Qualifications frameworks are tools for describing qualifications of an education or training system by classifying them into levels. Each level provides a clear description of what the holder of a qualification knows, understands and is able to do. They are important tools for making qualifications transparent and comprehensible, within and…

In this article I suggest that SINEM--the Costa Rican version of Venezuela's El Sistema--articulates a development discourse which legitimates neoliberal policies that govern the twenty-first-century international market, in which Costa Rica figures only as a subaltern. I contend that such articulation contributes to perpetuating notions and…

This book is a report on, and a comparative analysis of, the experiences in vocational and technical education of twenty-three developing countries. Following the introductory section, the second chapter presents brief summaries (schematic presentations) of the educational systems in each of the countries. Focusing on policy, planning, and…

Written as a first step to improve early stimulation services to developmentally disabled and retarded preschool aged children in Costa Rica, the manual, in Spanish, seeks to attain the following objectives: raise consciousness and understanding of health service personnel, primary and special educators, rehabilitation personnel, and parents;…

Information collected from interviews with 15 ministers of education and 30 program directors and researchers at 18 universities in Venezuela, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina is used to study academic programs which prepare persons to be educational planners and administrators. Section one describes background…

International experience is critical for MBA faculty and students, but providing such experience as part of the curriculum is often difficult for relatively small programs. This article briefly describes how the College of Business and Technology at Southeastern Louisiana University developed a partnership program in Costa Rica as one step toward…

Multigrade classes have been recognized as part of elementary education for many years, but their special needs have been largely ignored. This manual focuses on the survey research that should predate the design of instructional management strategies in multigrade classrooms. It describes rapid and reliable ways to collect information about the…

This report discusses the development of an attention deficit disorder (ADD) organization in Costa Rica that provides information, training, and support services to parents and teachers. The report also offers information on how to develop this type of organization. Resources used to help disseminate information about ADD are described, including…

This document, the final report of a project assessing the general status of English language training (ELT) in Central America, includes an overview of the process, general recommendations, and country-specific information and recommendations for training and policy development. The purpose was to assess the potential effects of the ELT situation…

This series issue presents a description and assessment of the Agency for International Development (AID) funded endowment concept as conducted by a number of AID Missions and host governments in Latin American and the Caribbean. These endowments are being used to strengthen and sustain the financial base of existing or new non-governmental…

Interactive radio instruction has gained attention as a low-cost means of improving the academic achievement of primary school students. The Radio Mathematics Project in Nicaragua and subsequent programs developed by the Learning Technologies for Basic Education (LearnTech) Project illustrate the evolution such programs have undergone as…