These 17 articles on different subjects of the broader theme "lifelong learning" represent the latest results of the discussions of the Vocational Education and Culture Research Network. An introduction (Klaus Harney et al.) provides summaries of the contents. The articles are "The Global and International Discourse of Lifelong…

This document reviews the 10-year history of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), which is an intergovernmental organization that was created by Commonwealth of Nations heads of government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources, and technologies. The following are among the topics…

This document contains six papers exploring emerging viewpoints, issues, and trends related to mentoring and adult learning. "Mentoring: From Athena to the 21st Century" (Catherine A. Hansman) traces the definitions of the term "mentor" and mentoring practices that have evolved since antiquity. "Emerging Perspectives on…

This book explores the relationship between adult education and social change and argues that it is vital for all adult educators to continuously engage radical theory in their teaching, reassess radical adult education's doubting and abandonment of the Marxist tradition in favor of postmodernism and radical pluralism, and seek to reinject the…

Vocational education in Denmark began with organized apprentice training in the early 1400s. In 1875, the government and municipalities began providing substantial grants to establish technical and commercial schools. Development of apprenticeship training continued through the 1950s. Since 1977, Denmark has had two parallel systems of vocational…

This document contains information about the methodology and findings of a study that identified 20 programs across the United States that have been successful in raising student's academic achievement. Part 1 contains the following items: (1) an explanation of the process and criteria used to select the 20 examples of excellence drawn from the 96…

Australia's apprenticeship system was examined in 11 individual research projects that focused on various aspects of the system, including the following: milestones in its development; its changing structure; its broadening occupational base and client base; characteristics of apprentices; completion and attrition rates; outcomes from traditional…

This report describes apprenticeship system development in Australia and provides a quantitative macro-level analysis of apprenticeship, traineeship, and new apprenticeship trends. Following an introduction (chapter 1), chapters 2-3 trace its European origins and establishment in colonial Australia, development and evolution through the twentieth…

In this report, the role of women's community education in combating poverty and disadvantage in Ireland over the past 10 years was examined, and future directions for policy and practice were suggested. The following data collection approaches were used: literature and policy document reviews; case studies involving regional workshops with…

Ireland's economic and social problems in the 1980s spawned a new kind of community education. Key characteristics of the new community education are as follows: (1) it is a learning environment and located in the community; (2) it provides learning programs based on identified needs; (3) its control remains in the local community's hands; (4) its…

These proceedings are comprised of 23 presentations on research in European vocational education and human resource development. Papers include "Developing Information and Communication Technology Capability in Higher Education in the United Kingdom (UK)" (Nick Boreham); "Methodological Issues in the Study of Organizational…

This document, which is intended as a primer for adult continuing education, contains 11 chapters examining the philosophical foundations of adult and continuing education. The chapter titles and authors are as follows: "Progressivism and Adult Continuing Education" (Michael Day); "Progressivism: An Anthology" (Andrea Reeve);…

Taiwan's commercial high schools are 3-year institutions that students enter after successfully passing a rigorous vocational, technical, or commercial school admission examination. Although commercial high schools date from the early days of Japanese occupation in 1895, the modern-day Chinese commercial high school did not come into being until…

This report includes statistics of elementary and of secondary schools which are supported from public funds. The data are compiled from reports made to the bureau by departments of public instruction in the various States. In most instances the printed bulletins of the superintendent of public instruction were used to verify the figures and to…

Until within the last few years, public schoolhouses in American cities and towns were open only for the regular school work and for children of legal school age. However, since the beginning of the present century, there has been a growing interest in public school extension and for a fuller use of the public school plant. In most cities and…