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Pointing out that the term "videotex" is a general term covering three types of videotex systems, i.e., teletext, viewdata, and cable text, this paper briefly describes such systems and notes that their future depends on social acceptance and permeation as well as government regulations. The difficulties for international videotex networking caused by protocol conversions, politics, packet network delays, and charging difficulties are noted. The report then focuses on videotex activities around the world, including Japan, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. The role of videotex in each country's educational system and factors affecting its feasibility are discussed, and examples of its usage are provided. Telesoftware is also discussed, and the paper concludes by forecasting trends and future developments. (DJR)

One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time they complete the core, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found in college and careers. This document makes a research-based case for why the complexity of what students read matters. In brief, while reading demands in college, workforce training programs, and life in general have held steady or increased over the last half century, K-12 texts have actually declined in sophistication, and relatively little attention has been paid to students' ability to read complex texts independently. These conditions have left a serious gap between many high school seniors' reading ability and the reading requirements they will face after graduation. This paper then addresses how text complexity can be measured and made a regular part of instruction. It introduces a three-part model that blends qualitative and quantitative measures of text complexity with reader and task considerations. This paper also includes three annotated examples showing how the model can be used to assess the complexity of various kinds of texts appropriate for different grade levels. A bibliography and a glossary of key terms are included. (Contains 18 figures and 9 footnotes.) [For the main report, see "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects" (ED522008). For additional appendixes to the main report, see: (1) "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. Appendix B: Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks" (ED522010); and (2) "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing" (ED522009).]

This paper is in response to an invitation from the Victorian Department of Education and Training to undertake a targeted review of effective teaching recruitment strategies. The paper provides a "snapshot" of what is happening in other States and Territories and in selected countries overseas. The main focus of the review is on the kinds of strategies that different educational jurisdictions have used to overcome teacher supply problems. This review looks briefly at practices in other Australian States and Territories, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and New Zealand. The most effective approaches appear to be those that have been implemented as part of a global strategy that looks not simply at the immediate problem but at ways of making teaching an attractive profession in the long-term. (Contains 1 summary table and 47 endnotes.) [This paper was published by the Australian Council for Educational Research and is based on a study commissioned by the Department of Education and Training, Victoria.]

An online dialogue on gender-based analysis (GBA) was held from February 15 to March 7, 2001. Invitations and a background paper titled "Why Gender-Based Analysis?" were sent to 350 women's organizations and individuals throughout Canada. Efforts were made to ensure that aboriginal and Metis women, visible minority women, and women with special needs were included. Of the 60 women who formally registered to participate, 11 actively participated in the dialogue and 49 opted to just view the discussion. The following were among the topics that generated the most interest: whether a feminist approach is necessary for GBA to be effective; whether "doing without naming" is an effective strategy for applying GBA; the assumptions underlying GBA; GBA's objectivity as a tool; the possibility of adapting GBA tools to ensure that they are inclusive of all groups; and actual applications of GBA. The dialogue proved quite successful in raising awareness of GBA among the target audience, with the increase in awareness extending beyond the 60 registered participants. The following items are presented: (1) the background paper; (2) the invitation to participate in the online discussion; (3) lists of the organizations and individuals contacted, the discussion registrants, and the initial discussion postings; and (4) a summary of the GBA evaluations. (MN)

This study, commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), is designed to review current evidence on the most effective ways in which employers can support schools to improve pupil educational and economic outcomes. It is a study in three parts. It aims, first, to conceptualise employer engagement in education as a strategic tool, developing a new typology to make sense of it, second, to review high quality research literature through the lens of the new typology, and, finally, to discuss the practical implications of the study for policy-makers and practitioners. The paper, moreover, seeks to provide an evidenced overview of promising approaches and programmes to support schools intending to undertake activities with employers. The report assesses the prospective impacts of employer engagement in terms of both educational and economic outcomes, focusing on pupils in both primary and secondary education. Specifically, the study: (1) identifies the different types of employer engagement in terms of what is intended by policymakers and users and the related evidenced outcomes; (2) identifies areas and interventions of promise, highlighting where further research is needed; and (3) identifies key features of successful practice. [This report was co-published by Education and Employers.]

In 10 papers by independent experts, this volume explores the trends in and prospects for research training in member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. "Problems and Prospects of Research Training in the 1990s" (Stuart Blume) looks at trends in national policy toward research training and issues of quality. "Research Training in Australia--Policy, Practice, and Directions in the 1990s" (Tim Turpin and Sue Curtis) covers current issues including quality, and postgraduate training. "Research Training in Canada" (Gilles Julien), reviews university degree structure, current status, training and the labor market, and current concerns and initiatives. "Research Training in Finland" (Ulla Ekberg), looks at the Finnish system, steering mechanisms for researcher training, recruiting, characteristics of training, cooperation with business and industry, postgraduate study, and women in training. "Research Training in Italy" (Sveva Avveduto) describes research training inside and outside the university setting. "Research Training in Japan" (Shinichi Yamamoto), details the structure of degrees and scale of training, current organization and content of training, and current problems and initiatives. "Postgraduate Research and Training in the United Kingdom" (Robert G. Burgess and others), explores development of training; current dimensions and structure; training in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and financing; student motives and experience; the labor market and an institutional response. "Postgraduate Research Training in the United States" (Jules B. Lapidus and others), discusses degree and training structures, current organization and content of training, issues and concerns, and new initiatives. "Research Training in the Czech Republic" (Dana Tollingerova and others) reviews preparation for training, postgraduate studies, institutionalization and internationalization, legal conditions, and the current science policy of the government. An appended paper, "Research Training and Employment for Holders of Doctorates in France--The Activities of the Association Bernard Gregory (ABG)" (Jose Ezratty) describes the origin, operation and studies of the ABG, European initiatives, and the international mobility of French postdoctoral researchers. (Papers contain references.) (JB)

These two papers look at international aspects of quality in higher education from contrasting perspectives. The first paper, "Higher Education Quality: A European Dimension" by John Brennan asks whether there is a distinctive European dimension to quality in higher education and, if so, what are its implications for British institutions and their students. The first part of this paper reviews current higher education policy developments in the European Community and considers the issues which they raise for quality. The second part of Brennan's paper reports on the results of a number of recent projects which have attempted to assess the quality of educational programs across several countries and considers implications of these studies for British institutions. The second paper is "Towards a General Model of Quality Assessment in Higher Education" by Frans A. van Vught. It proposes a general model of quality assessment consisting of a number of elements. It puts these elements in an historical context of quality assessment in medieval universities and makes a distinction between the intrinsic and extrinsic values of higher education and types of assessment related to each. It also deduces the elements from recent experiences with quality assessment in the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. (JB)

This collection contains 17 papers presented at a seminar on literacy strategies in the community movement, held in Namur, Belgium, in 1991. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Hautecoeur); "Illiteracy: Direction? Action? Results?" (Hautecoeur); "Basic Education and Personal Development Strategies" (Georis); "Breaking Down Barriers: A Local Approach to Adult Basic Education" (Denwette, Walker, Tett); "Illiteracy--Solely an Educational Problem?" (Jaehn); "Knowing Where We Are: Participatory Research and Adult Literacy" (Hamilton, Ivanic, Barton); "Community Development Project among the Gypsies of Sao Gregorio" (Oliveira et al.); "Literacy and Community Development in a Lower Class Neighborhood" (Dias); "Building a Regional Partnership in the Fight against Illiteracy in Belgium" (Chapotte, David); "Urgently Required: Imagination--A Writing Competition" (Azzimonti); "Working with Illiterate Young People in a Community Group: The Boite a Lettres Experience (1983-1987)" (Roy); "From Specialized Training to Grass-Roots Literacy Education" (Raymond, Meunier); "Women and Literacy: A Vital Movement" (de Coster); "The Alpha Mons-Borinage Experience" (Arrijs); "Adult Education: Literacy for the Masses" (Corzo, Lancho); "Training: A Tool in the Struggle against All Types of Exclusion?--The History of AFER (Action-Formation-Etude-Recherche)" (Gosset, Caron, Andreau); "Basic Education in Flanders: Strengths and Weaknesses" (Gehre); and "Literacy Tactics in the Community Organizations Movement" (Hautecoeur). (MN)

This review examines four books that may offer some insight into what the discussion about educational policy, reform, and performance may look like after the era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Collectively, "The Allure of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations, and the Troubled Quest to Remake American Schooling" by Jal Mehta, "Too Many Children Left Behind: The US Achievement Gap in Comparative Perspective" by Bruce Bradbury and colleagues, "Despite the Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools" by Amanda E. Lewis and John B. Diamond; and "Toxic Schools: High-Poverty Education in New York and Amsterdam" by Bowen Paulle show that concerns with school accountability are now embedded in broader discussions about the importance of investing in children, families, and schools and how the internal dynamics of schools either support or frustrate those investments. We hope that these works represent a trend toward thinking that is less a historical and reductionist and more empirically grounded than some of the thinking driving educational reforms when No Child Left Behind was passed. [This paper was published in "Social Service Review" v90 n3 Sep 2016.]

The results of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey paint a troubling portrait of the literacy skills of adults in the United States. The survey included a direct assessment of skills and was conducted in 23 countries with nationally representative samples of adults ages 16 through 65. Assessed were cognitive and workplace skills needed for success in the 21st-century global economy. The ability to read fluently and for understanding--to be able to learn from text--is perhaps the most important foundational skill for U.S. adult citizens' health, well-being, and social and economic advancement. It is a gateway to lifelong learning, education, and training. With the emergence of the Internet and social networking (which operate primarily through the written word), reading literacy provides control over an immeasurable, readily accessible library of the world's knowledge, as well as the ability to communicate with friends, family, and employers. While the digital revolution has increased the prevalence of and, access to, visual/aural media, written text--whether on paper or screen--continues to be an omnipresent currency of communication and commerce, except for adults who continue to struggle to read. Adults who have trouble reading, using mathematics, solving problems, and using technology are at a disadvantage when competing for jobs in the 21st-century workforce. The situation is perhaps most dire for those at the lowest level of reading literacy skills, because limited literacy skill reduces their access to print-based training and educational opportunities that could be used to enhance their social and workforce skills. Low literacy adults are not necessarily isolated, thanks to the ever-present visual media and communications available. However, their potential is limited because they cannot use printed media to learn, grow their knowledge, and seek opportunities. Interpersonally, it is often painfully obvious to adults when they cannot read well, as it also is to the casual observer. When confronted with text and a task, they can be observed puzzling and lingering for longer than proficient readers do when performing the same literacy activity. The introduction of reading component tasks in the 2011 PIAAC survey provided a rich opportunity to better understand adults with low literacy proficiency scores in the United States in comparison to similar populations in other countries. Reading components results help us to understand what adults with scores at or below Level 1 can and cannot do: (1) Can they identify the meaning of high-frequency vocabulary words when they appear in print? (2) Can they evaluate the meaning of single sentences? Can they read for local meaning in simple passages? and (3) What is the range and variation in foundational skills among the lowest scoring adults in a country? These are the questions addressed in this report. In sum, the reading components tasks in PIAAC were designed to complement the applied literacy tasks in order to provide a richer sense of what adults scoring at or below Level 1 can and cannot do when engaging and processing basic written words, sentences, and passages. In the remainder of the report, it describes in more detail: (1) the reading component measures, including the theoretical and empirical rationale for adopting this framework; (2) the results in a select set of countries that participated in the PIAAC survey; and (3) implications of those findings for policy and practice.

This paper identifies and critiques literature on the experience of transition between primary and secondary school; how and why it is seen as critical and in what ways it can be supported. The aim of this literature review is to remind readers of this important period on the lives of young people and the diverse range of issues which they face. There is general consensus in the literature that well-designed and implemented transition approaches can assist in the process of supporting students, their families and school staff. Teachers are crucial in supporting children and young people moving in, between and out of school and making these transitions positive experiences. Therefore, pre-service teacher education needs to include awareness and understanding of the main issues in relation to transition. Teacher educators need to consider how they can incorporate transition programs and strategies in their courses to ensure that graduate teachers have the skills and knowledge to mediate some of the pressures that their students are facing when dealing with transitions. (Contains 1 figure.)

This Go8 Backgrounder explores the possible uses of compacts in government financing of university activities, examines their potential costs and benefits, and outlines principles for their design and implementation. The Government has committed to compacts as an element of its future funding arrangements with public universities but has not yet determined their scope, role and shape. This Go8 Backgrounder raises issues and options to assist policy considerations. This paper is designed to aid the consultation process by providing a set of references for universities in their forthcoming discussions with Commonwealth officials. Appended are: (1) University College London: Knowledge Transfer Strategy; (2) King's College London: Access Agreement Submission To The Office For Fair Access (Offa) 2008-09; and (3) Elements of a Postsecondary Education Compact. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table, and 69 endnotes.)

U.S. research institutions are undergoing significant changes from patterns established in the decade following World War II. Declining undergraduate enrollments are predicted to lead to "steady-state" universities; federal policy is emphasizing industry-university research cooperation and calling for a decreased federal role in the direct support of research, with increased tension in relations between government and the scientific community noted by many. These and other areas are addressed in the papers presented in this informal overview of the major controversies related to the U.S. research system during the current transitional period. Papers include: "Introduction: The U.S. Research System under Stress" (John M. Logsdon); "Public Attitudes and the Control of Research" (Dorothy Nelkin); "Basic Research on Campus: A University View" (Steven Muller); "Science, Government, and Policy: A Four-Decade Perspective" (Emmanuel R. Piore); "Accountability in Federally-Supported University Research" (Linda S. Wilson); "A Bridge Reconnecting Universities and Industry through Basic Research" (Richard E. Lyon, Jr.); "The Scarcity of Ethical Resources: Strategic Planning for Science" (Mark Pastin); "New Academic Positions: The Outlook in Europe and North America" (Charles V. Kidd); "Engineering: The Neglected Ingredient" (F. Karl Willenbrock); and "Quantitative Methods in Research and Development Decision-Making" (Carolyn Heising-Goodman). (JN)

Ten papers focus on applications in specific curriculum areas, modelling and simulation, and computer managed learning. Projects described include voice support for the visually handicapped, distance education, and industrial training, as well as teaching applied mathematics, several facets of engineering, zoology, and, with videodisc, observation techniques. (BBM)

The Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scales (MIDAS) instrument was developed to measure eight constructs of intelligence. The 119-item MIDAS provides scores for 26 subscales in addition to the 8 major scales. Using the 26 subscales, a factor structure was developed on half of a U.S. sample of college students (n=834), while the second half was compared to six samples of college students and young adults from Canada (n=203), Chile (n=202), Korea (South Korea; n=200)), Singapore (n=284), Taiwan (n=203), and the United Kingdom (n=190). Multi-sample confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the fit of the imposed model as parameters were progressively relaxed. The seven groups were found to differ little even when the factor structure constraints were fully relaxed. A pairwise comparison between the U.S. sample and each of the remaining six groups found that the factor structure was common in the most relevant aspects for the Canadian and United Kingdom samples, but some differences were found for the remaining groups. The group showing the least in common with the U.S. factor structure was Korea. The overall results are supportive of multiple intelligences being viewed as abilities that are influenced by cultural content. (Contains 1 figure, 8 tables, and 20 references.) (Author/SLD)

National activities are underway in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States to extend the right to free elementary and fundamental education to adults, and to transform the many local, independently acting programs into systems of state-supported, free education for adults across the life span. This paper summarizes these activities in those three nations in these five categories: (1) scale of need, or determining how many adults are in need of adult basic skills education; (2) access to provision, or determining how many adults are aware of, have access to, and enroll in adult education and literacy education programs; (3) nature of provision, or determining the nature of the delivery system for meeting the needs of adult literacy provision, including the use of information and communication technology; (4) quality of provision, or determining the nature of and need for improved instructional quality, including teacher qualifications and establishing content and outcome standards for programs; and (5) accountability of provision, or improving methods for determining achievements of programs in terms of student learning outcomes and broader impacts for the adult, the family, the workplace, and the community. (Contains 14 references.) (KC)

Cross-national classroom environment research investigating differences in mathematics classroom environment according to country (Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom), grade level (grades 8, 10, and 12), and student gender was conducted using a sample of 3,602 students from 29 schools. Students responded to a questionnaire developed from seven scales of the What Is Happening in this Class questionnaire (B. Fraser, 1998) and three scales of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (P. Taylor, B. Fraser, and D. Fisher, 1997). Validation data showed these 10 scales to have sound structural characteristics. Results for the comparison of classroom environment in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom were mixed. Tests of significance revealed that the environment in mathematics classes in the three countries differed significantly on some scales with Canadian schools having higher levels of Investigation and Personal Relevance than their Australian and British counterparts. In general, grade 8 students held more positive perceptions of their mathematics classrooms than did grade 10 and grade 12 students. Female students generally perceived their mathematics classroom more positively than did male students. (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures, and 20 references.) (Author/SLD)

This study investigated whether World Wide Web information resources for students with disabilities are accessible and whether there is an accessibility difference between Web sites from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada as rated by the Bobby automatic accessibility tool. Thirty academic Web sites from each country were tested. The analysis revealed that in general there was a higher percentage of accessible Web sites in the study than most of the results from other studies, but 48% of the sites were still inaccessible. The United Kingdom and U.S. Web sites were superior to the Canadian and Australian sites for major accessibility issues. The difference was less clear in minor accessibility issues. There was no significant difference in browser compatibility error across all originating countries. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/MES)

Expert systems are computer programs that are designed to advise or assist users by storing the knowledge of human experts and applying the computer's mathematical ability to search and sort this information. This study investigated the use of an expert system as a mindtool and whether or not creating a simple expert system would facilitate the formation of an accurate mental model of a system. The domain selected for the study was that of hydraulic brake drums. Participants were 33 adult males and females from a variety of professions located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Results indicate that creating the expert system substantially increased participants' scores on all three measures of mental models. In addition, participants indicated that using the expert system focused their attention on the topic and that it was fun to use. Network similarity scores increased significantly, with a large effect size, during the midtest to posttest period during which participants created the expert system. Scores on a test of troubleshooting increased significantly, but with only a medium effect size. Results of a prediction test also indicated that the use of an expert system facilitated the development of more expert-like knowledge structures. Expert systems appear to be versatile and powerful mindtools. (Contains 8 tables, 6 figures, and 59 references.) (SLD)

The article offers an economic forecast for Canada for 2009 to 2010. The entry notes that the U.S., Great Britain and Japan will experience economic stagnation in 2009, while emerging markets, such as China, will be affected by shrinking export markets and unstable currency and market fluctuations. It predicts that Canada's economy will see a real growth of only 0.4%, as the U.S. economy slowly recovers in 2009. Analysts estimate that the inflation rate will fall to 2.1% in 2009 due to lower consumption and profits.

Teaching excellence is at the centre of national and international higher education policy. The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is a part of the debate to develop a shared understanding of what constitutes teaching excellence and has published research including "Considering Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: 2007-2013" by Dr Vicky Gunn and Dr Anna Fisk, which provided a much-needed and wide-ranging review of literature. This report by Professor Ray Land, Durham University, and George Gordon, University of Strathclyde, was produced as a stimulus paper for a roundtable event on the theme of teaching excellence organised by the HEA and hosted by HEFCE. It usefully surveys and analyses the nature and current direction of initiatives and strategies for fostering, recognising and rewarding excellent practice in teaching and learning in higher education worldwide. Commentaries by Professor Rosemary Deem, Vice Principal (Education) and Professor of Higher Education, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, and Professor Amy B. M. Tsui, Chair Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, were also produced for the event.

The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international framework through which countries of the Commonwealth offer university scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other member states, forging enduring bonds between nations and creating valuable opportunities for cultural and academic exchange. Established by Commonwealth education ministers at their first conference in 1959, Commonwealth Scholarships have become one of the world's most prestigious and best-known international scholarship schemes. More than 35,000 individuals have been funded to date, many of whom have gone on to transform their communities, societies, and nations. The CSFP is reviewed at the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) held every three years. This paper reports on activity from 2012 through 2015.

This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e-mentoring--which is commonly practiced over long distances--could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger-scale and more coordinated approach to research and program design, as well as a change in e-mentoring researchers' methods. The payoff for these changes would be greater opportunity for e-mentoring research to contribute to social policy and school effectiveness initiatives.

The objectives of this study were to: (1) document government and HE (higher education) sector responses to the recession within a select number of key countries which compete with the UK; and (2) compare these responses and analyse them by theme to draw out any common patterns. The focus of the work was to find, where possible, an evidence base that enables genuine like-for-like comparison, and to provide a high-level commentary and analysis on general country responses. The report begins by describing the impact of the global economic crisis on different regions, and how countries around the world have responded, particularly in reference to spending on HE. The focus then turns to the impact of changes to public spending on the sector itself, examining changes to patterns of demand and supply in specific countries, as well as the impact on research, particular subject areas and access. Finally, how universities have responded to the changed environment is investigated, including attempts to reduce costs and diversify income. Interview list is appended. (Contains 5 figures and 9 endnotes.) [This paper has been prepared by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC).]