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The idea of creating a national university is not new. More than two centuries ago, George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson advocated for a national university. Today--energized by concerns about the performance of civil servants and the need to recruit a new generation of talent into key federal, state, and municipal positions--a new proposal to launch a U.S. Public Service Academy has drawn much attention The proposal for a federally funded Academy is modeled on the existing military academies and would offer students a free four-year college education in return for five years of public service. In light of the need to recruit a new generation of talent into key federal, state, and municipal positions, two scholars debate the merits of a Public Service Academy. In "The Case for a U.S. Public Service Academy," Chris Myers Asch, a cofounder of the Academy, makes the case for the Academy by addressing seven critiques that are commonly raised against the idea. In "How Not to Fix the Civil Service," Philip I. Levy, a resident scholar at AEI and one of the Academy's skeptics. raises broad questions about the value and feasibility of tackling the public service challenge by launching a new institution. (Contains 33 footnotes and 2 figures.)

The Business Roundtable prepared this paper to: (1) help policymakers and the public better understand the facts about the United States' role in the worldwide economy; (2) offer context and perspective on employment trends; and (3) recommend a package of policies that will stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, create jobs and help workers develop skills for the jobs of today--and the jobs of tomorrow. Included among the Business Roundtable's recommendations for federal and state leaders are the following steps for improving education and training: (1) Identify how all of the public programs that now provide worker education, training and adjustment assistance can increase their flexibility, accessibility and effectiveness; (2) Modify existing trade adjustment assistance programs to include workers in services; (3) Launch a national initiative to design a new worker education, training and adjustment system for the 21st century; (4) Stay the course on implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act to improve reading and math achievement of the students who are tomorrow's workforce; (5) Move dedicated support for improving math and science education to the top of the list of federal education funding priorities; and (6) Design education and immigration policies to address the impact of demographic and higher education enrollment trends on the scientific and engineering workforce. (Contains 54 endnotes.)

Charles Vest gave the second of three Clark Kerr Lectures on the Role of Higher Education in Society on April 21, 2005 on the Santa Barbara campus. The Age of the Internet presents remarkable opportunities for higher education and research in the United States and throughout the world. The rise of a "meta-university" of globally shared teaching materials and scholarly archives, undergirding campuses everywhere, both rich and poor, could well be a dominant, democratizing aspect of the next few decades. Even as we develop the meta-university and other forms of digitally empowered educational globalization, we must maintain the openness of our campuses here in the United States. Our openness to international students, scholars, and faculty members, as well as the openness of scientific inquiry and communication, must be balanced against national security concerns in the face of terrorism. But the lessons of history confirm that openness is a great contributor to the security of our nation and world in the long run, and must be preserved. (Contains 7 footnotes.)

This paper examines the relationship between the study of management and the study of higher education (HE) management in the United Kingdom, focusing on the nature of the discourse between academics in the two fields. The paper has three parts. The first part defines the nature of discourse and a context for the discussion, looking at recent changes in HE and its management in the United Kingdom. This is followed by an analogous overview of British research into HE management and a review of the complex issues facing business and management research and the discord that exists in defining its rigor and relevance. The second part of the paper considers the nature of academic discourses; how disciplines, fields, faculties, and cultures are developed; and how they interact or not interact with each other. The third part explores the relationship between theory and practice in HE management and the extent to which management academics engage with the study of management in their own work context. A model is developed to express the inter-relationship between management research, HE management research, and HE management practice. The paper concludes by questioning how far the divisions articulated between the two fields are simply part of an inevitable language game between the disciplines. (Contains 104 references.) (MDM)

Education in the arts and humanities has always been important to the United States' arts and culture and to its competitiveness in a global economy. Providing all students with a complete education in the arts and humanities can help them cope with, and master, the fast-paced technological advances, forces of globalization, and major demographic and societal shifts that characterize today's world. In the United States and elsewhere, growth of arts, cultural, and intellectual property sectors is outpacing that of the economy as a whole. Other nations are forging education and workforce policies based on this fact. Research has provided evidence that K-12 arts education can help the United States achieve the following national objectives: (1) achieve school standards; (2) reach all learners; and (3) help youth develop positively. Education policy and action in general--and arts education policy and programs in particular--require the commitment and engagement of a multiplicity of stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels. The United States needs a comprehensive strategy linking education--including education in the arts and humanities--with workforce development as the principal cornerstone for strengthening the country's social capital and developing the skills needed for U.S. workers to remain competitive in the 21st century. (Forty-six endnotes are included. The bibliography lists 22 references.) (MN)

The relationships existing among human capital theory, Australian public policy, literacy education, and the plight of Australia's long-term unemployed were examined. The following topics were considered: human capital theory-based public policies and literacy education; social capital and learning; building and using social capital; the "social justice" and "social coalition" approaches to policy; and the notion of "mutual obligation" in social welfare policies. Next, a case study of the effects of policy changes on the long-term unemployed was discussed. The findings of the study, which involved interviews with 23 people (including 15 long-term unemployed individuals who had been or were currently enrolled in adult literacy courses) were shown to support the following conclusions: (1) to be successful, welfare policy related to unemployed persons must address both human and social capital elements; (2) although the skills associated with human capital are important in accessing and controlling the kinds of social factors that come with globalization, they are not enough to prepare individuals to cope with the knowledge explosion accompanying globalization; and (3) adults requiring the "second chance" learning provided in adult literacy and communication education need help in developing the networks, social norms, and trust that is included in the concept of building social capital. (Contains 29 references.) (MN)

This working paper examines the approaches, wisdom, and experience generated by the ChalleNGe program, as well as the vast storehouse of knowledge and research, models and systems possessed by the military services that are potentially applicable to educating and developing youngsters who are at greatest risk of academic failure, economic marginality, and outright poverty. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a quasi-military residential corps for school dropouts. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether these approaches show sufficient promise that they might work for these young people, not whether there is solid proof that they actually do work. It focuses on the military because the United States military enjoys a well-deserved reputation for its ability to reach, teach, and develop young people who are rudderless, and for setting the pace among American institutions in advancing minorities. Young people receive military-style education and training in an array of settings, most typically in a branch of the military. Various branches also partner with public schools to operate programs that emulate the military atmosphere and methods. This paper poses questions and positive ideas about unconventional ways of educating youngsters who are struggling and of organizing schools that might be equipped---conceptually, academically, and operationally---to give them a better shot at success in life. Far from etched in stone, the ideas advanced here are offered to spur a vigorous search for innovative new strategies to rescue youngsters who have virtually disappeared from society's radar screen. (Contains 1 table and 137 endnotes.) [Additional support was provided by the Taconic Foundation.]

This white paper proposes bringing the federal government, state governments, and the private sector together as part of a new approach to making high-speed Internet services available across the country. It proposes the creation of a new federal Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) that, together with matching funds from the states and the private and/or public sector, should be used to build open, big broadband networks of at least 100 Mbps (scalable upwards to 1 Gbps) to every home and business by 2012. U.S. state governors and foreign heads of state have found the resources to subsidize broadband deployment; the U.S. federal government should as well. The report also contains a detailed analysis of broadband deployment in the United States and in key countries around the world. Policymakers are urged to adopt this plan as soon as possible to restore our nation's leadership position in high-technology and to prepare for the 21st century. (Contains 161 footnotes.)

We are witnessing an historic shift in our approach to employment policy that will have profound implications for vocational educators. This shift is most recognizable in the waning influence of demand-side economics and the ascendence of supply-side economics. Recent indications are that public policy is no longer firmly committed to maintaining full employment. The principles of Keynesian or demand-side economics (which assert an inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation) no longer seem valid in light of recent economic and political developments. Demand-side policies were built on the idea that the American economy was mature and has used its capacity for growth. In reality, America is on the edge of a technological revolution. Nevertheless, despite an abundance of work that needs doing, a shortage of jobs exists. Thus the need for entrepreneurship training is greater than ever. Recent studies and interest in small business seminars affirm this need. Studies on entrepreneurship education and its effectiveness are needed. In addition, the terms of employment must be redefined. (A series of questions and answers follows the text.) (MN)

This paper describes the findings of an OECD project examining ICT impact measurement and analyses based on official statistics. Both economic and social impacts are covered and some results are presented. It attempts to place ICT impacts measurement into an Information Society conceptual framework, provides some suggestions for standardising terminology and methodologies, and advocates for further work in a number of hardware and software areas. (A bibliography is included. Contains 19 footnotes, 4 figures and 3 tables.)

Four papers discuss research exchanges between the United States and the USSR and East Europe. The first paper considers the evolution of perceptions of social scientists in these countries during the Cold War and Detente. The dominant view of American researchers during the Cold War was that the United States, as the most modern society, was the yardstick for measuring other societies. The United States experienced rapid growth of training and research related to the Soviet orbit. However, Soviet scholars were constrained by Marxist-Leninist doctrine and by educational and research policies. In the 1960s, American social scientists gained a greater appreciation for the complexities of modern societies and East European social scientists began innovative studies. The second paper discusses evaluations of research exchanges between the United States and the Soviet Union. The conclusion is that these exchanges are scientifically valuable to both countries. The most serious problem is Soviet political repression of its scientific community. The third paper discusses problems and accomplishments of East European studies in the United States. Although progress seems to be steady, American social scientists have come to pursue topics that are politically safe, and thus often of secondary importance. The final paper suggests that in exchanges between the Soviet Union and the United States, both academic and government communities profit. The point that Soviet exchanges are generally in sciences and engineering and American exchanges are in history and literature illustrates that each side sends whom it wishes. Thus, the author concludes that this type of exchange is neither unbalanced nor unfair. (Author/KC)

This paper describes the current policies and initiatives regarding the application of technology in Canada, Mexico and the United States. It also analyzes the need for policy development regarding technological networks, equipment, and educational content. The report also includes recommendations regarding specific initiatives for tri-national collaboration in the use of technology to improve higher education. The contents include descriptions of the policies and initiatives at the federal, regional, and state (provincial) levels in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Institutional policies and initiatives are also examined as are collaborations between business and higher education. The paper concludes with a summary of current policy climate in the three countries and suggests opportunities for cross-border collaboration. These include development of tri-national policies regarding accreditation of distance education courses and portability of students' knowledge and skills acquired among institutions and across borders; trinational staff and faculty training in the use of technology; trinational discipline--specific forums for faculty with similar interest; implementation of pilot projects; creation of a mechanism for international and inter-institutional sharing of information and experience; and creation of consortia and partnership models. (JLS)

This paper provides an analytical look at the evolving relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. The author explores the prospects for international security and advocates a number of policies which would benefit both societies. The first section in the booklet discusses how U.S. security cannot be assured even if the Congress goes along with the administration's request to approve expenditures of more than a trillion dollars on defense over the next five years. What we buy and how we use it are more important than how much we spend. Soviet vulnerabilities and Western assets are then examined. Republican administrations have been more successful than Democratic administrations--at least since World War II--in defusing conflict with the Soviet Union. The records of various presidents are discussed. U.S. policy must flow from a judicious mixture of firmness and flexibility, of restraints and incentives. Specific steps that the United States can take to improve United States-Soviet relations are suggested. The booklet examines relationships between the superpowers and the Third World. Like it or not, linkage exists between superpower activities in the Third World and efforts to cap the volcano of United States-Soviet arms competition. The survival requirements of each country ought to outweigh any displeasure experienced over the actions of its rival in some remote region. (Author/RM)

This essay presents an argument for policies responsive to global environmental needs by examining the causes and consequences of six critical environmental issues, and then offering specific U.S. policy recommendations. Following an explanation of the global nature of environmental problems, a summary of the salient facts regarding the following six issues is provided: quality of the atmosphere, depletion of fresh water, loss of soil productivity, loss of genetic diversity, tropical deforestation, and toxic contamination and hazardous materials. In each of these cases, human behavior has disrupted the natural biogeochemical cycles of the biosphere, thereby generating chain reactions that multiply the problems confronting people and their governments. It is argued that regardless of the policy positions of the government on international environmental issues, U.S. citizens are involved in all of the aforementioned global issues and many more. The essay urges the United States to return to a position of leadership in global environmental matters, based on the conclusion that the cost of regaining credibility and leadership in international environmental affairs could be much less than the ultimate failure to do so. A glossary of acronyms and a list of Stanley Foundation papers and activities are also included in the document. (LH)

This working paper discusses the critical role that higher education in the United States and Mexico must play since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The paper gives an overview of recent transformations in areas of economic development and business needs which require that higher education better prepare students to compete in the global workforce. These include changes in the economies of the U.S. and Mexico since World War II, with world leadership for the U.S. and an inward-looking development path for Mexico. The rapid collapse of Mexico's oil economy in 1981 led to a full-scale economic crisis. Higher education institutions in both countries are now responding to new global market challenges. In response to changing business and workforce training needs and advances in educational technology and communications, these institutions are working to implement curricular reform, increase access to higher education, and keep higher education affordable. The paper concludes with initiatives currently underway and gives recommendations for higher education policy makers for the development of a competitive and culturally aware workforce. (Contains 41 references.) (JLS)

If U.S. foreign policy is to be prudent and effective, it must cease relying on the doctrinaire images and cold war rhetoric of the past and take into account five intactable problems, none of them specifically military, that the Soviet Union faces. These problems are: (1) unabating deficiencies in its economy; (2) a precarious battle with communist orthodoxy and alliance management in Eastern Europe; (3) a jittery relationship with China; (4) an adverse shift in the balance of world power; and (5) the constraint which global interdependency and the thermonuclear age impose on the rational formulation of defense policies. The future will be intensely demanding for the Soviet Union because it has achieved global military capabilities at precisely the time its economy appears worn out. U.S. leaders need to undertake frequent fresh appraisals of Soviet threats and realistic capabilities in the domestic and international contexts in which they occur. Defense strategists should not attribute to Soviet foreign policy nonexistent successes, but rather should be critical of claims that the balance of power has shifted to the Soviets. Both countries should agree to a moratorium on the habitual counting of weapons. Finally, the United States should be skeptical about the view that problems besetting Soviet decision makers can be resolved by war. (Author/KC)

Education is constantly criticized for its "failures"--its "failure" to produce literate graduates, its "failure" to prepare students for the jobs of future technology, and its "failure" to reduce unemployment and establish equity for all students. However, these "failures" are not solely those of the schools, but of the larger society--a problem of the home, the schools, the corporations, and the government together. One criticism that has been leveled at vocational education is that it is too narrow; yet knowledge, skills, and attitudes, regardless of where they have been acquired, are not automatically transferred to other settings. Training must occur where the skills will be actually applied in order to be effective. However, such approaches can be expensive and difficult to implement. In order to serve students better, high schools should eliminate vocational tracking and provide both academic and vocational training for all students. Other factors that would enhance students' educational experiences would be changing courses to improve transferability of outcomes and acquiring better teachers and facilities through increased allocation of funding to schools. However, the schools cannot do it all. Home, school, work, and social groups must become true learning communities where youth have ready access to adult expertise, share their successes and failures, and where everyone has a proprietary interest in what goes on. These goals will not be easy to achieve, but they provide a vision toward which we can strive. (KC)

With our traditional educational institutions facing major changes, some observers say the system as we know it is destined to collapse in the years ahead. There is still reason to believe that these dire predictions will not come true, however; there is reason to be optimistic about the future of the American education system if educators will face the challenges in a realistic way. This means setting priorities and determining what the school system can and cannot be expected to accomplish. This also means preparing for a shift in emphasis from serving a primarily teenage population to serving an increasingly older population. It means finding ways to involve a population in which only 25 percent of the people will have children in the schools in promoting the welfare of the schools. We need to find effective and efficient ways to train adults for changing occupational needs. Budget cutbacks will require greater attention to accountability as taxpayers demand the maximum benefit for the dollars they spend on education. (KC)

United States economic courses of action--and inaction--are increasingly being based on the employment and unemployment figures put out monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Yet, the basic statistical concepts that are still used were fashioned during the Great Depression and do not take into account the very different conditions we have today. The BLS divides people into one of three groups: unemployed workers, unemployed persons, or "not in the labor force." These labor force definitions have lost a good part of their significance because of dramatic changes of social mores, such as the two-income family and income transfer payments (e.g., Social Security). On the other hand, many people are working full time, year-round, and are still living in poverty. Different types of measurement are needed in order to reflect the real problems that exist in this society. One way to do this is to add another dimension to the three that have been measured: the number of persons who are unable to attain an adequate standard of living through work. Another problem is whether to count students who want part-time work as unemployed. Because of these problems, Congress has created a National Commission on Employment and Unemployment Statistics to examine the procedures, concepts, and methodology involved in measuring labor market activities, and their adequacy for policy determination. The Commission needs input from those concerned with employment and unemployment (such as vocational educators) to determine a better way of reporting these statistics. (KC)

Reindustrialization problems in the United States (U.S.) include unemployment, low productivity, inflation, and inadequate economic growth. To determine how to improve economic performance, a careful, rational evaluation must be made of such factors as tax policy, spirit of risk, managerial effectiveness, rates of innovation, research and development, and human resource training and education as they apply to industry. Unlike Japan and countries in Western Europe, the U.S. does not understand the need to invest in major training and education efforts to service the skill needs of private and public sectors. Neither is there evidence of an awareness of the key relationship between the inadequate investment in human resources and problems of inflation and productivity. The Japanese human resource investment approach--life-long employment with continuous retraining of all employees--has major implications for some U.S. labor force problems. To move toward a really modern labor force, the U.S. should rethink the decision to change the definition of acceptable levels of unemployment and consider the experiences of other major industrial countries. Vocational education researchers should evaluate the human resources-capital investment programs in Japan and West Germany and determine how such approaches can be adapted in U.S. industry. (YLB)

In recent years, adult education has been experiencing a major growth spurt. In a 1982 survey, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that more than 21 million people over the age of 17 attended adult education activities during 1981, an increase of 3 million in 3 years. The NCES conception of adult education is a relatively narrow one, which results in conservative figures. Persons most likely to participate in adult education are middle-class, white, and high school or college graduates. Women are more likely than men to participate. Much of the adult education activity is job-related, and most participants are in their 20s and 30s. More than 37 million different courses were offered in 1981, but only about 3 percent of the courses were aimed at remedying adult illiteracy. Types of adult education are courses carried out by a variety of schools and recreation departments, continuing education courses offered by professional organizations, "second chance" programs for persons who were inadequately educated in childhood, and employer-sponsored education and training. Adult education activities will continue to expand in the years to come. To meet the challenges of adult education, adult educators will have to be trained to understand adulthood and meet the needs of adult students. (KC)

A comparative analysis of the process by which conflicting interests are implemented in the higher education systems of the United States, England, Sweden, and France is presented. Attention is also directed to differentiation in these systems, and to the systems' receptiveness to such differentiation (i.e., splitting up existing functions, or adopting new, distinct roles for higher education). Although focus was on the varied roles of the state with respect to differentiation, consideration was given to the power relations of groups and the ways in which particular systems promoted the access of certain groups to the policy-making process. Implementation of the sometimes conflicting interests of social justice, competence, academic freedom, autonomy, or accountability is basically a matter of relations between the higher education system and society. The key to the flexibility of the system, to its receptiveness to differentiation, appears to be the balance of the relationship (or the power differential) between the academic profession and the laity. In addition, the commitment of the academic profession to challenging interest interpretations and emphases introduced from outside the higher education system is important. The contrasting cases of Sweden and France reveal that state intervention is sometimes necessary to ensure the responsiveness of higher education to market demands. A strong legislative branch in government seems to be especially conducive to the openness of the system to access by lay groups, particularly in the policy-making realm. (SW)

To survive into the future, the United States must learn to recognize that its Soviet adversary has much to gain from a mutual and graduated process of de-escalation and conflict reduction. While this country must continue to ensure the survivability of its strategic triad, it is altogether clear that this objective can be satisfied without moving toward a capacity for expanded counterforce strike, expanded theater nuclear force deployments, and generally expanded preparations for nuclear war fighting. Indeed, such moves would have a deleterious effect on U.S. security since they would actually undermine the system of mutual deterrence. If it is to achieve real power, the United States must first come to grips with a sober awareness of the limits of violence and the requirements of coexistence. In "The Trojan Women," Euripides attributes the suffering of one people to the hatred of another. His wisdom suggests that enormous dangers lie latent in the continuing effort by the Reagan administration to cast USSR-U.S. rivalry in the form of a war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness. Unless this effort is quickly reversed, the United States will suffer the fate of folly brought on by the search for security in military might. (RM)

Problems affecting the relationship between American secondary schools and higher education are considered, and comparisons to other countries are made. Five features of American secondary schooling that undergird problems of effectiveness (as measured by international academic standards and expectations of higher education) are considered: (1) the extent to which secondary education has sought and achieved universal participation; (2) the extent to which the individual school is asked to replicate the coverage of subjects and types of students found in the system at large; (3) the close tie between primary and secondary education; (4) local control, whereby elementary and secondary school principals and teachers are watched carefully by lay chiefs and parents; and (5) a monopoly of clientele, based on geographic zoning, that typifies secondary schools. The education of secondary school teachers is also discussed in relation to the following topics: subject-matter departments of major universities, schools of education at universities, teachers' colleges located at nonuniversity institutions but which are under strong university influence, and teachers' colleges in a nonuniversity sector that have autonomy from the university. A strategy of variety is suggested that would give the secondary system greater adaptability and flexibility. (SW)

A comparison of the vocational education and training (VET) offered in Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United States revealed that programs in all three nations emphasized the following aims: competence at work, commitment of all to achieve excellence, and capacity to contribute to change. Organizations in all three nations were increasingly looking for, and prepared to help develop, people with the ability to use acquired knowledge and skills effectively in changing circumstances and in an integrated system. Although the United States appeared to be well tuned to a climate of moderate change, it appeared much less reflective about the future and appeared to lack an educational strategy, especially at the secondary level. Germany had systems that work well and in a stable environment; however, change appeared to be slow. Although Japan's VET strategies have given the country a highly educated working population, the downside of its success in corporate organization and individual service for the greater good is probably an underdevelopment in the kind of creativity that flourishes with wayward individual opportunities. Great Britain's imperial past, on the other hand, appears to continue to hamper the country's progress in the area of VET. (MN)

Although projecting what the labor market will be like in 10 years is extremely difficult, it is useful to consider what is in store for the nation in terms of employment. In 1985, the civilian labor force of the United States averaged 115 million persons, with 8 million (7.2 percent) unemployed. Unemployment was much higher for young people and minority groups. It is expected that the labor force will grow by 15.6 million people between 1985 and 1995. The growth rate will vary considerably, however, among various demographic groups. The labor force is projected to be concentrated among prime-age workers, with a slightly higher median age than in 1984. The majority of growth is expected to result from increasing labor force participation by women. Employment opportunities will not change dramatically over the next 10 years. Although some professions will have substantial growth, the demand for labor among most professions will remain constant or increase slightly. Demand and supply should hold steady. One clear trend that is emerging is that persons entering the labor force have more years of schooling than those they replace. Although this fact should mean that workers are more adaptable to change in the workplace, this may not be the case, since the quality of schooling has declined. With the changes taking place in technology, the labor market needs more responsive educational institutions to meet the demands of the next 10 years and beyond. (KC)

The report asserts that U.S. and Wisconsin schools and workers are being used as scapegoats for the nation's and the state's social and economic problems. The propositions that U.S. students are not globally competitive and U.S. schools failures are "complete hoaxes." The report further asserts that a third big hoax being perpetrated on schools and workers is that undefined new and emerging high-tech, high-skill, high-pay jobs of the future are dramatically increasing in numbers. The paper suggests that most jobs do not require higher-level education or math and science skills and that technology and computers are making jobs simpler, rather than more difficult. Wisconsin's Bureau of Workplace Information tabulates and analyzes work force data. The Wisconsin Projections for 1994-2005 are more objective than the U.S. Department of Labor's job projections. This position paper includes six graphs containing U.S. Department of Labor and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development employment projections for selected occupations through 2006 and a comparison of the two sets of projections. (MN)