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A study interviewed 37 Canadian sex workers in 4 cities to determine how they acquire a working knowledge of safer sex practices and what that knowledge constituted. Findings indicated the vast majority exhibited high levels of knowledge and efficacy regarding safer sex practices; sex workers took the initiative to obtain information and engage in safer sex practices; and peer group educators advanced educational messages in their community. Staffed by current or former sex workers, the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective (NZPC) was established as a government-endorsed organization using state funding, infrastructure, and support services for sex workers, clients, and the public. The Canadian government might profit from lessons learned from the successful NZPC to recruit sex workers as peer educators and should consider the possibility of developing a prostitute-centered pedagogy of safer sex practices that affirms the right of women to control the conditions of work and recognizes the skills and knowledge of that work. Providing sex workers with an opportunity to have input into public policy and design and delivery of prevention programs would be a useful way to transmit their skills and knowledge to other sectors of the community. Such knowledge could provide sexual self-determination that might result in greater knowledge, resistance, agency, and empowerment in other aspects of women's lives. (Contains 87 references and 30 endnotes.) (YLB)

This study examined the role of faculty participation on strategic change within higher education. An open-ended questionnaire was completed by seven individuals from Singapore and the United States who had had experience with higher education strategic planning and change as both faculty and administrators in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United States. It was found that all of the respondents agreed on the necessity of involving stakeholders, particularly the faculty, in strategic change. Many also pointed to the difficulty of getting quality participation from faculty, due to the fact that faculty often have a narrow perspective, that faculty participation involves a large commitment of time, and that faculty are often reluctant to address complex issues or problems. Respondents emphasized the negative impact of overly hierarchical and bureaucratic organizational structures, which were more typical in Singapore than elsewhere. The comments also emphasized the impact that organizational culture, planning processes, reward structures, and institutional mission can have on faculty participation in strategic change. Suggestions for encouraging and improving faculty participation were also offered. (Contains 32 references.) (MDM)

This study investigated Ontario school council inclusiveness pertaining to Aboriginal peoples. A case study was conducted with a cross section of Native and non-Native Canadians who were directly or indirectly involved in school council-related activities. Researchers audiotaped interviews and focus group discussions with participants and analyzed archival materials (newspaper articles, school council minutes, journal articles, books, and school council materials). Overall, school councils were an externally imposed mandated reform that was not necessarily widely supported by trustees, administrators, and teachers, all of whom appeared threatened by parent and community participation. Council members were not necessarily knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Principals tended to dominate the school council process but lacked the skills to advocate for change, share power, provide appropriate leadership, and develop a vision of school governance. School councils were not inclusive of Native Canadians, so the education, social interests, needs, and expectations of Native parents and community members were not being considered. Results revealed the need for a school council system involving Aboriginal parental, elder, and community participation in order to improve inclusiveness and educational relevancy, excellence, and equity in public education for Aboriginal peoples. (Contains bibliographic references.) (SM)

This paper presents regulatory change proposals from the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board and Department of Advanced Education and Career Development for public discussion and comment. Section 1 outlines proposals relating to regulations: program and process details; the ratio of journeymen to apprentices; and apprentice wages. These proposals include no change to content of program requirements, including entrance requirements; removal of program and process details from regulation; retention by the provincial apprenticeship committees and the Board of the authority to set these requirements; no change to journeyman/apprentice ratios; continuation of adequate supervision as the central factor in determining those ratios; and determination of apprentice's wages by market forces. Section 2 outlines proposals about the designation of trades and occupations: continuation of three categories of designation; the Board's use of new criteria to resume its applications for redesignation of optional trades as compulsory trades; and industry's continued responsibility for training in designated occupations, but no regulation of training. Appendixes include a glossary, apprenticeship and industry training regulatory framework, Alberta-designated trades and occupations, proposals, and comments form. (YLB)

The contribution of higher education institutions to regional development is a theme that has attracted growing attention in recent years. Knowledge institutions are increasingly expected not only to conduct education and research, but also to play an active role in the economic, social and cultural development of their regions. The extent to which higher education institutions are able to play this role depends on a number of circumstances: the characteristics of the institutions, the regions in which they are located and the policy frameworks are all significant. At the same time, there are signs of more fundamental conceptual and strategic confusion. The discussions in this domain are frequently characterised by slogans and popular metaphors. This literature review was prepared to support the OECD project entitled 'Supporting the Contribution of Higher Education Institutions to Regional Development', which was conducted by the OECD Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) in collaboration with the Directorate of Public Governance and Territorial Development. Drawing mainly from a selection of European and North American publications, the report takes an overall view on the development of higher education institutions in the regional context. It focuses on the evolution and discourses of higher education and research, the regional aspects of higher education policies, the various functions and roles that the institutions play, measures taken to link the universities with their regional partners, and the conditions which favour or hamper stronger regional engagement. (A bibliography is included. Contains 9 figures.)

This report describes the University Library Alumni Outreach Research Project. The goals of the project were twofold: to describe and analyze alumni outreach initiatives currently offered by university libraries belonging to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as well as the alumni programs and services offered by the universities themselves through traditional organizations such as university alumni associations; and to identify possible future initiatives that might be meaningful to university alumni along with noteworthy examples of technological or programmatic innovation. Phase One comprised a comprehensive survey of the World Wide Web sites of the 112 ARL academic library members to identify pertinent links for alumni outreach and to canvass library development efforts. This phase also included an examination of parent university home pages to identify alumni outreach initiatives stemming from university development organizations such as alumni associations. Results were used to identify issues regarding the actual importance, value, and context of alumni outreach initiatives within each university and to construct an interview instrument to address these issues. The goal of Phase Two was to identify and describe, through phone interviews with university librarians, deans, and directors, the general state of library-sponsored alumni outreach within each of the universities, any planned alumni programs and services, areas of potential future innovation, and general perceptions regarding the current and future role of alumni in the life and vigor of the university library. (Contains 18 references.) (MES)

The effects of three types of work-life conflict in Canada were examined by using data from a set of work and family studies that were conducted in 1991 and 2001. The studies focused on the effects of the following types of conflict: (1) work overload; (2) work-to-family interference (where work gets in the way of family); and (3) family-to-work interference (where family gets in the way of work). The findings were deemed representative of the population of employees working for medium and large public and private organizations in Canada. The following are among the key findings emerging from an analysis of both datasets: (1) work-life conflict increased markedly during the 1990s; (2) parenthood remains more difficult for women than for men; (3) work-life conflict has a negative impact on organizational performance and on employees; (4) employees with high work-life conflict make more use of Canada's health care system; (5) role overload increases when role demands accumulate; and (6) work-to-family interference increases when role demands conflict. The study yielded 27 recommendations for employers, employees and their families, unions, and governments. A list of 37 publications documenting the 1991 study is appended. (Contains 65 references, 26 tables/figures, and 21 endnotes.) (MN)

The conclusion of a 1999 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report that wage gains for training are higher for workers with lower levels of education was revisited using data for males from the 1997 Australian Survey of Education and Training (SET). The study used methods similar to the OECD report (ordinary least squares and treatment effects model) with the following findings: (1) earnings effects for workers with Skilled and Basic Vocational Qualifications were slightly higher than for completers of Year 12; (2) years of occupational experience strongly affected earnings, though effect size declines with experience; and (3) structured training had a positive effect and unstructured training mixed effects. No evidence of a pattern of earnings effects consistent with the OECD results was found. A second study conducted further analyses of the 1997 SET data within the context of the OECD results. For Australia, the OECD had used 1995 Australian Workplace and Industrial Relations Survey (AWIRS). SET results were compared with AWIRS and other results for Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. The reanalysis highlighted limitations of the OECD report: focus on employer-sponsored formal training, incumbent employees aged 25-54, and cross-sectional rather than longitudinal data. With multivariate analyses to correct for selection biases, the second study did not support the conclusion of the OECD report. (Study 1 contains 10 references; study 2 contains 24 references.) (SK)

Using the yardsticks of independence and equality, an analysis of the literature on youth from a citizenship perspective can track youth's citizenship status and capacity to become full citizens. For young people, education is an avenue to either exclusion or independence and equality. For example, dropouts are more likely to live in poverty, and economic independence is considered key to achieving full citizenship. Exclusion exists in the school system, as schools continue to stream young women into traditional career paths and allow racial discrimination. Schools fail to provide the knowledge and capacity to make informed, intelligent choices about substance abuse and sexuality. Access to education, student debt, and labor market conditions delay economic independence. Young people face discrimination due to age and membership in a particular community. Examples of differential treatment are found in the areas of work, medicine, social services, and legal system. Their right to protection from harm is infringed upon most by the transportation system and societal problems related to gender, poverty, and marginalization. Having hope for the future and feelings of belonging influence youth participation in politics and resistance to marginalization through formation of subcultures and via political protest. The notion of precariousness best captures the experience of youth citizenship with respect to exercise of rights and responsibilities, access, and belonging. (Appendixes include a 271-item bibliography and roundtable summary.) (YLB)

Changing workplace practices in Canada's government workplaces were examined. The study analyzed 774 responses (response rate, 53%) to the 1998 Survey of Workplace Issues in Government, which was a survey of government managers in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta. The findings of five case studies were also considered. The survey results provided the systematic empirical evidence of how external pressures to "increase emphasis on results" and budget constraints have led some Canadian governments to change the way they organize work and adopt workplace practices such as measuring performance, increasing the volume of work, and divesting service delivery functions. Public managers were increasingly adopting flexible staffing practices and flexible job designs, which in turn meant greater emphasis on training and employee involvement policies. Compensation remained highly centralized, and workplaces remained highly unionized. Employed training increased slightly in all areas compared with 3 years earlier. The case studies provided concrete examples of changing work in government workplaces, including the move from direct service delivery to policy formulation and increasing emphasis on outputs and outcomes. Appendixes include 41 tables of detailed statistics and regression results and a summary of the case study findings. (Contains 18 figures and 41 references.) (MN)

A study explored the ways that front-line community development workers across Canada gained information needed to work with women participants in community economic development initiatives. Data were gathered through focus groups, a preliminary study with 15 key informants employed in community development organizations, and structured telephone interviews. One theme that emerged from the interview data was the existence of a large number of differing knowledge classes related to social situations, the legitimization of knowledge, and the practice of community development. Collisions among these different perspectives appear to create a "discord of knowing." The study also found that while gender affects an individual's experience and participation within a community setting, it cannot be considered in isolation from class, ethnicity, geography, disability, and other social factors. Drawing on anecdotal illustrations from the data, the study found that workers construct a knowledge set derived from a synthesis of formal and informal learning sources and apply the resulting perspective in development work. In the process, collisions occur and boundaries are challenged among and within academic, government, business, and practice orientations. The study concluded that agreement is emerging among practitioners about what is needed for successful development outcomes, but that their insights are not necessarily recognized as legitimate, especially by funding agencies. Changing such structural attitudes toward the value of informal local knowledge is vital for the success of development efforts. (Contains 31 references.) (KC)

This report analyzes developments in Canadian child care policy in the 1990s at the federal, provincial (Ontario), and municipal (Toronto and Peel) levels, highlighting problems that are associated with a male model of citizenship. The report discusses the child care policy process as one in which state bodies are challenged by the diverse and largely women-driven child care advocacy movement. First, the report outlines some of the major developments of the 1990s that have created increasing hardship for women; foremost among these is the diminished accessibility to child care due to stagnation of or cutbacks in the funding of child care services. Connected to this is the ongoing concern among advocates for not-for-profit child care about a shift of services to the private and unregulated sector, arguably lowering quality. Also at issue are the poor and deteriorating working conditions of mostly female child care providers. These considerations are intended to highlight the importance of linking social class and gender inequality in an analysis of social policy. Second, the report discusses the effectiveness of different strategies of child care advocacy, raising some of the most persistent questions among feminists concerning political citizenship (i.e., whether it is possible to obtain social rights for women through the state, and if so, what the conditions are which make it possible). The report concludes by asserting that most women's and advocacy organizations are dismissed by governments as "special interest groups"; based on their outsider status in official politics, and lacking stable alliances, these organizations are drawn toward political solutions that may prove palatable to governments in the short run but may undermine general claims for child care as a universal rather than a targeted service. (Contains a 114 references.) (EV)

Following up on an earlier national survey study of Canadian teachers' formal and informal learning, this study had 13 Ontario secondary teachers keep detailed logs of their day and evening activities, along with notations about what they may have learned as a result of engaging in each activity, for 7 consecutive days in late 1999, and again in early 2000. Following an analysis of the diaries, researchers conducted telephone interviews with four of the teachers to further explore their formal and informal learning, particularly pertaining to several province-wide schooling reform initiatives being introduced at the time. The diaries revealed an average teacher workload of 48.7 hours per week. These actual hours of work represented approximately 17 percent more hours per week than the hours calculated by these same teachers when asked in the earlier Phase One survey simply to estimate their weekly workload. The diaries also indicated that these teachers spent an average of 7 hours per week in informal learning specifically about schooling and teaching-related matters through various intentional learning activities. They spent an average of 6 hours per week in intentional informal learning pertaining to a wide variety of other subjects. Appendixes include the original diary survey package, the February revised diary package, and miscellaneous data from the CIF/NALL Survey, 1998-9. (Contains 55 bibliographic references, 17 endnotes, and 6 tables.) (SM)

This report provides information on the content and nature of labor education in Canada. Section A outlines the study's purposes to explain why labor education should be considered for prior learning assessment and recognition purposes. Section B describes the theoretical framework and methodology and explains the attempt to canvass a reasonably representative sample of labor education provided by and for trade unions. Section C highlights the aims and objectives of labor education, with particular reference to differing objectives of the host trade unions. Section D describes steward training and relates details of this education to functions and expectations unions typically assign to these worksite representatives. Section E completes the descriptions with an overview of content of labor education programs provided by and for Canada's unions. Section F identifies other events and learning activities provided by and for Canada's unions. Section G provides a sample of approaches taken by unions in selecting labor education participants. Section H describes procedures for choosing trainers who deliver labor education and their roles. Section I discusses delivery methods trade unions use for their labor education courses and activities and the rationale for these practices. Section J examines aspects of the labor education program of the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers' Union of Canada. Section K provides conclusions and observations. (YLB)

A study explored informal learning in relation to online communications and working class people's use of computers as a socially situated practice rooted in collective, communal relationships. It drew on analysis of online learning workshop participation in specially initiated sessions among Canadian labor activist/educators. Findings were based on analysis of interview and survey data and content and interaction analysis of online postings. Survey data indicated participants had computer literacy levels exceeding those of the general population; the majority had access to home and/or workplace computers for workshop participation; and communication with participants and non-participants beyond the formal structure of the workshop was crucial. Interviews showed a better understanding was needed of the dynamics of informal learning in virtual space; key barriers to online learning among activist/educators were resources, time, distance, and extensive reading and writing requirements; and a less obvious barrier concerned "communication literacy," a basic appreciation of the mechanics of interaction, turn-taking, and explicit framing and re-framing of the situation. Strong evidence suggested online learning could be a valuable addition to the labor movement's education/communication capacity, an important part of which revolved around recognition of informal learning, tacit dimensions of participation, broader context of participants' lives, and linkages between the online and offline worlds. (Conains 32 references.) (YLB)

A research project was conducted to determine how and what clown-doctors know on entry to the profession and how and what they learn both formally and informally in a hospital environment; the linkages between informal and formal learning in clown-doctor training and practice in Canada; and "best practices." Information was gathered through personal research (continuing), interviews with clowns and training personnel in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Toronto; a conference in Europe; roundtable discussions; and informal discussions by telephone and e-mail. The research found that the current clown programs in Canadian hospitals, dating to 1986, take two major approaches: (1) clowns who wear circus-style costumes and make-up work as part of the child life program at a single hospital, work alone, are non-verbal, bring props and toys, do not use music, and play within a "small" and quiet way; and (2) clowns who usually wear a white coat, red nose, and minimal make-up, have unique personalities and names, work in pairs, are not hospital employees or work in several hospitals, and use sound, language, and music. The study found that all 10 clowns currently working in Canada have wide educational backgrounds and have had both formal and informal training that has helped prepare them for their work as clown-doctors. Most of their additional professional development occurs through informal interaction with other clowns, with healthcare staff, and with patients and family members. The study concluded that while all the Canadian clowns are professional and useful in their fields, there is an urgent need to examine, design, and develop appropriate professional development and inservice training models and modules for clown-doctors. (KC)

A research project studied in depth four organizations using organizational learning approaches to embed continuous learning within actual work processes. The most sustainable benefits, in terms of both individual and organizational needs, tended to result from "action" or "situated" learning that is informal and accrues directly from work-related activities. This learning took place in the interstices of organizational life and was characterized by relationship and interpersonal interaction through basic social processes such as individual informal learning, team learning, learning through dealing with conflict; making and reflecting on mistakes; and shared leadership in support of informal learning. These three sets of activities were identified as key factors in ensuring an organizational climate conducive to learning: creating a values-based shared vision of both the task-related goals and the internal functioning of the organization; examining and revising systems, procedures, and processes, so that they clearly reflect the vision and values in action; and continuously evaluating progress towards achieving the vision, so the gap between the vision and the current reality is progressively decreased. (Contains 39 references.) (YLB)

Traditional Ojibway education is currently being delivered by eight First Nations communities on Manitoulin Island and the north shore of Lake Huron, in Ontario. Integration into the formal school system, with the exception of language programs, is not formally established. Elders and traditional teachers are only invited by individual teachers. Integration of the formal education system into the traditional Ojibway system also takes place, through field trips, albeit to a limited extent. Cultural knowledge is transmitted via one-to-one transmission, home-based learning, talking circles, community cultural events, workshops and conferences, and traditional Ojibway institution-based learning. Traditional educational approaches are profoundly different from those of the mainstream educational system. Wholistic (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional) growth and development of the person, experiential learning, oral tradition, and student-centeredness are key elements of the traditional approach. Further, and of vital importance, is the fact that education is grounded in spirituality. Western mainstream education has a narrower scope in that it emphasizes intellectual development to the exclusion of other dimensions. There are a number of concerns related to integrating informal Native education into the formal education system. These include research methodologies utilized; protection of cultural and intellectual property rights; and recognition of traditional indigenous knowledge, traditional teachers, and elders. (Contains 31 references.) (TD)

The purpose of this discussion paper is to explore the concept of block transfer as an alternative to, or a supplement to, traditional course by course transfer in British Columbia (BC). Transfer in BC is essentially a bilateral process in which sending and receiving institutions negotiate credit for a course or program. One of the assumptions that underlies Charting a New Course, the strategic plan issued in 1996 by the BC Ministry of Education, Skills, and Training, is that every academic course a student takes at a sending institution should transfer automatically to a receiving institution because it has been ratified by the sending institution. By virtue of the institution's membership in the public system, the ratification should extend to each and all facets of that system. Although block transfer is well established in the professional areas, there are few examples of its application to academic programs. There are a number of different block transfer models: system-wide transfer; general education core curriculum; standardized pre-major program; flexible pre-major program; learning outcomes; and descriptive pathways. Any successful revision, if needed, will require the full agreement of all partners in the system. (JA)

In 1998, as part of a larger national study examining informal learning practices across the general population, Canadian elementary and secondary teachers were surveyed regarding their practices and attitudes related to their own ongoing learning. The 753 respondents described any informal learning experiences in the past year within their workplaces, homes, and communities and any formal learning activities (courses, workshops, and conferences). Over 85 percent of the teachers had engaged in formal learning during the previous year, compared to 49 percent of the entire Canadian labor force and 67 percent of university-educated labor force members. Teachers spent over 8 hours per week engaged in their own formal learning activities (course time, reading, and preparing assignments). They spent an average of 4 hours per week in job-related informal learning and an average of 10 hours per week in informal learning activities overall (related to employment, housework, community volunteer work, and other interests). There were variations among teachers and within the general labor force. For example, 89 percent of teachers, as compared to 61 percent of the overall labor force and 71 percent of employed professionals, had engaged in informal computer learning in the previous year. Appendixes include additional tables from study results and the Canadian Teachers' Learning Survey. (Contains 36 bibliographic references, 24 tables, and 14 endnotes.) (SM)

The New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL) project is a Canada-wide 5-year research initiative during which more than 70 academic and community members are working collaboratively within a framework of informal learning to address the following issues: informal computer-based learning, recognition of prior learning, informal learning in a variety of social locations, learning within marginalized or disadvantaged cultures, and learning about school-to-work transitions. The NALL project's primary objective is to identify major social barriers to integrating informal learning with formal/nonformal learning and certification and to support new program initiatives to overcome such barriers. The NALL project's focus is on the informal and nonformal learning practices of people involved with the Growing Jobs for Living Project (GJOBS) in the Quinte bioregion, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Canada. These learning practices are related to the principles and practices of environmental adult education, feminist adult education, and transformative learning. The global and ideational contexts of some of the major socio-environmental changes and problems that have affected the Quinte bioregion and been a catalyst for GJOBS were examined. The methods used to study the informal learning practices of GJOBS participants were reviewed. The major outcomes of the study were discussed from the standpoint of their relationship to the broader field of adult education. (Contains 25 references.) (MN)

A preliminary study explored how Canadian practitioners who are engaged in community economic development (CED) that includes or is specific to women gain new information relevant to their work and how they incorporate that new learning into their daily practice. Interview questions focused on sources of information, learning opportunities and processes, relative usefulness of different kinds of knowledge, and how practitioners managed to apply new knowledge to their work. Results indicated nearly all 15 participants identified lack of an organized source of information about women's CED as a problem. Other major themes were that all respondents reported multiple work duties that required different sets of knowledge; many sources were used to obtain the diverse information practitioners required; participant ratings suggested most organizations are engaged in ongoing efforts to incorporate and improve on CED best practice; failure to implement available knowledge was usually due to a lack of resources such as time and money; practitioners frequently reported applying their knowledge concerning class, gender, and other diversity issues to educate others involved in CED; and, for many practitioners, a clash of ideas about what counted as learning and valid knowledge occurred on a variety of fronts. The strongest implication of the results was the need for more CED funding. (Appendixes include interview results.) (YLB)

Despite Ontario's profusion of training programs, diplomas, and certificates for office workers, they need coherence and transferability in training that makes it possible to keep up with changes in their current work, and they need their work experience and training to be transferable to training for other occupations. There is a growing disjuncture among the new work, training needs of office workers, and kinds of training available. Office work is becoming more complex, and its links with other occupations need to be made more specific. Training is being delivered in shorter, more fragmented pieces that particularly focus on technical training or the so-called "soft" employability skills. Entry-level training is getting shorter, while entry-level requirements for many office support jobs are becoming more complex. Cuts in public funding to college and community-based programs have resulted in fewer seats in public programs. Setting standards--sometimes seen as a panacea or, at least, the requisite starting-point for a coherent training system--would add to the confusion and opacity of training options for individual workers. It would also be an instrument to further privatize training. Making training a more "profitable" enterprise makes it less accessible to workers. Through activism, advocacy, and support of unions and organizations, a truly worker-centered and worker-driven training system could begin to eliminate the current confusion, fragmentation, inequities, and ineffectiveness of training for office workers. (Appendixes include 31 endnotes and 18 references.) (YLB)

A gender-based analysis of training that focuses on barriers to women because of changes in the availability of sponsorship leads to the conclusion that training programs for women in New Brunswick have been spotty at best. Women's training has occurred during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s under the aegis of the Canadian Manpower Training Program, National Training Act, Canadian Jobs Strategy, Labor Force Development Strategy, and more recently since the shift to devolution, through Labor Market Development Agreements between Canada and each province. The literature identifies barriers, including personal, family, societal, and bureaucratic, that prevent women from getting training they want/need. Women have never played more than a very minor role in apprenticeship, probably because most trades are nontraditional occupations. Most students who receive student loans are women. Participants in the Skills, Loans, and Grants program have been 64 percent males; the discretionary aspect of the case manager's role may play a considerable part in a lower support rate for women. Issues that emerge in examining training programs for women concern sponsorship, eligibility requirements, women-only and bridging programs, and training opportunities for social assistance recipients. Arguably, absence of sponsorship is the most significant barrier to women's training. With virtual elimination of such sponsorship in the late 1990s market-driven approach to training, a signficant decline in women's training can be expected. (Appendixes include 38 endnotes and additional tables and charts.) (YLB)

This project is building on site-specific qualitative data to develop a profile of adult learning activity now largely unrecognized by education providers. It explores the various learning strategies used by adults in these three locations: unionized factory, community-based training program, and literacy program. At a half-way point in a two-year project, results have been obtained from 13 interviews, comments from 22 profiles, and a videotaped discussion among 5 people. All participants are women. One outstanding theme is that these women love to learn. Interviewees identify four themes that help them learn: an appreciation for their independence, a supportive community, a feeling of self-confidence, and applying or practicing the newly acquired skill in a real situation. The project is supplying researchers with a systematic approach to capturing the initiatives of working people as learners the Skills and Knowledge Profile that helps learners identify and value their skills and experience. (YLB)

The questions of what and how working people learn about labor organization and activity in Canada were explored through a review of available literature and face-to-face interviews with more than 30 education officers and union leaders. Unions continue to be the principal source of labor education. Of the many courses and educational experiences that unions offer their membership, steward-training courses tend to be the best developed and documented. However, steward-training courses constitute only a small portion of the labor education that is currently being made available to trade union members and staff. Many unions are offering a sophisticated and integrated educational experience that is allowing union members to learn a variety of skills and knowledge that could be recognized by the formal education system. Special events and schools range from modest 1-day affairs to week-long functions. The measure of the various courses/programs is their success in preparing union members and activists to deal with the concrete demands they face in the workplace, their union, and their community. Some unions insist that labor education be provided primarily by rank-and-file members, others deliver courses through an educational officer, and yet others have "specialists" deliver courses. (A description of the Learning Labour project is appended.) (MN)

A study investigated effects of implementation of a new policy by the Ontario Ministry of Education that decreased grants for adults and amended the Ontario Education Act, forcing school boards to develop a parallel but "basic service" system of education for everyone over age 21. All adult students in daytime secondary school programs were asked to supply basic demographics; human rights information such as whether students had a disability or belonged to a visible minority; whether they had special education needs; and information pertaining to student knowledge of pending changes in the grant system and their possible effects. Submissions were received from 117 schools, representing 7,723 completed questionnaires. The next phase of the research examined the changes that had occurred in five Target Boards (TBs) in the year following implementation of the adult funding model. Findings indicated that TBs responded to the changes in government policy by redesigning their adult programs using a continuing education model and creating policies directing adults to the new system. This resulted in a narrowing of educational opportunities for adults. Women, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and people who registered in English as second language courses were disproportionately represented among those adults who attended secondary school programs before and after the changes in government policy. (Instruments are appended.) (YLB)

The report on areas needing further development in provision of quality literacy services for Ontario's (Canada) native populations, based on site visits to native literacy programs, identifies seven key areas for change: (1) strategic planning for program development and implementation and advocacy; (2) program growth and administration; (3) native languages; (4) teacher training; (5) curriculum development; (6) standards and accountability; and (7) partnerships in delivery of literacy services. Each of these areas is defined and described, and some options for change are outlined for further discussion. In addition, literacy funding at the Ontario Training and Adjustment Board (OTAB) and the National Literacy Secretariat is described briefly. Appended materials include a list of OTAB-supported literacy programs, and a descriptive list of aboriginal stakeholder groups. Contains 15 references. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

To make the education system more open and accountable, Alberta (Canada) designated in 1994 the formation of an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) implementation team for educational accountability. The MLA team is consulting with Albertans about which results should be included in school reports, which measures should be used to report educational outcomes, and how the results should be communicated. This document is comprised of a discussion paper, which is being used by the MLA team to conduct a third, broader phase of consultation with educational stakeholders during January and February 1995. Following the introduction, section 2 summarizes themes that emerged from the MLA team's consultations, some of which include: (1) parents want more information and better access to results at all levels of reporting; (2) people feel that accountability data must be used to improve education; (3) the public wants to be involved in developing improvement plans; (4) people want to know how the budget relates to educational outcomes; (5) student results should reflect the range of academic and nonacademic achievements; and (6) measures must make sense and be closely linked to improvement goals. Section 3 contains a prototype school report and school board report. The fourth section reports what consultants said they wanted to see regarding contextual information, student results, financial information, satisfaction measures, improvement goals and action plans, communication of educational outcomes, and their suggestions for improving the prototype reports. An attached booklet contains a questionnaire for gathering feedback on the prototype reports. (LMI)

In 1992 the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) surveyed administrators in member libraries regarding resource strategies of the previous three years. This paper summarizes revenue activities, adaptive tactics, and budgetary practices reported by 87 Canadian, U.S. private, and U.S. public university libraries and establishes a baseline for comparing these factors. The period from 1990 to 1992 has been a difficult one for ARL members, with the largest reductions in public support experienced by public university libraries. All respondents sought outside revenues to supplement their campus allocations. Virtually every responding library had experienced some form of internal restructuring, and three of every five had eliminated positions over the three-year survey period. Administrators valued flexibility in fund reallocation very highly, but few had much control over carrying unspent funds to the next year. While 88% of respondents expected the demand for services to grow, only 32% anticipated budget increases. Greater selectivity in activities and greater library sharing are likely to result from the economic realities. Three appendixes contain the survey summary results, the cover letter, and the questionnaire. (Contains 33 references.) (SLD)

This report provides an overview of child care in rural areas of Ontario. Chapter 1 outlines the paper's purpose, defining "child care" and "rural." It discusses the nature of rural Ontario in the 1990s and the need for child care in rural areas. Also, implications for child care provision in a rural context are highlighted. Chapter 2 reviews child care in Ontario with regard to the roles of different levels of government. Issues of child care availability, affordability, and quality are discussed, along with child care reform initiatives. Chapter 3 looks at rural child care in Ontario in terms of the characteristics of rural communities and characteristics of successful child care programs. Chapters 4 through 6 focus on rural center-based child care, regulated home child care, and the provision of care in the child's own home, including the special challenges and issues related to each setting. Chapter 7 considers resource centers, school-age care, and care for children with special needs. Finally, chapter 8 highlights programs in Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec that specifically target the needs of rural families. A list of key informants, demographic information, and information on the availability and affordability of child care in Ontario are topics covered in the four Appendices. (Contains a 37-item bibliography and glossary). (AC)

An emerging literature documents the many challenges faced by college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known, however, about how students responded to the adversity. Focusing on two large Canadian universities, we provide some of the first evidence on the coping strategies students reported and the relationships between their endorsement of specific coping strategies and their subsequent well-being. Students focused on compensating for a lack of structure by creating new routines, maintaining social connections, and trying new activities. Conditional on baseline problems indexes, students who initially endorsed social connectedness as a strategy score significantly higher on a comprehensive well-being index five to twelve weeks later. [Additional funding for this research was provided by the Jamal Poverty Action Lab.]

This publication contains nine articles about the process of doing research by literacy practitioners and volunteers in several areas of the Ontario (Canada) literacy field. "Implementing a Workplace Program: A Look Back" (Maria Ioannou-Makrakis) describes the process followed and the learning outcomes from planning, implementing, and developing a workplace literacy program in a rural community. "The Open Learning Network" (Frances Lever) focuses on researching and developing a cross-sectoral accreditation system with planned involvement of experts, students, providers, and information users. "Course Charting" (Deborah LeForestier) is a description of the participatory assessment process as practiced in an adult skills upgrading project. "How Are New Learners Socialized into an Existing Literacy Program?" (Michael G. Wodlinger, Regina Muetze) examines the process that would best facilitate a literacy learner's entry into a new program. "Group Process in Literacy: Program-Based Research" (Heather Lennie Segsworth) looks at the development of groups in literacy classes. "The ESL [English as a Second Language] and Literacy Bridging Project" (Judy Bernstein, Lori Rothschild) describes a curriculum development project that was allowed to evolve towards an initially undefined outcome. "Trial, Error, and Back to the Drawing Board" (Suzy Harris) tells how testing methods and instruments before starting on a full-scale evaluation saved time and made the information more interesting and useful. "Evaluation and Change in a Literacy Program" (Patrick Cummins) is a case study that explores some factors leading to evaluation use. "Dialogue: Questions of a Novice Researcher" (Suzy Harris, Michael Wodlinger) is an edited dialogue dealing with some issues around program evaluation. Also included is a review of a research report, "Literacy in South Muskoka." (YLB)

The geographic distribution of college-level technical programs is one of the major elements which has distinguished the development of the system of "colleges d'enseignement general et professionel" (CEGEP's) in Quebec. Spring 1992 efforts to identify inactive or scarcely viable programs afforded the Commission on Professional Education of the Council of Colleges the opportunity to reflect on the development of technical education and the more optimal geographic distribution of programs within the service areas of the CEGEP's. This working paper offers preliminary thoughts on the redistribution of technical programs and invites comments from other interested sectors of the provincial government. Part 1 provides a context for the discussion of the distribution of technical programs, and the educational objectives which inspired the investigation. Part 2 attempts to reconcile different ways of determining program locations; e.g., based on economics, educational supply and demand, and institutional characteristics. Part 3 appeals to different types of educational commitments, presenting calls for leadership, student-centered decision making, change and development, and system coherence. Extensive appendixes provide data on enrollment projections, regional program administration and authorization, college admissions, and student mobility. (AC)

This study developed a classification scheme to critically compare performance assessment projects at higher education universities in North America and Europe. Performance indicators and assessment initiatives were compared using nine basic dimensions: (1) locus of control, (2) degree of governmental involvement, (3) focus of performance indicators, (4) sources of quality variation, (5) data selection, (6) intended audiences, (7) emphasis of use, (8) impact on student learning, and (9) relationship to institutional mission. A sample of six systems of generation performance indicators was examined using the nine criteria; the six systems are: National Education Goals (United States National System); Critical Choices (United States State System); Key Success Indices (United States Institutional System); The Committee for Vice Chancellors and Principals listing of performance indicators (British National System); Queen's University (Canadian Model); and MONEY magazine (United States Media System). Analysis found that performance indicators are mostly variations of input/output mechanistic thinking, that remarkable similarities exist between North American and European initiatives, that most models are unprepared to address conversion or process variables, that most are built on an assumption that outcomes can be attributed to something in the system or institution, and that the absence of linkages back to the learning environment leaves internal decisionmakers without information to correct causes that explain variations in quality. (Contains 92 references.) (JB)

This document considers the position, plight, and needs of recent Central American immigrants to Canada. It seeks to answer three questions: What kind of support do they need? What kind of programs can respond to their needs? How can they be helped to integrate into Canadian society? Several facts are uncovered, and conclusions are reached based on anecdotal information. Among the findings are these: Most of these immigrants come from rural areas in their own countries and have limited or no literacy in their native Spanish. They are often very unfamiliar with what basic appliances are in Canada (e.g., stoves). They encounter significant ethnic and racial-based hostility and prejudice from Canadian citizens. Many untrue and largely negative stereotypes about them are widely believed. Recommendations are made for effectively teaching these immigrants to survive and thrive in Canada. Immigrant success stories are chronicled in a number of vivid examples. It is concluded that the acquisition of literacy skills in Spanish is a necessary first step before acquiring similar literacy in English or French. Literacy is viewed as more than just reading and writing, but a necessary tool for problem solving in every-day life in a modern society. Other useful resources are provided. (KFT)

This publication is a handbook of Canadian nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations (NGOs) working for change and the establishment of democracy in South Africa. It is offered as a companion to an earlier handbook on similar European NGOs. In particular, this publication illuminates the framework in which NGOs operate; clarifies appropriate sources of financial, technical, and informational assistance for sustainable development programs; and draws lessons from the development aid and education policies described. The handbook was developed during one week through a series of interviews in Canada of 25 organizations (or individuals) identified as relevant to the preparation of the handbook. An introduction and overview are followed by sections describing organizations, programs and agencies under the categories: (1) Canadian government corporations; (2) NGO networks and coalitions; (3) crown corporations; (4) nongovernmental institutions; (5) development (and development education) agencies; (6) trade union-related organizations; (7) church agencies; (8) support organizations raising money for South African causes; (9) solidarity groups; and (10) research, information, and documentation centers. A subject index and a glossary of abbreviations are included. (JB)

The rapid expansion of charter schools would suggest that there is evidence of their effectiveness, but this is not the case. The lack of objective evidence of their success reinforces the claim that charter school reforms are political and ideological rather than educational reforms. The arguments in favor of charter schools have exploited some myths, and these myths have swayed some people whose goals are to strengthen the quality of public education. The following myths are addressed and countered: (1) there is a crisis in public education; (2) thecharter school movement invented school choice; (3) charter schools make choice equally available to all; (4) the competition of market forces improves the quality of education; (5) charter schools improve curriculum, instruction, and student achievement; (6) charter schools promote equity; (7) results from charter schools have been favorable; (8) charter schools break the "gridlock" of bureaucracy; (9) teachers support charter schools; and (10) charter schools are an innovative educational reform. (Contains 67 references) (SLD)

The rapid expansion of charter schools would suggest that there is evidence of their effectiveness, but this is not the case. The lack of objective evidence of their success reinforces the claim that charter school reforms are political and ideological rather than educational reforms. The arguments in favor of charter schools have exploited some myths, and these myths have swayed some people whose goals are to strengthen the quality of public education. The following myths are addressed and countered: (1) there is a crisis in public education; (2) the charter school movement invented school choice; (3) charter schools make choice equally available to all; (4) the competition of market forces improves the quality of education; (5) charter schools improve curriculum, instruction, and student achievement; (6) charter schools promote equity; (7) results from charter schools have been favorable; (8) charter schools break the "gridlock" of bureaucracy; (9) teachers support charter schools; and (10) charter schools are an innovative educational reform. (Contains 67 references.) (SLD)

The Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) entry effect experiment was designed to measure the effect of the future availability of an earnings supplement on the behavior of newly enrolled income assistance (IA) recipients. It used a classical randomized design. From a sample of 3,315 single parents who recently started a new period of IA, one-half were assigned to the program group and were informed that if they remained on IA for the next 12 months they would be eligible for the SSP supplement; the other half were assigned to the control group. SSP group members were asked questions and attended focus-group interviews to verify they understood the nature of the SSP supplement offer. Results indicated between one-half and three-fourths of them had relatively precise knowledge. The primary focus of the experiment was to determine whether some individuals would prolong their stay on IA to gain SSP eligibility. Analysis of the delayed exit effect suggested it was fairly small, on the order of 3 percentage points, i.e. 3 percent of all new applicants for IA. (Appendixes include additional data tables and list of 21 references.) (YLB)