Young people who are either at risk of disengaging or disengaged from mainstream education in Ireland are often supported by what is termed 'out-of-school' or the 'alternative education' sector. A recent review of out-of-school education provision (Department of Education. 2022. "Review of Out-of-School Educational Provision." Dublin:…

In Australia and Europe, government agencies and not-for-proft organisations (NFPOs) have had long involvement in the funding and provision of community disability services. Signifcant change has occurred in Australia over the past two decades in the way government funds are expended, with marketplace mechanisms increasingly being used. As a…

Health care has been an ongoing issue of public concern for decades, well before President Obama took office. Passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, in March 2010 and upheld by a Supreme Court in June 2012. With Republicans now in control of both the House and Senate as well as the presidency, the ACA in its current…

Britain faces a wages crisis, underpinned by low productivity. For the last seven years, people's wages have risen more slowly than the prices in the shops. People also often become "stuck" in low pay and cannot advance their careers. This paper argues for a new National Advancement Service, providing people in low paid work a Career…

This annual report shows how fee and support systems (including grants and loans) work in higher education in Europe. It provides both a comparative overview of fees and financial support available to full-time students in 2016/17, and also includes individual country sheets outlining the main elements of national systems. In particular, the…

In this article, the late Jarl Bengtsson briefly traces the evolution of the concept of lifelong learning within the member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He points out that on the one hand lifelong learning is accepted, in policy terms, by all OECD countries and many other countries, but on the other…

There is now a great deal of experience across different countries as they act in their own ways to improve the productivity and excellence of their higher education institutions. Each nation wants to create an international reputation for excellence that will attract students, academic staff and business. This involves change at the national…

Reflecting 18 months of work by the Preservation and Access Committee established by the Council on Library Resources in June 1984, these reports identify the essential elements of a national brittle book preservation program and propose an organizational structure and funding plan. Following a brief introduction, the Report of the Committee on…

The U.S. Department of Education makes a considerable investment in math and science education each year. This document discusses the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Program, the largest of the Department of Education's programs dedicated to math and science. This program includes: (1) The National Program (funding nearly $16 million…

How to expand to a larger scale a working community-service program using federal money is considered. Planning time is an essential, as are a focus on program culture and technical support. Adapting programs, rather than prescribing solutions, should help in the cautious move toward a national program. (SLD)

Discusses changes in the state steering of universities and the impact of these changes on internal university management in Finland, where some unique university management procedures are in use. Of particular interest is the impact of the increase in external funding and the increasing competition for state funds. (SLD)

Held to solicit the opinions of experts regarding the preservation of the brittle books in the nation's libraries, this hearing was intended to determine the appropriate federal, state, and private sector roles; learn the magnitude of costs and who should bear them; and explore what procedures are necessary to insure that selection decisions are…

Asserting that U.S. policy makers have much to gain from studying child care financing and delivery approaches in other economically-developed countries, this paper summarizes aspects of the organization and financing of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services across 14 industrialized countries as of the mid-1990s. The first section…

The author explains the role and financing of educational research and development (R&D) in Sweden, as it operates under the central education authority, the National Board of Education. She discusses a government report on R&D effects and considers the potential impact on research of current trends toward decentralization in education.…

The origins, history, and impact of Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council university fellowship program, designed to stimulate research activity among young faculty, are discussed. (MSE)