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This report reviews the use of loans for learning in 33 European countries and analyses the schemes in eight selected Member States: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Finland, Sweden and the UK. The analysis shows that loan schemes vary considerably across Europe in terms of types and levels of learning covered, conditions of access, repayment and governance. Some loans aim to increase participation in learning in general, while others are designed to promote equity. The report attempts to assess the selected loans and discusses their strengths and weaknesses and determinants of performance, while considering if a given scheme operates on a large scale or targets niche groups. The evaluation results provide a basis for identifying good practice principles for designing and implementing loans. Policy recommendations are formulated based on these findings. Annexed are: (1) Methodology; (2) Key terms and definitions; (3) Information on countries/schemes selected for in-depth analysis; (4) Proposed typologies of VET loan schemes; (5) Tables and figures; (6) Tosmana truth tables; (7) Questionnaires; (8) Basic characteristics of non-European loan schemes. (Contains 37 tables, 5 figures, 20 boxes and 33 footnotes.)

The question of whether inequality in skills explains inequality of earnings across advanced countries was examined through a review of data from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which examined the prose, document, and quantitative literacy skills of adults in 12 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In all countries, jobless individuals tended to have lower skill levels than workers. The distribution of earnings and the distribution of skills varied widely among advanced countries, with the major English-speaking countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, having much greater inequality in both earnings and skills than continental European Union countries. According to data from the IALS, skill inequality explains only approximately 7% of the cross-country difference in earnings inequality. The dispersion of earnings in the United States was found to be larger in narrowly defined skill groups than was the dispersion of earnings for European workers overall. In the United States, IALS test scores rose substantially with movement up the income scale, with the increase in scores averaging 17 points per income quintile. The bulk of cross-country differences in earnings inequality were found to occur within skill groups rather than between them. (The bibliography contains 20 references. Twelve tables/figures are included.) (MN)

The purpose of this paper is to capture and profile postsecondary education dropouts from three different types of postsecondary education--university, college and other types of institutions. It compares them with graduates from these three types of institutions. The analysis for this report is based on data from the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS). The survey was designed by Human Resources and Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada. YITS is a longitudinal survey, which collects information on educational and labour market pathways of a sample of young Canadians in the 18 to 20 age group in 1999. Respondents were asked to provide a range of information on their education and employment experiences as well as information on their personal characteristics. They were interviewed four times since the implementation of the survey, in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. In this report, the data used are from the first four cycles and describe where they stood in their school to work pathway in December 2005 when they were 24 to 26 years of age. This report is a follow-up of a previous study of postsecondary participation (Shaienks and Gluszynski, 2007) which found that the overall postsecondary dropout rate was 15%. That rate however, differs across all types of institution and by demographic, family and school characteristics. This paper explores the impact of those characteristics on participation, graduation and dropping out of different types of postsecondary institution. What Is the Youth in Translation Survey (YITS)? is appended. (Contains 1 figure, 1 chart, 14 tables and 5 endnotes.)

The role of the social sciences and the humanities in a knowledge-based economy was examined in a comparative study of the income and employment outcomes of secondary-, postsecondary-, and graduate-level study programs in technical fields, the social sciences, and the humanities in 1991-1996. Special attention was paid to the following areas: the economic success of graduates in 1996; rates of return on investment in education in selected fields; employment changes in 1991-96; a case study of the British Columbian labor market; techism and economic development; and the productivity approach and economic development. The study established that computers and information have revolutionized business organization and increased the demand for social science and humanities graduates. Technological advances and the resultant falling cost of information has made the hierarchical organization inefficient and increased the need for workers with the following types of skills and abilities that are cultivated in social sciences and humanities programs: (1) to understand the information generated by computer systems, analyze it, relate it to the world, and act on it; (2) to make critical and independent judgments; and (3) to develop the interpersonal and communication skills needed to deal with clients and work together in self-directing teams. (MN)

Data from the 1981 Census of Canada were used to gain an overview of the demographic and social characteristics of the aboriginal populations in Alberta and to compare the situations of aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples with regard to age and geographical distribution, educational attainment, labor force activity, and income. Census figures showed Alberta's Native population to be young and fast growing. In 1981, 42% of Alberta's Natives were under the age of 15 compared to 24% of non-Natives, and the Native population was increasing at 3 times the rate for the Canadian general public. Over 40% of the total Native population resided in Alberta's major urban centers. Non-Natives were significantly better educated than Natives even though Natives are achieving higher levels of education over time. The labor force participation rate for Native persons was 51.8% compared to 71.7% for all Albertans. Unemployment rates for rural Natives were nearly four times higher than those of rural non-Natives. The average income for Native private households was $20,555 compared with $28,186 for non-Native households. Rural Natives tended to have lower incomes than did urban Natives. Significantly, 27% of rural Natives reported no income compared with less than 16% among urban dwellers. (JHZ)

In November of 2007, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology contracted Insightrix Research, Inc. to conduct a survey of individuals who graduated from post-secondary institutions in Alberta in the fall of 2005 or the spring of 2006 (excluding apprenticeship graduates, who are surveyed through a separate initiative). The purpose of the survey is to determine graduate satisfaction with their post-secondary experiences and graduate employment outcomes approximately two years after graduation. Key results are compared with two previous waves of research, the first conducted in 2004 of the 2001-02 graduating class and a second conducted in 2006 of the 2003-04 graduates. A total of 17,164 graduates responded to the survey, resulting in an overall valid response rate of 48%. The margin of error at 95% confidence is plus or minus 0.5 percentage points. This paper presents key findings of the research with regards to transfer graduates. Appended are: (1) Participating Institutions; and (2) Survey Instrument. (Contains 39 figures, 54 tables and 1 footnote.) [This paper was compiled with Insightrix Research Inc.]

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a system of international assessments that allows countries to compare outcomes of learning as students near the end of compulsory schooling. PISA core assessments measure the performance of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science, and reading literacy every 3 years. Coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA was first implemented in 2000 in 32 countries. It has since grown to 65 education systems in 2012. PISA's goal is to assess students' preparation for the challenges of life as young adults. PISA assesses the application of knowledge in mathematics, science, and reading literacy to problems within a real-life context (OECD 1999). Mathematics was the major subject area in 2012, as it was in 2003, since each subject is a major subject area once every three cycles. In 2012, mathematics, science, and reading literacy were assessed primarily through a paper-and-pencil assessment, and problem solving was administered via a computer-based assessment. In addition to these core assessments, education systems could participate in optional paper-based financial literacy and computer-based mathematics and reading assessments. The United States participated in these optional assessments. This report presents performance on PISA 2012 in mathematics, science, and reading literacy from a U.S. perspective. Results are presented for the 65 education systems, including the United States, that participated in PISA 2012 and for the three U.S. states--Connecticut, Florida, and Massachusetts--that participated as separate education systems. These three states opted to have separate samples of public-schools and students included in PISA in order to obtain state-level results. In this report, results are presented in terms of average scale scores and the percentage of 15-year-old students reaching selected proficiency levels, comparing the United States with other participating education systems. For proficiency levels, results are reported in terms of the percentage reaching level 5 or above and the percentage below level 2. Higher proficiency levels represent the knowledge, skills, and capabilities needed to perform tasks of greater complexity. At levels 5 and 6, students demonstrate higher level skills and may be referred to as "top performers" in the subject. Conversely, students performing below level 2 are below what the OECD calls "a baseline level of proficiency, at which students begin to demonstrate the literacy competencies that will enable them to participate effectively and productively in life" (OECD 2010, p. 154). This report also presents U.S. trends over time in mathematics, science, and reading literacy, and overall results for the computer-based mathematics and reading assessments. Results for the problem-solving and financial literacy assessments will be released in 2014. Appended are: (1) Methodology and Technical Notes; and (2) International and U.S. Data Collection Results. (Contains 9 tables, 3 figures, 9 footnotes, and 3 exhibits.) [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Statistics under Contract No. ED-IES-10-C-0047 with Westat.]

This paper is an update of research report 2011-TS-02. It presents tables that show the minimum and maximum salaries for BC's Category 5 and Category 6, or equivalent, for provinces and territories. A sample of school districts is included for those provinces/territories with multiple collective agreements.

In November of 2005, Alberta Advanced Education contracted Insightrix Research Services to conduct a survey of individuals who graduated from four Alberta universities, eight university colleges, fifteen public colleges and two technical institutes in the fall of 2003 or the spring of 2004 (excluding apprenticeship graduates, who are surveyed through a separate initiative). The purpose of the survey is to determine graduate satisfaction with their post-secondary experiences and graduate employment outcomes approximately two years after graduation and to compare these results to previous studies. A total of 17,770 graduates responded to the survey, resulting in an overall valid response rate of 53.8%. The margin of error at 95% confidence is [plus or minus] 0.5%. This paper presents the key findings of the research. Survey instrument is appended.

This paper presents data on Ontario's student mobility for 2006. This report found that the desire to obtain both a college and university credential in Ontario's postsecondary system is considerable. At least one quarter of college students have serious intentions of attaining a degree after a diploma. Currently, over 7% of Ontario's college students have a university degree ([similar to] 6000 students annually) and almost 9% of college graduates go on to a university within six months of graduating (greater than 5000 students annually). Most college graduates who go on to a university attend one close to their college of graduation. Younger college graduates and graduates of one and two year programs are more likely to continue directly on to further education. Although the proportion of college graduates going on to a university is increasing, the amount of transfer credit obtained is unknown. [For 2005 report, see ED536636.]

Background: This is the fourth formal report describing the efficacy of the full-day, every day kindergarten program in the St. James School Division which was initiated in one school located in an economically-disadvantaged neighborhood in the 1997-1998 school year. The success of this undertaking led to the extension of the program in 1998-1999, from one class at Brooklands School to two classes at Stevenson-Britannia, plus two, three-quarter day classes at Crestview. In the three-quarter day pattern, one kindergarten class began the school year attending full-days and alternated to half-days in February, while the other class did the reverse. This group of children began the school year attending kindergarten half-days and then switched to full-days halfway through the school year. The three-quarter-day arrangement resulted in cost saving benefits because instead of two, full time staff, only one full-time and one half-time teacher were required. In 2000-2001, the three-quarter day option was also introduced at Buchanan and Heritage Schools, resulting in six, three-quarter day kindergarten classes across the division. The Zakaluk and Straw evaluation in 2002, however, showed that there was no compelling evidence to continue the three-quarter day option, even though students who attended full-day, every day from February until June had higher achievement levels than those who attended kindergarten full time at the beginning of the year. As a consequence, the three-quarter day kindergarten option was discontinued. From 2001-2002 to the present, a total of nine, full-day, every day kindergarten classes have been offered in five schools located in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods across the division. Purpose: The purpose of the current report was to determine whether the findings from Year VII of the implementation of the full-day kindergarten project (2003-2004) confirmed the positive findings from the previous years by comparing the performance of the full-day students with that of half-day kindergarten students: (1) in a control school in a relatively similar socio-economic area; (2) across the division in schools in which students from more middle class and affluent neighborhoods were enrolled in half-day programs; and (3) in the same schools before the institution of the full-day, every day program--a half-day cohort group. A second major focus was to determine the long-term effects of the full-day, every day program. The Setting was the St. James-Assiniboia School Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Study Sample: All kindergarten students in the school division over seven years. Students were followed up to Grade 3. Intervention: An all-day, every-day kindergarten program compared to a half-day program. The Research Design was quasi-experimental. Control or Comparison Condition: Students who did not attend the expanded kindergarten program. Data Collection and Analysis: The first major question considered the pre- and post-test reading performance of students in the full-day, every-day kindergarten classes in comparison to students in a control group school located in a slightly higher socio-economic level who received a half-day program. A second major question examined the reading performance of students in the full-day, every-day kindergarten program compared to the other students in the division who attended the half-day program and were from more advantaged neighborhoods than those who attended the full-day program at the end of kindergarten. This question compared the end-of-year reading performance of the full-day, every-day kindergarten students with the performance of students in the same target schools before the program was implemented. The final major question explored how the reading achievement of students in the full-day, every-day kindergarten program compared to the reading achievement of students who attended kindergarten half-day after the completion of Grades 1, 2, and 3. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was employed to address the questions, and effect sizes are reported. Findings: Findings indicated that students from less affluent neighbourhood who attended a full-day, every-day kindergarten program consistently outperformed students from a similar neighbourhood who attended a half-day program. Those students also out-performed a cohort group made up of students from previous years who had attended a half-day program. It was found that these students also were equal to or surpassed the performance of students in the half-day program from more affluent neighbourhoods, both at the end of kindergarten and at the end of grade 3. Conclusion: The overall conclusion from the statistical comparisons using control group, division-wide, and cohort group data was that, cumulatively, the performance of the full-day kindergarten students was equal to or surpassed the performance of students in the half-day kindergarten groups as assessed by all early reading achievement measures. Results evaluating the long-term effects of the full-day kindergarten program on reading achievement levels reinforced this conclusion. By the end of grade three, the full-day students from less advantaged neighbourhoods were reading at the grade four level, which is above grade placement, and matching approximately the performance levels of their peers from more affluent neighbourhoods. Citation: Zakaluk, B. L., Straw, S. B., & Smith, K. E. (2005/2009). The efficacy of an all-day, every-day kindergarten program: A seven-year cumulative report for the St. James-Assiniboia School Division. Unpublished paper, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg.

This report is intended to inform the European Commission's DG Information Society and Media in developing its policies for the period 2010-2020. It is targeted to policymakers with expert knowledge of the field. The report summarises the work conducted in the study: "Policy Options for the Ubiquitous Internet Society". It builds on three prior documents: (1) a briefing paper on Connectivity Challenges; (2) The Interim report containing trend analysis, scenario development, modelling of socio-economic impacts and a review of changing business models; and (3) a Workshop Report. In addition, an analysis was made of policies in the US, Japan and South Korea to provide a reference for the EU's own policy in the field of ICTs (information and communication technologies) and especially the future of the Internet (its architecture and socio-economic fall out). This report contains a review of technology trends underlying the future Internet Society. It assesses the possible future socio-economic impacts; as well as the changing business models that are likely to emerge in the next 5 to 10 years. The ultimate objective of the study is to make future policy recommendations for the successor programme to the current EU's ICT strategy: the i2010 programme. The project involved trend analysis, econometric modelling, desk research, interviews, a survey, scenario development and gaming. Five appendices are included: (1) Tech Trend Summary Tables; (2) Identifying and Mapping the Scenario Dimensions; (3) Framework for Analysis of Economic Impacts; (4) Cases Studies of Policy Frameworks in Japan, US, South Korea and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and (5) Cross Cutting Relevance of Connectivity Challenges. (Contains 28 figures, 29 tables, and 199 footnotes.) [This report was prepared for the DG Information Society and Media.]

This paper examines the financial status of public universities in Ontario, Canada, and makes the argument that they are under-funded by the Ontario government. An opening section notes the recent announcement by the government of funding levels for 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95 which are below the projected rate of inflation and suggests that this under-funding is a continuation and worsening of a pattern of under-funding which began in the 1970s. Following sections examine specific issues in detail including the economic value of Ontario universities to the economy as a whole; comparison of support for universities with funding for other government supported agencies; comparisons with other provinces and with support for education in the United States; and an examination of the impact of the funding cuts on university income and expenditures. The bulk of the document contains 22 figures and 29 tables illustrating the argument advanced in the analysis. An appendix contains an update of the Ontario University Non-Salary Price Index. (JB)

Attesting to the continuing economic strength and institutional vitality of the newspaper business in 1985, this booklet presents a statistical summary of the industry in the United States and Canada. The statistics cover a wide range of topics, including (1) number of daily newspapers, (2) daily newspaper circulation, (3) daily newspapers by circulation groups, (4) single copy sales prices, (5) daily newspaper advertising volume, (6) newspapers' share of advertising expenditures, (7) ratio of advertising to total content of daily and sunday newspapers, (8) United States newsprint consumption compared to national economic growth 1970-85, (9) general newspaper prices in the eastern U.S. per metric ton, (10) newspaper employment compared to total U.S. employment 1947-85, (11) employment patterns of journalism school graduates, (12) U.S. weekly newspapers and circulation 1960-86, (13) U.S. daily newspaper circulation of the 20 largest papers in 1985, (14) the 20 largest U.S. newspaper companies in 1985, (15) total number and circulation of Canadian daily newspapers 1946-85, (16) the growth of newspaper advertising and the Canadian economy 1962-85, and (17) comparison of various Canadian advertising media in 1984 and 1985. (HOD)