This report summarizes the latest available statistics on international progress on children's well-being. Each of the report's sections contains a commentary, related statistics, and a discussion on progress and disparity in the section's particular area. Following a foreword by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, the sections of the…

This document consists of the three 1999 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters." This periodical, addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education, evolved from an in-house publication directed to projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Articles in the February 1999 edition…

This report represents the first ever attempt to draw a comparative picture of the physical abuse of children in the 27 richest nations of the world. UNICEF research estimates that almost 3,500 children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse and neglect every year in the industrialized world. The greatest risk is among younger children. A…

Quantifies the degree of social, economic, and cultural deprivation of countries with high degrees of illiteracy by comparing their social indicators to those of countries having a predominantly literate population. Examined are indicators of education, the mass media, transportation, social welfare, agriculture, and the economy. (Author/AM)

Describes the national adult literacy campaign in Britain, with particular attention to experience in Birmingham, England. Local education authorities organize and coordinate programs of individual and group instruction in various settings with volunteer tutors forming the backbone of the services, overcoming student hesitancy through informal,…

The author supports theories of the relationship between school and work expressed in Torsten Husen's book, "The School in Question." The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the education-work relationship in China and the United States, the Work in America Institute, and the National Academy of Education are…

Discusses the central thesis of Torsten Husen's book, "The School in Question." Husen maintains that the postindustrial society appreciates outstanding abilities above all and relies on the school system to determine these abilities. Negative effects of reduction of inequalities in schooling are also discussed. (KC)

Examines the research-teaching relationship in faculty work in Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Israel, Japan, and South Korea, drawing on an international survey of college and university faculty. Results indicate research and teaching are not mutually exclusive activities, but the two activities have differing effects…

Summarizes reports from six sessions of the 1990 seminar convened by the Federation for Information and Documentation (FID). Highlights include policies concerning the availability of information and access to it; information policy problems between industrialized and nonindustrialized countries; the future of FID; and new information technologies…

Compares federal financing of education in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and Nigeria. Examines methods for reducing vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalances and resulting inequalities in provision of education. Predicts increasingly centralized financing and control of education. Contains 31 references. (SV)

Issues in the field of information science that should be addressed as the nation and the world enter the 1990s are discussed in eight articles. Some of the topics addressed include U.S. federal information policy, whether the United States should rejoin UNESCO, information technology in developing countries, and the potential impact of the…

Discusses the efficient use of energy. Compares reserves and pollutants generated by natural gas, oil, and coal. Points out some alternative energy sources and ways for improving energy efficiency in buildings, industrial processes, and transportation. Describes some problems in developing and developed countries. (YP)

Describes case study that examined the processes and outcomes related to the development of knowledge bases by groups of seventh grade science students in Toronto who were studying classification of living organisms. Expert system shells are discussed, and cognitive and metacognitive skills used in the activity are examined. (23 references)…

Describes study conducted in England, Scotland, and Wales based on a national sample of 11-year-olds that investigated the relationship between large verbal and non-verbal differences in ability and underachievement in mathematics and reading. Sex differences are also examined and further research needs are suggested. (14 references) (LRW)

Discusses the importance of higher education and the economic necessity of developing alternative pedagogical models, such as distance education. The current state of higher education in the United States is discussed as well as distance education programs in other countries, and distance learning theories are reviewed. (22 references) (LRW)