The overall aim of the study was to gather evidence on effective policy reforms for broad competence development in school education, including better achievement of basic skills. The six key objectives are: Objective 1: To understand the key features of policy design and implementation of reforms for broad competence development and achievement…

Millions of adult Americans lack the basic literacy skills necessary to perform everyday tasks requiring basic reading and math. This stifles our economy, given that employers are increasingly likely to require education or training beyond high school. Organizations that provide job training to lower-skilled adults through Jobs for the Future's…

This dissertation examines how eight urban high schools responded to mandates to raise graduation requirements in mathematics. The change process was complicated by challenges such as the conditions of poverty, lack of adequate financial support for schools, and large numbers of students who come to high school with inadequate preparation in…

Based on the results of past studies, neither a wholly revised curriculum plan nor a new scheme of school organization is sufficient for successful implementation of proposed reforms. Each must be coupled with a strategy for change built on knowledge of the schools and in collaboration with them. (Author/EB)

Two educators describe the changes in a severely retarded, multiply disabled 12-year-old resulting from a functional curriculum approach. Assessment of his life needs and skills produced a new curriculum with emphasis on age appropriate interests. (CL)

This report presents ideas on the campus to workplace transition gathered from five regional workshops conducted in 1998-99. It notes that although business and higher education agree on the importance of changes in this transition, major differences exist between how these two sectors propose to accomplish such improvements. The workshops suggest…

This report presents the design, organization, and findings of a federally funded project implemented in three Northeastern Massachusetts towns (Burlington, Lunenburg, and Tewksbury), which demonstrated the application of computer technology to school improvement, specifically in the areas of writing, problem solving, and research/study skills in…

A project investigated the integration of key competencies into workplace training in Australia. Part 1 of the project researched the work of personnel engaged in on-the-job training (OJT) curriculum development in five industries to find out how key competencies were being incorporated into OJT curricula and to suggest models to guide this…

This guide, which is intended for individuals responsible for designing and/or delivering workplace basic skills programs, explains the principles and procedures of curriculum development in the workplace. Discussed in chapter 1 is the importance of focusing on basic skills in workplace education and examining existing practices. Chapter 2…

The capacity of agriculture to act as a familiar vehicle for development of young rural learners' literacy, numeracy, and other necessary life skills was examined through a literature review and case studies of the use of primary school agriculture (PSA) as a contextualizing subject in the following countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon,…

Both the literature on adult learning and the literature on the composing process focus on students and their behaviors rather than on teachers and their methods or on curricular content and structure. The most productive teaching of nontraditional students and the most useful educational research about them begins with the students themselves,…

This notebook discusses issues and methods of developing adult literacy education (ALE) programs according to functional context education (FCE) principles. Chapters 1-3 in Part 1, The Power of ALE, focus on current ALE; address why ALE is of growing importance; show how investments can return benefits for adults and others; look at issues…

This curriculum planning guide is designed to serve as an aid and information source to assist senior management teams at Further Education Unit (FEU) technical colleges, curriculum leaders, and national and local agencies concerned with further education in the United Kingdom. The first two-thirds of the guide consists of 11 reports on the…

The document, written in French, presents an overview of educational programs in Senegal where ten to 17-year-old students are taught practical skills. The monograph is intended for UNESCO staff members and educational advisors as they collaborate with governments in developing nations to improve educational programs. The document is presented in…

This paper explains how adult educators involved in the development and delivery of general adult basic education (ABE), General Educational Development (GED) certificate, and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs can infuse the workplace into their programs. The paper begins with a brief overview of the rationale for infusing the workplace…