"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) State of American Business: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Says U.S. Could Face a "Severe Worker Shortage" Unless…

Discusses achievements of an expanding public sector in education, health, and income maintenance. Also discusses adverse consequences of developments in these areas as related to labor supply and demand and to savings and investment. Effects of government tax and spending policies on the distribution of income are also addressed. (JN)

Discusses implications of the involvement of business in public education. Considers the roles of business as (1) local citizen; (2) curriculum subject; (3) place of work; and (4) place to learn. Also examines requirements for effective school business partnerships and suggests that growing educational interest of employers promises a basis for…

President Clinton's human capital agenda emphasizes efforts to ensure the future strength of the United States economy by investing in education and training citizens. The paper describes the agenda and the legislation it shaped, focusing on K-12 reforms and the changing federal role in education. (Author/SM)

In the last decade, unprecedented rates of job growth and improvements in adult education were accompanied by increased numbers of children living below the poverty line and a decline in real income for most families. There are several possible explanations: (1) a kind of job growth that produces disincentives for a significant number of people to…

The impact of rural emigration on the farming communities of Nigeria is demonstrated by the rising age structure and increasing illiteracy among farm villages. It is suggested that the Universal Primary Education program should be expanded to include courses geared toward the life of rural people and their social and economic environment. (JMF)

Data pertaining to Australia's publicly funded vocational education and training (VET) sector in 1999 were reviewed. Both national-level and state/territory-level data on the following topics were reviewed: VET providers and delivery systems; student characteristics; enrollment trends; program costs and financing mechanisms; and apprentices and…