The problem of high school dropouts has generated increased interest among researchers, policymakers, and educators in recent years. This paper examines the many issues involved in trying to understand and solve this complex social and educational problem. The issues are grouped into four areas, related to the incidence, causes, consequences, and…

This study was conducted to determine how many workers are in low-wage jobs; their characteristics and changes in their characteristics over time; the characteristics of the low-wage jobs; gender, sex, and racial factors influencing participation in low-wage jobs; and the relationship of low-wage work to family poverty and welfare receipt. The…

This special report briefly presents information about innovative programs targeted toward at-risk youth in the United States that are provided by many institutional members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Twelve model programs out of 250 were selected for the report. Among the issues the programs address…

This report contains case studies from six countries on local efforts to ease the transition of youth from school to work and to stop or prevent them from regressing to semiliteracy or illiteracy. The countries studied are Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe. A short summary of each of…

This report summarizes a review of the literature on employee benefits. It indicates what is known and not known about the effects of providing benefits on both employees and employers. Following an introductory discussion on the problems and prospect of employee benefits, the report is organized in 11 sections. The first four sections indicate…

This study uses statistical data from the Current Population Survey to develop new state-by-state dropout estimates as an alternative to those published by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The following new findings are reported: (1) youth are completing high school at a higher rate than previously noted; (2) variations in dropout rates…

The effects of a statewide testing policy on school district organizational structure are described in this report. A year-long ethnographic case study identified the following dysfunctional results of school reform based on external regulation: ambivalent local educator attitudes; the promotion of a professional teaching dilemma; negative…

A framework for global educational improvement adopted by the World Conference on Education for All is presented in this document. Included are examples of how the "expanded vision" of basic education have been applied in practice. Five chapters summarize worldwide educational needs and strategies to meet them. "Global Challenges…

Strategic planning techniques for administrators, with a focus on process managers, are presented in this guidebook. The three major tasks of the strategic planning process include the assessment of the current organizational situation, goal setting, and the development of strategies to accomplish this. Strategic planning differs from long-range…

This issue of an annual journal contains 18 essays on unemployment insurance (UI) and employment and training programs. Part 1, "Historical Perspective," contains the following papers: "Reflections on Wisconsin and Unemployment Insurance" (Wilbur J. Cohen); "Outstanding Ideas Form UI's Foundation" (Richard Wagner); "One State's Experience: 1939"…

Data from a 1% sample of households in the 1980 United States Census of Population and Housing were used to identify personal and social characteristics associated with being poor or marginally poor in Colorado. The general hypothesis examined was that the more limited an individual's access is to participation in the nontraditional aspects of the…

Designed to provide educational policy-makers and decision-makers with a basis for the development of guidelines for the development of education programs, this report presents an overview of trends and issues in computer education within the countries of the Asia and Pacific region. The impact of computers on society is described, as well as the…

The increasing availability and the highly variable quality of computer hardware and software make it imperative that school professionals become acquainted with issues of legal liability and professional ethics regarding the use of computers in education. This document explores problems associated with the lack of proper training of school…

The proceedings of the 1986 Symposium on the Future of Special Education contains 12 papers. Presenters represented the following groups: state education agency directors, large school district directors, small school district directors, teachers, parents, teacher educators, researchers, and Canadian school administrators. An initial paper by F.…

An International Congress on Environmental Education has been announced for Moscow, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), during late summer 1987, to mark the tenth anniversary of the October 1977 Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, held in Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR. This document reviews the outcome of the 1977 conference,…