The issue of a national assessment tool in the form of national testing has recently gained momentum. The expectation is that tough national tests would raise national standards and improve educational equity. The goals are ambitious ones and the stakes are particularly high for disadvantaged youth who currently experience the worst effects of…

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Program for Mathematics and Science Education of the U.S. Department of Education provided a forum in which state and federal representatives could develop strategies to support the implementation of recently developed mathematics and science education standards. This conference report describes the presentations and…

The first annual National Education Goals Report is presented, focusing on measuring/monitoring the nation's/states' progress toward meeting the President's and governors' six national education goals. The most recent quality indicators available are presented, which are: results-oriented (focusing on whether or not the nation is achieving the…

In the Republic of Korea, elementary schools provide compulsory education to children between the ages of six and eleven. Students ages 12-14 attend middle school, and high schools offer three years of upper secondary education to students ages 15-17. This report describes the design of the science education program in South Korea, highlighting…

The following papers were produced by participants and resource persons on specific issues of planning, management and implementation of literacy and post-literacy strategies: "People's Participation and Mobilization: Characteristics of the Literacy Campaigns in China" (Yanwei); "Strategies for Mobilization and Participation of…

In most of the Arab world, the development of a national education system has been a recent process. Currently, one out of every two Arabs can neither read nor write. This paper focuses on how illiteracy has been dealt with in the country of Iraq. A 1947 survey put total illiteracy of those 15 years and older at 89.1%. In the period following the…

The Professional, Industrial, and Commercial Updating Programme (PICKUP) of the United Kingdom is aimed at improving the performance of British industry through the colleges. In Wales, PICKUP is part of the Welsh Office Education Department. Various factors have encouraged educational institutions to take on PICKUP work: the Education Reform Act…

Dutch secondary schools offer educational programs on four tracks, vocational and nonvocational. At the end of each program, a final examination is administered, with the test content areas determined by law, by the schools, and by the student's individual program. Assessment is by means of a written, nationally administered exam and…

In 1981-82 a questionnaire was sent to member countries of UNESCO by the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) to determine current needs, priorities, and major trends in environmental education. Of particular interest to the IEEP were developments since the 1977 Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education held in…

This report provides a record of student achievement for the State of New York in the 1984-85 school year. It brings together a variety of achievement indicators with a clear focus on knowledge and higher-order skills. Three types of achievement data are presented. One consists of scores obtained on New York State (NYS) tests. These scores may be…

A preliminary study of the teacher training process in Jamaica used statistics, historical documentations, and a questionnaire survey to address four topics: (1) the future contributions of the Jamaican system of teacher training to the economic welfare of the country; (2) adapting present teacher education programs to the needs of teachers who…

Noting a general dissatisfaction with the implementation and evaluation of large-scale educational programs, this paper argues that the rational model that is the foundation for large-scale educational programs is faulty. According to the rational model, government mandates call for educational programs to remedy social problems; then rewards and…

This description of federal compensatory education programs for the economically disadvantaged was prepared for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's review of national education policies. As background, the report first describes the U.S. educational system, the social and educational changes since 1954 that gave rise to…

Some 42% of Jamaica's adult population was not functionally literate in 1962--figures that precipitated expansion in adult literacy and Basic Education programs as described in this survey report. Following a seven-page introductory historical profile, the authors note attempts made to assess adult illiteracy, such as the 1975 survey that found…

Describes the recent work done in Great Britain designed to create a national curriculum in secondary schools in England and Wales. Discusses the organization of the curriculum with mathematics, English, and science being at the core. Suggestions for appropriate time allotments for different courses and themes are also provided. (TW)