Part of a series of instructional packages for use in college level economics courses, this document contains nine lecture outlines on macroeconomics. The first section deals with basic macroeconomic concepts in terms of underlying microeconomic behavior, national income and product accounting, nominal and real GNP, actual and potential GNP, and…

This report addresses some of the concerns surrounding smaller classes and looks at whether reduced class sizes result in higher achievement levels, and concludes that it in fact does increase student achievement, so long as classes do not exceed 17 students. But many critics question whether the high cost of reducing classes to 17 or fewer…

Researchers have discovered that the physical condition of a school can make a difference in student achievement. To further this knowledge, seven articles on school environments, ranging from school repair to strategies for infrastructure funding, are presented. The first article, "The Cruel Conditions of Our Nation's Schools," (Michael…

Input from a variety of viewpoints is essential in complex policy discussions. Families serving on local interagency coordinating councils (LICCs) and state interagency coordinating councils (SICCs) should reflect the diversity of families served within the early intervention or preschool service system with respect to income level, ethnicity,…

This special member of the Journal Teangeolas is devoted to the theme of languages and language policy in Ireland. It contains the following articles: "English as a Foreign Language - Preparing for 1992" (Tom Doyle); "A Language Policy for Irish Schools" (Helen O Murchu); "Don't Disturb the Ancestors" (R. L. Davis);…

Since 1989, the French government has been developing a program to encourage forecasting studies on skills and training needs within the framework of a dialogue between the social partners. A review of the program showed that the forecasting studies have been conducted either by public research institutions or by private consulting firms. Some…

Issues pertaining to equity rights to intellectual property and policy concerns of colleges are discussed. The following factors need to be addressed: the extent to which the intellectual property is created and/or reduced to practice during time paid for by the institution; the extent of use and value of facilities provided by the institution 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…

Articles on improving preservice teacher education, with particular considerations on proposed five-year programs, are featured in this theme issue. In "Fifth Year Teacher Preparation: A Solution in Search Of a Problem," Alan R. Tom weighs the pros and cons of extending teacher preparation for a fifth year, noting the fact that…

The eight papers summarized in this collection were drawn from a 1983 conference symposium designed to expand and disseminate increased understanding about reading and its instruction. The selected papers, each of which includes an abstract, discuss the following topics: (1) the determination of Florida's kindergarten reading curricula, (2)…

Analysis of a school district where merit pay has existed for 30 years and a more general review of other merit pay proposals led to the disclosure of eight critical issues to be considered before the actual implementation of merit pay programs. (MLF)

These three issues of the "Research Exchange" focus on how better to conduct disability research and disseminate research results. The first issue examines the topic of human subject/human research participant protection, with a focus on research funded through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). It…

A longitudinal study of two cohorts of young white men (the first followed from the late 1960s through the 1970s; the second from the 1980s through the early 1990s) determined that long-term wage growth between the ages of 16 and 36 has both declined and become significantly more unequal for the recent cohort. The declines have been concentrated…

Seven articles highlight evaluations that are especially investigative in nature to examine how common elements in these studies can be used to improve evaluation and practice. The evaluator is seen as detective, ethnographer and management consultant, national program monitor and analyst, and international development specialist. (SLD)

Adult functional illiteracy is estimated at more than 20 percent of the U.S. population and 12-19 percent of Indiana residents over age 25 (390,000 to 600,000 adults). In addition, high school dropouts and those who do not seek education past high school also need additional training. Functional illiteracy costs government and business through…