(2006). Basic Education Awareness Campaign Conducted in Niger with Trade Unions, Parents' Representatives and Political Authorities at Various Levels. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v36 n1 p83-96 Mar. Education policy in Niger is made up of all the tendencies and decisions, which over time have determined the development of Niger's education sector and its components. In this article, the author discusses the implementation stages of education policy, that is: (1) Adoption of the General Policy Act; and (2) Planning of the implementation of the Act. Act No. 98-12 of 1 June 1998 aims to re-establish the system on new and realistic foundations, while emphasizing the sharing of costs and responsibilities between all the stakeholders, partners and beneficiaries involved. By adopting Act. No. 98-12 of 1 June 1998, the political authorities of Niger confirmed both their intention to make education one of their top priorities and their commitment to that policy. It was in this spirit that the ministries responsible for education, in consultation with technical and financial partners, prepared the 10-Year Programme for the Development of Education in Niger (PDDE) covering the period… [Direct]
(2006). Workforce: New Mexico. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education In New Mexico, the demand for well-educated employees will only increase over the next several years. In the decade leading up to 2012, healthcare occupations will see growth of 32 percent. Teachers will be in high demand: nearly 12,380 educators (including librarians) will need to be hired. Managers will see their ranks swell by 21 percent; when you add in retirements, over 2,310 openings will need to be filled each year. The growth of these sectors is good news for New Mexico's citizens, since wages for jobs in these areas are significantly higher than the average for New Mexico in general. Most positions in these fields will require a bachelor's degree or higher, and the question for New Mexico is how, in a time of tight budgets, to meet the increasing demands on higher education and thereby meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated economy. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) was launched specifically to address the shortage of workforce-training… [PDF]
(1995). Networking the Classroom. CQ Researcher, v5 n39 Oct 20. This issue of "CQ Researcher" examines the theme of computer networking in the classroom and discusses uses past and present. It begins with an essay by Christopher Conte that discusses: "Does computer networking really enhance learning? Are teachers adequately prepared to take advantage of computer networking? Will computer networking promote equality or widen the gap between poor and affluent Americans?" The "Background" section looks at barriers to use, the limited early role of computer assisted instruction, and the present, more advanced uses of computers. The "Current Situation" section contains brief articles on high costs and federal initiatives associated with computer networking. The "Outlook" section considers technology and educational reform. The "Sidebars and Graphics" segments include: (1) "Sharing Computers," a United States map with shadings that indicate ratios of students per computer; (2)… [PDF]
(1997). Strengths and Challenges of a Rural Professional Development Collaborative. Educators from public schools and universities in 13 southeastern Ohio counties formed the Southeastern Regional Professional Development Center (SERPDC) in 1991 to address the needs of rural teachers for purposeful professional interaction and staff development. In 1992, state funding was provided for the SERPDC center, serving the Appalachian area of Ohio. The area is poor but there is a strong tradition of self-reliance with a culture of sharing and a sense of interdependence. These have led to strong volunteer support and commitment to the center. Interviews with teachers have revealed these to be the greatest strengths of the center. Other perceived strengths are: the center's rural location and culture; effective collaboration between public school educators, institutions of higher education; and the sub-regional infrastructure that has fostered the intended sense of local responsiveness and ownership; teacher empowerment and leadership; and the center's emphasis on raising… [PDF]
(1995). SHELCOM: Going High Tech with the Homeless. NCAL Connections, p4-6 Feb. SHELCOM, an adult education project in homeless shelters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, investigated the effects of using computer technology on participants' writing and communication skills. The project consisted of 2-hour workshops, twice weekly, complemented by online support and instruction. Learners paired across the city worked on creating a publication through online communication with each other and their instructors. Collaboration occurred through file-sharing in a modem communication network established between the three shelters and the National Center on Adult Literacy. Computers were the overwhelming reason learners signed up for the project. All participants thought learning to use the computer could help them improve their writing. Being able to work on a composition, answer questions from a writing partner or project director, and write requests for help at any time of the day was considered invaluable. All participants stated they thought the computer had played an… [PDF]
(1994). Total Quality Education: A Concept in Reality. To facilitate an increase in student learning, the curriculum for the Principles of Management course at Collin County Community College was redesigned to reflect a business organization environment. This course differs from the traditional approach in the following ways: (1) the course is based on 47 competencies a team of corporate managers deemed critical to job success; (2) a 300-page study manual containing detailed lecture notes and class materials supplements the text; (3) students have access to over 500 files of research, articles, class notes and previous projects; (4) projects are created by student teams to demonstrate mastery of each competency; (5) when the course is completed, students have a documented portfolio of all skills mastered and the level of mastery; (6) exams are pass/fail and students must reach a score pre-determined by the class; (7) exams are taken in teams; (8) teams write a code of conduct outlining their expectations of team members; (9) teams… [PDF]
(1995). Preliminary Training Proposal for Cessna Aircraft of Independence. This proposal for a program designed to train workers to manufacture single-engine, piston-driven aircraft for Cessna Corporation was developed by Independence Community College in conjunction with Pittsburgh State University (Kansas) and the Southeast Kansas Area Vocational-Technical School. The proposal provides for on-site training in a state-of-the-art 8,400 square foot training facility; a job training director; a customized training curriculum; a total quality management training staff; selection and assessment screening of employees using college-administered tests chosen in conjunction with Cessna officials; utilization of government-funded grants totaling over $2 million; a state-of-the-art aviation training model; and ongoing training and retraining. Specific training topics included in this proposal are: (1) assumptions and exceptions with respect to materials, processes, and manufacturing methods; (2) training process flow; (3) selection and assessment of employees; (4)… [PDF]
(1995). Community Integration Project: Project CIP. An Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities. Final Report. The Community Integration Project (CIP) was an outreach project implemented in four Virginia and Maryland school districts to support the inclusion of children with disabilities and their families in school and community early childhood programs. The project focused on the sharing of resources between local education agencies and school and/or community early childhood programs and on the development and support of early childhood inclusion teams. Four strategies were used to accomplish these objectives: (1) facilitate development of shared leadership between early childhood special and regular education programs; (2) build early childhood inclusion teams; (3) increase competencies of team members; and (4) assist teams in developing and implementing site-specific inclusion plans. During its 3-year period the CIP staff offered intensive training and technical assistance to approximately 320 professionals and paraprofessionals; hosted visits of professionals at model sites; sponsored… [PDF]
(1994). Adventure Based Interventions: The Case for Support. The Rank Foundation's director of youth projects for northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland presents personal views on at-risk youth and ways that adventure-based interventions can meet their needs. Young people today suffer from the constant bombardment of advertising campaigns promoting material consumerism as the criterion for success. There is little in young people's lives to help them question such messages or develop their own values and spirituality. The adventure-based experience contains an extremely strong spiritual component, not only in the outdoor element but also in the sharing of oneself with something or someone else. The varieties of agencies and professionals that work to help young people reach their potential must overcome their conflicts of interest and begin networking. Competition among agencies for work, sometimes trying to be all things to all people, does harm to public perceptions of such developmental programs. Three programs that demonstrate a… [PDF]
(1992). Increasing the Authentic Reading Experiences of Kindergarten Students through a Teacher In-service Program. A practicum was designed to assist 30 kindergarten teachers in increasing the authentic reading experiences of kindergarten students in their classrooms. The goal of the practicum was two-fold: to provide the teachers with alternative instructional strategies to drill and practice basic reading skills; and to provide adequate, developmentally appropriate reading materials for the students in the target teachers' classrooms. Survey results, classroom observations, and a review of pertinent literature were used to plan a 19-hour in-service program which was carried out over the school year. Data gathering methods were a student interest and attitude survey, questionnaires, checklists, professional literature, and videotapes on reading strategies. An analysis of the data revealed that the teachers used the knowledge that they gained to select quality children's books and to increase the authentic reading experiences of their students. At the same time, the teachers decreased their use… [PDF]
(1991). Operationalizing Transformational Leadership: The Behavior of Principals in Fostering Teacher Centered School Development. Researchers have found the categories of transformational and transactional leadership to be effective descriptors of administrator behavior. While the direction of the management literature has stressed the value of transformational over transactional leadership, the recent direction of many school reform efforts has, in many cases, emphasized the opposite, at least in regard to the principalship. This study attempts to provide additional empirical support for the value of transformational leadership by building principals. The work of Greenfield (1991) is used as a knowledge base that distinguishes between personal qualities, behaviors, aims, and outcomes of leadership. The paper provides documentation for the thinking and behaviors of three principals who have been leading schools (two elementary, one middle) in a teacher-centered school development process as part of Project LEARN (League of Educational Action Researchers in the Northwest). While the outward styles of those… [PDF]
(1991). Identification of Social Behaviors Important for Adolescent Peer Acceptance: Implications for Social Skills Training. Although much attention has been devoted to the study of social competence in the past decade, few researchers have examined the adolescent age group. These two studies examined what behaviors are important for positive peer relations in adolescence. In the first study 1,142 ninth-graders (577 males, M age=14.78; 565 females, M age=14.61) from 7 public junior high schools completed a questionnaire which asked them to select the three same-gender classmates whom they liked the most and the three they liked the least from an attached roster of all same-gender ninth-graders. Students were also asked to write down reasons for each nomination. Cooperativeness, initiation of activities, enjoying jokes, sharing common activities and interests, loyalty, friendliness, and support were all related to positive peer relationships in adolescence. In the second study ninth-graders (N=1,142) from seven public junior high schools completed questionnaires assessing an adolescent's social skills and…
(1983). Cooperation and Competition in the Learning Society. The role of higher education in society has changed dramatically in recent years and is likely to continue to change. There will be an increased need for more learning for more people for more years of their lives. There will also be an increase in the number and types of organizations providing education and the development of a worldwide perspective on lifelong learning. Among the ways in which the role of colleges and universities is changing under the impact of the \learning society\ are: (1) higher education no longer enjoys a monopoly on the provision of educational services; (2) the roles of educational providers are increasingly blurred, e.g., the distinctions between education and training and between credit and non-credit courses are difficult to maintain; (3) higher education no longer has the full-time commitment of students or of faculty; (4) learning has become a lifelong necessity for almost everyone since there is a constant need for upgrading of skills and… [PDF]
(1987). Medicare and Medicaid: Effects of Recent Legislation on Program and Beneficiary Costs. Report to the Chairman, Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives. The General Accounting Office reviewed the effects of major legislative changes on Medicare and Medicaid program costs and the out-of-pocket costs to the programs' beneficiaries. Of 30 laws that affected Medicare and Medicaid enacted by Congress during the period 1980 through 1986, 5 were estimated to have the greatest effects on the costs of the two programs. Medicare cost growth trends were compared before and after the legislation for inpatient hospital care under Medicare part A and part B services. The results suggest that the five major laws passed during 1980 through 1986 contributed to a slowdown in Medicare cost growth during fiscal years 1981 through 1985 as compared with 1970 through 1980 data. Fiscal year 1982 Medicaid costs increased about 8 percent over 1981, a decline from the average annual cost growth rate of about 15 percent from 1973 through 1981. Some legislation contributed to the trend among states to increase Medicaid costs by expanding program eligibility and… [PDF]
(1990). Faculty Inventory: Seven Principles for Good Practices in Undergraduate Education. In 1990, the full-time teaching faculty of Catonsville Community College (CCC) were given a faculty inventory as part of a staff development activity. The staff development program included a faculty meeting devoted to a panel discussion of the seven principles for good practices in undergraduate education designed by the Center for Teaching Excellence. Responses to the faculty inventory were received from 117 faculty members from units throughout the campus. Major results of the survey are as follows: (1) activities such as faculty sharing of experiences, knowing students by name, mentoring, and making special efforts for a diverse student body were often or very often practiced, while activities pertaining to student life and extracurricular activities were the least often practiced; (2) the most frequently practiced activity related to cooperation among students dealt with using performance criteria to determine grades, rather than comparing students to each other; (3) active… [PDF]