Achieving good quality in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) training is hampered by the lack of a common definition of quality. Five ideas have been consistent in definitions: targeting programs; long-term, in-depth training; basic education; work skills training; and supportive services and guidance. A definition must include suggestions on how…

The special nature of remedial programs and the variance in definitions, components, purposes, and structures are discussed to help institutional researchers design program evaluations. The term "remedial program" is used to refer to any combination of courses, support services, testing, placement practices, and institutional policies…

A description is provided of Cuyahoga Community College's (CCC's) Jesse Owens Youth Development Program, a comprehensive year-round combination of courses, programs, and activities for inner city young people between the ages of 11 and 21. Following introductory comments on the program, the beginnings of CCC's youth development program are…

This issue features articles on basic skills enrichment for summer job programs and on the recent revisions to the Job Training Partnership Act's (JTPA's) performance standards system. "Basic Skills and Summer Enrichment: An Interview with Gordon Berlin" focuses on the summer enrichment movement in general and the Summer Training and…

This Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Update provides a quick primer of some of the key areas where states have flexibility to develop their own programs and processes in the new Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program. This guide is organized in seven sections that cover the following topics: (1) introduction; (2) why local areas…

The Swedish Basic Skills in a Long Term Perspective research project, which is described in this paper, was prompted by the belief that only a long-term perspective could reveal significant changes in schools and society at large. The general purpose of the described project is to endeavor, in historical and societal terms, to elucidate and…

In the light of recent initiatives, new questions have arisen regarding the federal role in literacy. Although federal adult literacy efforts have been ineffective, the link between literacy and the productivity of the work force may justify a stronger national investment in literacy. Among the major federally supported literacy programs are the…

This report explores one avenue for health education and promotion for audiences with low literacy levels: embedding empowerment health education directly in adult literacy programs. This approach emerged through participatory action research (PAR). The four sections correspond to the four questions around which the PAR process organizes the…

Issues in defining and conceptualizing general education in the two-year college are examined in this collection of essays. After introductory remarks, B. Lamar Johnson reviews the findings of the 1952 California Study of General Education and discusses their current applicability. Next, K. Patricia Cross reviews trends in general education from…

This report looks at the concerns and issues about the growing involvement of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) in education, provides legislative information and primers about the programs in the three education areas with which JTPA links most often, and provides program models and resources. Specifically, the report looks at four areas:…

The team-teaching component of the College Skills Program at Burlington County College (New Jersey), a coordinated cognitive and affective curriculum for remediating basic skills deficiencies, is briefly described. Four-person teams consisting of a social sciences teacher, a reading teacher, an English teacher, and a counselor are used in the…

The focus of this journal edition is remedial writing instruction in high school and college. Articles in the journal are: "The Remedial Student is Different," by Karl K. Taylor; "Writing Apprehension: (I) Combating Fear of Failure," by Donna K. Gorrell; "Writing Apprehension: (II) Where Does Fear of Writing Come…

This document argues that the availability of developmental education is essential to the well being of the American economy and social structure. By the year 2050, U.S. citizens will be older and nearly 50% will belong to a minority group. The fastest growing population is Hispanic American, resulting from immigration and higher birth rates. This…

This annotated bibliography describes 42 documents dealing with work force and workplace literacy. Annotations are provided for 17 how-to guides and assessment tools, 19 policy reports and research papers, and 6 surveys. The following are among the topics covered in the individual documents described: job-related literacy training, basic skills in…

The experience of a number of specific local workplace programs indicates a definite connection between the provision of employee basic skills programs and increased worker productivity. One Tennessee company, for example, reports a 95 percent drop in costs resulting from worker mistakes and a doubling of worker productivity since the company…