The 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk" began a new reevaluation of American schooling. The issues raised in that and several more recent reports are summarized and discussed in this preface to the ERIC volume, "Trends and Issues in Education, 1986." This paper offers observations and reflections on the issues presented in that volume and…

This volume contains the following 19 papers delivered at a national conference on the design of assessment of vocational education: "The National Assessment of Vocational Education: An Introduction" (Gilbert T. Sewall); "Vocational Education--Opportunity and Challenge: Perspectives on the National Assessment of Vocational…

This anthology of 58 pieces originally published in the "Journal of Experiential Education" focuses on the value of experiential learning and the need to incorporate direct experience in formal education. Chapter 1 summarizes and reviews the findings of "A Nation at Risk" and other major national reports on education. Chapter 2…

In the 21st century, the population will need to possess basic skills in the areas of communication and higher problem-solving as well as have scientific and technological literacy; however, results from assessments by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) have indicated weak student performance in the area of thinking skills,…

This report is the second of two technical reports produced as part of the Study of Excellence in High School Education. These studies are: (1) a cross-sectional analysis comparing 1972 high school seniors and their schools with 1980 high school seniors and their schools; and (2) a longitudinal analysis relating growth and development of 1980 high…

This third annual report on student achievement in Illinois continues the State Board of Education practice of providing a synthesis of a variety of achievement measures. Test results used for this report come from: (1) Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress (IIEP); (2) Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT); (3) National Assessment of Educational…

Eight issues affecting the ability of the schools to meet the public's expectations and concerns are explored in this address. It examines problems, proposed solutions, barriers to change, and possibilities for reform in each of the eight areas. The topics considered are (1) school organization, the need for flexible structuring, and enhancement…

Using existing records, documents, and data files, a study was conducted to identify and describe the status of vocational education in California's community colleges in seven areas of investigation: vocational students, vocational programs, program delivery patterns, program planning, program funding, student outcomes, and major trends and…

The National Commission on Testing and Public Policy is conducting a 3-year policy-oriented investigation of the role of tests, especially standardized, norm-referenced tests, in the allocation of educational, training, and employment opportunities in the United States today. This document reports on the first hearing, which focused on the…

This book by a former principal of Marion High School in Adelaide, South Australia who held that post from 1972 to 1983, examines the influence of theory and practice of secondary education in many countries upon the management of the school during those years. The first 17 chapters discuss the management of the school as a whole, addressing the…

This project is concerned with the development of procedures and plans for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to use in assessing its initiatives on an ongoing basis. This work is meant to complement another review of NSF's investment opportunities by estabishing a sound basis for designing and carrying out assessments aimed at any of the…

This handbook, consisting of a program development model that is based on three programs for ex-offenders that were implemented in Texas in fiscal year 1983, is designed to assist adult educators in implementing adult education programs for persons on parole or probation. Discussed first are the purpose of the handbook, the individual sites of the…

In response to declining enrollment in teacher education programs and a mandate from the Regents of the Montana University System to accept special responsibility as a Rural Education Center for the State of Montana, the Education Division of Western Montana College (Dillon, Montana) in 1980 hired an applied anthropologist to evaluate the existing…

As in 1988, the current status of education is presented in the form of indicators measuring education's "health" and showing major trends and developments. These indicators derive from studies carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and from surveys conducted within and outside the Federal Government. This…

The New Jersey Basic Skills Council seventh annual report to the Board of Higher Education looks at the status of the reading, writing, and mathematical skills of incoming freshmen and of the effectiveness of remedial programs in its public colleges and universities. A comparison is presented of students who needed and completed remediation;…