The article introduces a special issue on the national network of University Affiliated Facilities (UAFs) for enhancing the quality of life of developmentally disabled persons. The history, related definitions, and current mission of the UAF network are reviewed, and a comprehensive evaluation system designed for continuous quality assurance is…

A national board to certify teachers is expected to be chartered by late this summer and begin issuing certificates within five years. The objective is to establish high standards for teacher competence with voluntary certification, not replacement of state licensing. The plan has received widespread support. (MSE)

Describes the activities, library holdings and services, documentation programs, current initiatives, and future programs of India's National Social Science Documentation Centre. (MBR)

Directions in second-language curriculum development in Australia are discussed in the context of three contemporary educational value systems or ideologies: classical humanism, reconstructionism, and progressivism. (MSE)

Urges creation of national certification boards in several educational fields to justify highly qualified elementary and secondary teachers who could then be eligible for higher pay. Cites arguments against merit pay, explains how certification boards would defuse union opposition, and examines drawbacks in recent federal efforts to encourage…

An Australian language curriculum development project is examined for insights into approaching future national curriculum development efforts, focusing on coordination and management needs and appropriate patterns for the involvement and development of teachers. (MSE)

An article taken from a state-of-the-art paper given at the UNESCO/UNDP International Workshop on Environmental Education at Belgrade in October 1975. Topics include the media as environmental educators, environmental action, university-related courses, problems and opportunities, and recommendations for action. (JT)

This research brief highlights studies of nationally- and locally-based youth mentoring programs. The programs were evaluated on an experimentally based design which compared a group of youth randomly assigned to a mentoring program with a group of youth who were not so assigned. The study found overall that mentoring programs can be effective…

The Desire, Ability, Means, and Need (DAMN) Cycle is a useful paradigm for understanding the lifelong learning framework in Singapore. The cycle suggests that, for learning to occur, students must have a desire and an ability to learn, including inquiring minds and higher order process skills; the means must be provided through a well-defined…

Although Japanese society has long valued and practiced lifelong learning, it has not yet been successful in building an ethic that prizes learning, teaches creativity, and includes everyone. Bureaucratic and legal mechanisms undertaken in Japan to promote lifelong learning have included the establishment of Lifelong Learning Councils, a system…

Two years ago, RAND published a report entitled "Fostering the Use of Educational Technology: Elements of a National Strategy." The report documented a series of analyses and workshops carried out during 1994 and 1995 and suggested elements of a national strategy that could foster the effective use of technology by the nation's…

This paper presents the Virtual Reference Desk project, its current activities, and a proposed information system architecture to build a human intermediated network of expertise and experience for the K-12 community. The Virtual Reference Desk is a project headed by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology and funded by the U.S.…

This literature review was undertaken as part of the National Mental Health Strategy on the development and maintenance of a national early intervention network for mental health in young people. Its purpose is to facilitate the development of innovative early intervention services across Australia by developing and maintaining a national network…

This paper provides a picture of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), primarily Europe and North America. The paper's main objective is to present an overview of the major policies and programs in these countries, and to classify them by their most salient…

The proliferation of online resources has resulted in creating and accentuating challenges for national bibliographic agencies throughout the world. Through strategic planning and innovative approaches, providers of national bibliographies are seeking to realize bibliographic control of remote electronic material. For success, they will need to…