming statement by Gwen Ericcsen, Executive Director of the Foundation for Oregon Research and Education (FORE), conference papers address a wide range of issues on the current challenges of educational reform. Among these issues are the hard choices brought about by the changing economics of education, and the value of…

The North Central Indiana Workplace Literacy Initiative seeks to develop a curriculum management system addressing work force literacy needs and a coordinated human resource investment system meeting individual economic self-sufficiency needs and labor market needs. The workplace of the future will contain six key changes: employers will require…

According to the most recent National Adult Literacy Survey, nearly half of Illinois adults lack sufficient reading proficiency to ensure job success and advancement in 21st century workplaces. The Test of Adult Basic Education is currently used as a pretest/posttest in Illinois' existing adult basic education, adult secondary education, and…

The Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims of the House Committee on the Judiciary met to hear testimony on the benefits to American workers, businesses, citizens, and legal residents of more educated immigrants in the national workforce. Statements were given by the following persons: (1) Lamar Smith, U.S. Congressman from Texas; (2) William…

Advances in information technology (IT) are reshaping the U.S. labor market. The demand for workers who can read and understand complex material, think analytically, and use technology efficiently will continue to increase. Congress established the 21st Century Workforce Commission to assess current and future demand for IT workers and the…