A group of three conference papers, all addressing the subject of effective programs to decrease the number of school dropouts, is presented in this document. The first paper, "Systemic Approaches to Reducing Dropouts" (Michael Timpane), asserts that dropping out is a symptom of failures in the social, economic, and educational systems.…

Historical, linguistic, cultural, and political variables are important in understanding the development and implementation of Milwaukee urban bilingual education programs, established in 1969 and including kindergarten through 12th grades at 11 elementary and 4 secondary schools. Hispanics comprise 6% of school enrollment (5,334 pupils, of whom…

A National Institute of Education-sponsored, congresionally mandated project studied implementation of Title II (Vocational Education) of the 1976 Education Amendments. Focus was on provisions related to the major themes of program improvement and educational equity. It was found that despite the complexity of the law and the vocational education…

A two-phase study was conducted in order (1) to develop a profile of admission standards and practices which were being used by forty public occupational education programs in Florida; and (2) to enhance the state-of-the-art encompassing admission procedures by identifying the degree of equity associated with 19 admission standards as perceived by…

Although the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are rooted in the tradition of providing transfer education to Chicago's working class youth, the current administrative acceptance of a market-oriented, vocational philosophy has resulted in a decline in general education courses and has jeopardized equal access to higher education. This vocational…

Significant changes are needed in the education of Chicano children, changes that range from the earliest Head Start levels through the college years. American schools reflect the dominant Anglo-American culture and so retain the societal status quo. By perpetuating Anglocentrism, schools have trampled on the cultural and linguistic dignity of…

Current policy discourses on "equity" in VET tend to gloss over the nature of the socioeconomic disadvantage that underlies questions of the participation and achievement of the so-called "target equity groups." While indexes of socioeconomic disadvantage are widely applied in education, their application to VET participation…

This paper discusses the role of public policy in the skills development system of the United States. It further examines the implications of that policy for the skill development and career progression of black workers. The paper describes the current "system" for skills development as a two-tiered system composed of (1) the "first…

In Taiwan, technology education has traditionally been covered by two courses: Craftwork and Industrial Arts (IA). At present, all students in grades 1-6 take Craftwork. At the junior and senior high school levels, IA is considered a subordinate subject, and students must elect IA or home economics. In accordance with Taiwan's new national…

This critique of the "America 2000" educational reform initiative claims that its fundamental proposals highlight "old" ideas based on a "puritanic" perfect society with little attention to equity and the multidimensional needs of such groups as African-American at-risk students. The paper discusses the impact of the…

A major factor hindering women's human rights has been cultural attitudes based on stereotypical beliefs on the role of women in society, which have resulted in women being denied access to education, health care, property, employment, or involvement in decision-making. This report examines and compares some of the issues affecting the well-being…

This paper explores the way that opportunity of access to higher education, particularly for women of color and those disadvantaged by homelessness, is placed at risk by market approaches to education. In England, Asian and Afro-Caribbean women, have been able to access higher education through funds made available under the Race Relations Act of…

A weekly professional development seminar, designed to help University of Alaska education professors (four White, one Alaska Native) become more culturally sensitive in multicultural classrooms and discover ways teaching may construct barriers to participation by Alaska Native students, was supplemented by videotapes of participants' teaching…

Adult educators face a challenge if they are to aid in the improvement of the status of women in the Third World. Women in developing countries, especially those in rural and poverty areas, are often restricted to second class educational and work opportunities. Adult educators could contribute to the reduction of such discrimination in the…

A group of three conference papers, all addressing effective instructional programs, is presented in this document. The first paper, entitled "The Organization--A Viable Instrument for Progress" (Barbara Sizemore), addresses the subject of high-achieving, predominantly black elementary schools. Routines in these schools not present in…