The symbolic function of curricular debate, as it is manifested in the minimum competency testing movement (MCT), is investigated. Curricular debate necessarily reflects the demands of the society in which it arises. The topics that are addressed spring from this milieu and the language in which issues are couched must be appropriate to it.…

In this article, the author addresses a problem encountered in her own professional life as a teacher of writing in the context of computing, a teaching field often referred to as "computers and writing," "electronic writing," or "computer-assisted writing instruction." The problem she has observed has to do with teaching technology in a…

This two-part document contains the final report (part 1) and the model curriculum (part 2) of the Workplace Basic Skills project at Burke Mills, Inc., North Carolina. Part 1, the final report, discusses the design, implementation, and operation of a project to identify a yarn manufacturer's skill needs, assess prospective employees' basic skills,…

These materials were prepared by a project that developed and used a computer-assisted comprehensive life skills curriculum partly based on an existing life skills program, "Everyday Basic Skills," and added new modules in civics and legislative legal issues relevant to Pennsylvania. An 18-page final report is followed by a curriculum…