It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

The nature of thinking as perhaps the most basic of all intellectual skills and the neglect of thinking as a valuable skill to teach in formal educational settings are discussed in the first two sections of this paper. The third section provides a rationale for teaching effective thinking skills in school. (Author/RH)

There is a need for a stronger program of consumer studies in California's schools, and each year this need becomes more pressing. It is a confusing time for the American consumers; complex products are frequently hard to evaluate, and the nature of the marketplace is impersonal. According to a study released by the U.S. Office of Education, more…

Argues that adult basic educators should assist psychiatric clients in protecting themselves from unwanted intrusion. Identifies skills to be developed through social literacy training: coping with emotional distress, expressing oneself, interpreting social cues, and exercising legal rights. (Contains 12 references.) (SK)

Reflects on the impact of the broad values that motivated Mina Shaughnessy's work and life. Characterizes three of her beliefs--that teaching makes a difference, that the individual is important, and that literacy is power--and expands on their importance. (RL)

It is necessary to improve the quality of teacher training and to require our schools to teach organized, disciplined, and systematic subject matter (Education in Depth) if our children are to be prepared for the future. (CM)

A strong statement about the declining academic standards in Australian high schools and about the need for an educational system that embodies diligence and self-discipline. (AEA)

Two essays present a rationale for teaching and learning in the arts and consider the place of the arts in basic education. The first essay, "Art and Educational Inflation," by Jacques Barzun was the keynote address at the National Art Education Association Conference in 1978. Barzun attacks what he calls the inflationary language presently used…

The future of the learning disability field should include: an expanded focus on adolescents and adults; broader models for understanding behavior and learning; going beyond concepts of diagnosis, treatment, remediation, and individualized instruction; expansion of views of basic skills; and interventions that focus on more than changing people.…

Relates Victorian attitudes toward education by a forgotten 19th century liberal educator concerned with proper moral education. Concludes that uses and development of basic literacy are severely bound by individual and social contexts and that basic literacy does not, in itself, wield a magical transforming power for learning and life. (TRS)

Identifies employee skills needed by U.S. business/industry: generic skills (e.g., reading, writing, computation, problem solving), relational skills (e.g., ability to work better and in more sophisticated ways with diverse groups); responsibility skills (e.g., taking initiative in learning); and integration skills (e.g., ability to make meaning…

This booklet is concerned with how basic skills work with young people and adults can be maintained and developed in the next few years in light of Great Britain's Education Reform Act. An introduction provides a brief overview of the content of the act. Section 2 highlights the basic skills needs in England and Wales. In Section 3, current basic…

This statement, the product of a cooperative effort of professional associations of teachers in many disciplines, argues against a narrow approach to the problem of fostering basic skills that would ignore the complexity of modern life and the interdependency of disciplines. (JB)

Thoughts on changes in Britain's attitude to prescribing curricular content suggest that the current curricular blueprint is faulty with a huge imbalance of information at the expense of skill development. The author identifies important third millenium skills in the areas of education for survival, understanding our place in the world,…

Geography instruction must become an integral part of the high school curriculum. A number of recent state, national, and international surveys have shown the serious results of neglect of geography education, particularly with regard to international knowledge and understanding. For example, in a recent survey of 3000 undergraduates in 185…