The relationship between public and voluntary agencies in the child care field is examined in this discussion of how patterns of public financing of voluntary agency foster care have been influenced by recent changes in public policy. Responses to a 1975 questionnaire sent to state departments administering or supervising services for dependent…

The U.S. Departments of Commerce and Education (who co-chair the NSTC Working Group) and NetDay formed a partnership aimed at analyzing K-12 student views about technology for learning. These views are analyzed in this second report, "Visions 2020.2: Student Views on Transforming Education and Training Through Advanced Technologies." In…

The training being provided to low-wage workers, factors affecting the availability and effectiveness of such training, and training outcomes were examined. The major research activities were as follows: (1) identification of 192 employers that invested most heavily in training for low-wage workers; (2) telephone interviews with 40 of the 192…

Ideological arguments are made for open learning, economic ones for distance education. If it can produce similar results to those of conventional education at a lower cost, then distance education has a powerful appeal. With increasing demand for access to educational opportunities at all levels, and often decreasing budgets in real terms for…

This book combines personal stories of rhetoric and composition teachers with statistical data derived from various government and academic research studies to document gender experiences of college writing teachers and administrators. Anecdotal evidence was drawn from a survey questionnaire mailed to 3,000 college writing teachers, follow-up…

The characteristics and experience of mature students at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth were examined in a study in which data were collected from the following: detailed questionnaire mailed to all 298 mature students registered at NUI Maynooth and returned by 164 (55%) of them; semistructured interviews with a sample of 20…

An assessment of Australia's housing industry determined the level of management skills currently existing in the industry, identified current and future management skills required for the industry, and evaluated current management skill development strategies. Data were collected from the following activities: review of recent literature; study…

As part of the program evaluation and review process at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) in Illinois, a follow-up study was conducted of 433 Business Transfer (BT's) students who had taken Accounting 203; and Accounting Aide (AA's) majors who attended Harper sometime between fall 1988 and summer 1993. A survey received a 40% response rate for…

This report describes a low-cost, adaptable methodology for assessment of basic learning competencies (BLCs) in diverse cultural contexts. Following the introduction, section 2 provides a policy framework and covers priority populations; policy and assessment needs; challenges for policy-driven assessments; and questions policymakers might have.…

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in continuing health professional education (CHPE) was examined in a national survey of Canadian CHPE providers. Of the 3,044 surveys distributed to schools of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, national/provincial health professional associations, nonprofit health advocacy organizations,…

This guide, which is intended for volunteer literacy programs in Alberta, Canada, details a four-step process for evaluating volunteer literacy programs and using evaluation results for program development. The guide begins with an introduction, underlying principles and assumptions, and a glossary. Sections 1-4 detail the steps of the process,…

The effectiveness of a preemployment program that was initiated at Robert E. Abbott Accelerated Middle School in Waukegan, Illinois, was examined through a follow-up survey of the program's graduates. The survey population consisted of all 176 individuals who had participated in the preemployment club since its inception in 1994 (28 individuals…

The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of the Monitoring the Future research design, including sampling, data collection procedures, measurement content, and questionnaire format. Monitoring the Future is designed to assess the changing lifestyles, values, and preferences of American youth on a continuing basis. Since the…

Instructional design (ID) case studies that pose authentic ill-defined design problems in realistic environments can help instructional design students bridge the gap between novice and expert practice. Over the past 3 years, the authors have explored aspects of this educational approach through the development of World Wide Web-based…

This case study reports on collaborative activities among four fourth grade teachers and their students over a year and explores the effectiveness of distance learning for international team teaching. Two classes in Mexico City conducted school activities with two classes in College Station (Texas). Researchers examined: school activities that…