Any proposal for training has to satisfy two major components: it must be job relevant and be accomplished without major interruption of work schedules, while incorporating strategies to help eliminate absenteeism. One recently developed model for basic skills training, the Immersion Instructional Model, meets these criteria and provides…

In response to the Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act, schools and colleges across the country are rushing to launch "tech prep" education programs. The resulting 2 + 2 programs are designed primarily for 16- to 20-year-olds who complete high school and then go on for postsecondary education in a technical or practical field.…

Some good news and some bad news can be seen in six areas of workplace literacy efforts: awareness, curriculum development, collaboration, staff training, research and evaluation, and funding. The good news includes the following: (1) more highly placed corporation executives are becoming aware of the need for literacy programs; (2) curriculum…

Education's central challenge is to prepare learners for contributory and satisfying lives in a global economy in which they are productive enough for the nation to be globally competitive. Being globally competitive means that the benefits of foreign trade accrue to all on the basis of each country's pursuing its comparative advantages…

This study describes Uganda, its rural primary schools, and the Namutamba-Basic Education Integrated into Rural Development (BEIRD) project from 1971 through 1979, which infused agriculture and appropriate technology into the curricula of teacher colleges and primary schools. A similar project in Belize, the Relevant Education for Agriculture and…

This paper examines the characteristics of the Louisiana Compensatory/Remedial Education Student Profile form and the nature of the compensatory education program evaluation served by the Student Profile. The Student Profile is a one page, triplicate form prepared by the Louisiana State Department of Education for each grade 2 student who failed…

This paper outlines how the Austin Independent School District (Texas) tried to deal with the following questions: (1) Should special education students be included in the administration of standardized tests?; (2) Should their scores be included or excluded in the reporting of test results?; and (3) What are the evidences that test scores reflect…

The Conference on English and Mathematics brought together 100 faculty members from the California Community Colleges and the California State University to address such topics as curricular standards; admission, placement, and exit testing; improvement of transition from upper- to lower-division study; and the integration of English and…

The United States is not doing as well as it could in assessing educational outcomes in the 1980s. The assessment movement of the 1980s indicates that its institutional memory is poor, and when coping with outside pressures, it is slow to recall how it coped the last time it was under pressure. It is important to remember such events and pressures…

Pointing out the dilemmas facing educators today in preparing people for the future, this paper discusses the supply and demand nature of the job market and the growing need for better educational opportunities, and describes opportunities provided by the concept of the newly founded Electronic University. The importance of research is emphasized,…

This paper demonstrates the use of teacher-made and parent-made instructional games to practice basic skills, as an alternative to traditional homework assignments. The game formats provide mainstreamed mildly handicapped students with the additional practice necessary to achieve mastery, in an environment that is more motivating and allows for…

Although California's 106 Community Colleges' mission to accept any student who can profit from instruction and to provide transfer programs and vocational, continuing, and community education invites the non-traditional student to benefit from college education, the Community College students' success is not guaranteed because of the low quality…

This paper reports on regression based methods for identifying exemplary schools. A distinction is made between schools which are maintaining an exceptional level of achievement and those which are improving their achievement in an extraordinary way. More schools were found which consistently exceeded expectations and fewer schools were found…

The objectives and skills promoted by college general education studies are considered, including objectives identified by President Truman's Commission on Higher Education and by a task force of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Purposes of the general education program are to: develop skills to complete college and…

To overcome various reporting constraints, numerous strategies have been developed to facilitate accurate and timely reporting of data concerning the impact of Louisiana's State-Funded Compensatory/Remedial Program. These strategies include: (1) using existing statewide communication networks; (2) employing the Basic Skills Test (BST) as the major…