The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), an arm of the Library of Congress, leads a highly successful national program to produce and distribute books and magazines for blind, visually impaired, and physically handicapped individuals. A fostering relationship exists between NLS and a network of 143 regional and…

Goal five of the National Education Goals of America 2000 calls for dramatic improvement in the educational attainment of the nation's adult population. Encompassed in the goal is a charge to increase the number of college graduates who can think critically, communicate effectively, and solve problems. This paper focuses on measures that can be…

This presentation by Linda Roberts, the U.S. Department of Education's Director of Educational Technology, introduces the Families, Technology, and Education conference by discussing the Clinton Administration's policies and goals for technology use in schools. Issues discussed include equipment and accessibility, teacher training and professional…

This document contains detailed information on the performance and characteristics of the vocational education and training (VET) system in Australia in 1996. The report looks at a range of specific key performance measures for the VET sector. Some highlights of the performance of the VET sector in 1996 include the following: (1) more than 1.35…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card," is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of American students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement across time. Part 1 of this report consists of the results of NAEP's 1990 national…

The first of two hearings held in the winter and spring of 1991 to consider the reauthorization of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement focused on the question of national testing. The proposed legislation stipulates that a national test would measure an individual's educational achievement, give the local education agency an…

Two separate historical traditions have influenced Swedish literacy: the church and formal schooling. In answer to the challenge of the International Literacy Year 1990, Sweden has formed a national committee to address such issues as future literacy missions, support of international understanding, and stimulation of research. The National Board…

This document provides a detailed synopsis of the book "Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage" (L. B. Schorr). Specific kinds of intervention programs can alter the stunting conditions in which many poor children are raised. It is not necessary to change everything in order to make a difference, and policymakers do not need to wait…

The Regional Forums (RFMs) conducted by the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) to solicit public comments on recommendations by the six NEGP Resource Groups (RGPs) are described. The RGP recommendations focus on ways of measuring/monitoring the nation's/states' progress toward meeting the President's and governors' six national education goals.…

This document outlines the issues of importance to higher education that face the 102nd Congress of the United States Government of which three have paramount importance: (1) securing adequate funding of student assistance programs; (2) assuring tax policies which provide maximum incentives to enlarge the nation's technical and professional skills…

The report of a seminar involving 13 Asian nations held to develop coordinated population education programs is presented. Following an introduction describing background, objectives, and participation, chapter 1 summarizes the reports on national population education presented by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, India,…

Public school districts vary widely in the extent to which they are aware of, receive, and use research and development (R&D) resources produced by four major programs within the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). A 95 percent response rate to a survey sent to a probability sample of 1,093…

A discussion of public language policy formation focuses on the situation in the Netherlands and Europe. First, a number of considerations in the formation of second language instruction policy are reviewed, including determination of content, conditions of instruction, and languages to be taught. The Dutch national program for foreign language…

In the summer of 1986, 564 of the 752 members of the treatment group of the first full-scale implementation of the Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) model returned for their second summer. At the same time, a second cohort consisting of 1,591 youth (765 in the treatment group and 754 in the control group) began their first summer of…

The summer of 1985 marked the first full-scale implementation of the Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) model. Federally funded, STEP provides 14- and 15-year-olds with a paid summer experience that combines work, remediation in reading and math, and life skills instruction with an emphasis on responsible social and sexual attitudes and…