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The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "College Readiness and Access." Contents include: (1) Highlights of IDRA's 35th Annual Texas Public School Attrition Study -- Pre-COVID-19 Attrition Rate was down to 20% (Roy L. Johnson); (2) College Degrees Are Worth It -- People with Bachelor's Degrees Have Lower Poverty Rates (Bricio Vasquez); (3) How the IDRA EAC-"South" Helps School Districts Increase Access to Advanced Courses for Students of Color (Paula Johnson); and (4) Meaningful Strategies for Making STEM Accessible (Stephanie Garcia).

A survey of 414 child care providers in southeastern Wisconsin reveals that cost as well as low wages and lack of benefits for workers can constrain providers from pursuing improvements to child-care quality. Of survey respondents, approximately half of whom are home-based and half center-based, 13% have at least three of five structural factors often associated with highest quality care (accreditation, highly qualified staff, paid staff training, use of curricula and achievement tests). However, more than three-quarters of the sample is neither accredited nor seeking accreditation. When asked why accreditation has not been pursued, most providers indicate that it is too expensive. Costs are also cited as a barrier to obtaining or providing additional training, while low wages and lack of benefits are the main reasons staff have chosen to leave their child care jobs. This lack of capacity to pursue quality improvements is relevant to the debate in Wisconsin regarding parent subsidies for child care. Currently, the state spends over $300 million per year in subsidies aimed at increasing access to child care for low-income families. Other than the requirement that the subsidies be used to purchase care from a licensed or certified provider, the monies are not tied to the quality of the provider. Recent attempts by the governor to make that connection via a quality rating system have not been supported by the legislature. Findings from a four-page, 33-question mailed survey indicate there may be other opportunities to develop public policy aimed at improving quality through increasing organizational capacity. Most providers say they rely on funds from the government, with a quarter of all providers reporting that public funds account for over 90% of their budgets. Even without a quality rating system, these funds could provide incentive for quality improvements, perhaps in the form of mini-grants for capital purchases, health care purchasing pools, or wage supplements, as have been implemented in other states. (Contains 5 charts and 10 tables.) [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Brico Fund, Buffet Early Childhood Fund, Dick Weiss Family Foundation, Faye McBeath Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, and Rockwell Automation.]

ARL is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). ARL reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and users; higher education administrators and faculty; information technologists and those who depend on networked information; as well as anyone concerned with the future of scholarly communication or information policy developments. Each issue explores a broad range of education topics of particular importance to research institutions and academic librarians. This issue of ARL includes the following articles: (1) Diversity in the US ARL Library Workforce (Kaylyn Hipps); (2) ARL Salary Survey Highlights (Mark Young); (3) The Future of Librarians in the US Workforce (Martha Kyrillidou); (4) International Dimension of Digital Science and Scholarship: Aspirations of the British Library in Serving the International Scientific and Scholarly Communities (Lynne Brindley); and (5) International Dimensions of Digital Science and Scholarship: Enhancing the Potential for Research Collaboration among Academics (Deanna B. Marcum). This issue also includes a section on ARL Activities by Kaylyn Hipps. (Individual articles contain references.)

This digest presents an analysis of the workforce participation of Latinos, emphasizing findings by generation. It describes the demographics of native-born and immigrant Latinos and compares labor market outcomes for adult, young adult, and teen workers. The digest also explores the relationship between schooling and labor market participation, with a particular look at differences across ethnicities as well as across Latino generations. Findings analyzed indicate that labor market outcomes vary significantly by worker age, working Latino immigrants tend to be mature adults, and working age second generation Latinos are between 16-24 years. For prime-age labor market outcomes, data indicate that Latino wage outcomes are very sensitive to generation, Latino workers are the lowest paid workers in the U.S. labor market, employment rates improve among Hispanics from the first to the second generation as a result of improved educational attainment, and male Latino job-holding slightly lags white job-holding but is substantially above African American job-holding. Recently arrived Latino immigrant teens are the highest paid teenage workers and have the highest incomes because they work a lot. Findings suggest, however, that the relative labor market success of immigrant Latino teens tends to be at the expense of schooling activities, as recently arrived immigrant Latino teens tend not to pursue formal schooling and are not acquiring English fluency. Young immigrant Hispanic dropouts have a lower unemployment rate and earn more money than young white and African American dropouts. (Contains 10 references.) (SM)

Career and technical education (CTE) can benefit students directly by providing earning advantages before and after graduation. It can benefit them indirectly by increasing engagement, retention, and persistence and by directing them to postsecondary education and pursuit of lifelong learning. CTE programs motivate students to get involved in their learning by engaging them in problem-solving activities that construct knowledge and by providing hands-on activities that enable them to apply knowledge; bring students and adults together in a setting of collaborative learning; and offer opportunities for students to interact with community members, potential employers, and students and teachers who share similar career/vocational interests through such organizations as Future Farmers of America. CTE programs offer students an alternative to college prep programs, programs they may not have the interest, ability, or skills to pursue. Research shows students considered "at risk" or "disadvantaged" and students with disabilities have greater success when they are enrolled in technology education, tech prep, school-to-career, and other CTE programs. (Contains annotations of 18 resources that contain information on the ways in which CTE programs, including student organizations, have benefitted students by improving employment, retention, and achievement outcomes.) (YLB)

Changes in the economy and declining profit margins are prompting many businesses to question the value of their training investments. Companies that had been operating under the assumption that they were reaping positive benefits from their training efforts are asking their human resource managers to provide proof that their training programs are resulting in positive returns. Cost/benefit analysis is one means of evaluating training returns because it provides evidence of bottom-line profits. If the reasons for evaluating training are to ensure a correlation between training and a specific outcome, this highest level of evaluation may be required. However, if the reason for training is to improve soft-data areas such as customer satisfaction, employee morale, and so forth, other methods, such as surveys and interviews, may provide the evidence required to support training. The literature has enough evidence to support the position that investment in training results in positive returns. The nature of these returns may vary among organizations and workers, but it is important to remember that wages and productivity are not the only variables guiding a company's investment in training. (Contains 17 references.) (YLB)

This "Inside the Vault" newsletter contains two issues. Issue 1 contains a lead article, "Reading the Fed's Playbook," a question-and-answer section, and a bulletin board. The Federal Reserve's primary mission is to ensure that enough money and credit are available to sustain economic growth without inflation. The article explains the Federal Reserve's monetary policy actions and provides recent history about the Fed's actions. The question-and-answer section focuses on gender wage discrimination. The newsletter contains an economic snapshot of the first quarter of 2001. Issue 2 contains an article, "The Cycling Economy," a question-and-answer section, and a bulletin board. The article considers whether the U.S. economy is growing or whether it is in a recession. The question-and-answer section focuses on the "yield curve," asking what it is and what causes it to be inverted. The section also asks about long-term interest rates. The newsletter contains an economic snapshot of the third quarter of 2001. (BT)

A literature review explored the differences between the high school diploma and GED (General Educational Development) credentials and the value of receiving one in comparison to the other. The study found that GED recipients and high school seniors who take the five tests constituting the GED score similarly, but that test achievement does not signify educational equivalency. Skill disparities occur because high school graduates spend about four times as much time in classes as GED students, and GED students often have problems related to attitudes, values, and behaviors that led to their dropping out of school. The study also found that individuals earning a GED instead of a high school diploma earn substantially lower earnings long term. The study determined that the greatest benefit of obtaining a GED is the potential it offers for continuing education and training. Most GED recipients achieve grades that are almost comparable to those of high school graduates, especially in 2-year and technical programs. However, fewer GED holders than high school graduates who go on to 4-year colleges receive their diplomas. In general, it is less likely that GED recipients will be more successful than high school graduates, but they do achieve more than dropouts. Not withstanding the lack of economic advancement, GED recipients tend to experience other successful outcomes compared to high school dropouts: higher self-esteem, greater satisfaction with their lives, more likelihood to encourage their children to finish school, and getting a better job. (KC)

A study used data from the 1998 Current Population Survey to document job growth in the public and private sectors and examine the quality of jobs in terms of wages and benefits. Findings indicated public sector employment declined for both women and men during the period from 1979-98 with a somewhat sharper decline among men. In 1998, median earnings in the public sector were higher than in the private sector for most categories of workers. Privatization was likely to erode the wages and benefits of women workers, especially for African American and Hispanic women and those with less formal education. Unionization emerged as a central factor in understanding why the public sector pays better than the private sector. While there was clearly a gender bias in both sectors, women's wages were closer to men's wages in the public sector than in the private sector. The public sector did not, in general, offer exceptional opportunities for women to hold managerial and professional positions. The bottom line was that privatization, and the de-unionization that frequently accompanies it, were likely to prove detrimental to the economic welfare of women workers. (Two figures and two tables are appended.) (YLB)

A longitudinal study of two cohorts of young white men (the first followed from the late 1960s through the 1970s; the second from the 1980s through the early 1990s) determined that long-term wage growth between the ages of 16 and 36 has both declined and become significantly more unequal for the recent cohort. The declines have been concentrated among less-educated workers (high school dropouts and high school graduates). While workers with sub-bachelor's degrees or only some college experience have a clear advantage over high school graduates in terms of wage growth, that advantage has not increased noticeably in recent years. By contrast, young adults with a bachelor's degree or higher have seen increases in their wage growth, although those with more practice-oriented degrees have had higher wage growth than those with more theoretical degrees. Education pathways have a strong effect on long-term wage growth. Working while enrolled has a positive impact; interrupted schooling has a very strong negative impact. These trends raise a difficult challenge to public policies aimed at improving the living standards and upward mobility of American workers. Developing policies that support more flexible education paths and choices about field of study may help. (KC)

These three articles come from the series "Course 2010--A Decade in View" published in the Handelsblatt (Duesseldorf and Frankfurt/Main), an influential German business newspaper. "The Labor Market: With Flexibility into the Service Society" (Elga Lehari) states that the key to more employment in future is a service society with an industrial base. It foresees constant development in the size of the labor force up to 2010, followed by a shortage of labor across the labor market from 2010-2020, and a drop in the labor force almost to the present level by 2040. It recommends more flexible work instruments, globally oriented flexibility, and provision of services for working women. "Organization of Work: Supreme Authority Rests with the Team" (Christoph Stehr) focuses on the "Oticon system," named for a Danish hearing aid manufacturer. It discusses the manufacturer's innovative management style that proves business objectives can be achieved by "soft" changes, e.g. in the way work is organized. It describes the open-plan office that provides for no fixed workplace (no desk) and self-organized work. "Working Hours: Change Begins in the Mind" (Ruth Lemmer) addresses flexibility in the workplace. It discusses the Augel model of a construction firm where all workers receive a fixed monthly salary: they stipulate the number of hours they wish to be paid for each month, with extra hours booked into an account. Common models of flexible working hours are described: flexitime, part-time work, job sharing, and time accounts to save time for a sabbatical or early retirement. (YLB)

These three newsletters for 1998 highlight the following topics and issues. The March newsletter features an article on streamlining the transfer ready model, which includes an equation to find the transfer directed rate and the transfer ready rate. The new transfer ready model is divided into three categories, the beginning cohort, the transfer directed, and the transfer ready. Also included is review of a report on the accountability and performance in the California community colleges. Recommendations are included. The July newsletter focuses on uses of technology in community colleges and points to sources that provide informative accounts on instructor's experiences with technology and information about using technology tools in teaching. The newsletter also revisits a study on wage data, which supports the notion that there is a positive relationship between formal education and earnings. Implications on community colleges are included. The October issue looks at performance based funding and budgeting as a drastic departure from traditional budgeting. This paradigm shift expects to effectively utilize tax dollars while increasing accountability and services. All newsletters also highlight regional news and messages from the president. (JJL)

Data on flexibility in German companies were compiled through interviews and followed up annually. Employment trends in western Germany indicated a historic peak of 29.5 million employed in 1992 followed by a steady decline of about 1 million to 28.5 million in 1995. Employment losses continued in 1996; 1997 showed some signs of stability. Measurement of numerical flexibility of human resources showed an average job turnover of 7.9 percent per year for 1982-94 and considerable labor turnover at around 11 percent per year, with a slightly rising trend for 1993-95. Another dimension of flexibility of human resources and establishments, variation in working time patterns, was very large and increased as establishment size increased. Pay flexibility was inferred from wage differential trends, number of establishments bound by collective wage agreements, and wage gap between wages/salaries paid and collectively agreed wages. Wage differentials increased; the number of establishments bound to collectively agreed wages dropped; and the average wage gap fell. Technical and organizational change affected research, product innovation, and investment, which, in turn, required a new work organization, decoupled operating and working times, and additional staff qualifications. Corporate flexibility required employee training to produce higher skill levels. Because few establishments were integrated, fewer workers were affected. (Contains 54 references.) (YLB)

This publication contains three fact sheets on gender and employment statistics and their implications. The fact sheets are divided into two sections--statistics and implications. The statistics present the current situation of men and women workers as they relate to occupations, education, and earnings. The implications express suggestions for developing high quality work force preparation programs. The topics of the three fact sheets are as follows: gender and labor force participation; gender and earnings; and education, earnings, and gender. Some of the information reported in the fact sheets includes the following: (1) men's share of the labor force continues to decline, whereas women's continues to increase, with women now representing almost half or all workers; (2) women continue to earn an average of only 75.5 percent of men's wages, with full-time women employees making substantially less than men in almost all occupations; (3) two-thirds of all part-time workers are women; (4) families maintained by women without a husband had a median income of $17,443 in 1993 (5) for families maintained by men only, the figure was 26,467; (6) married-couple families had a median income of $43,005; (7) 91 percent of female and 88 percent of male labor force participants in 1995 had high school diplomas; (8) 44 percent of women on Aid for Families with Dependent Children had less than a high school education; and (9) 75 percent of female heads of households with less than a high school diploma are living in poverty. Implications for educators, employers, and public policy makers are as follows: students should be made aware of the practical side of work life and how their choices affect their earning power; programs should be implemented for single parents with less than a high-school diploma; students should be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of nontraditional employment; and efforts should be made to continue closing the wage gap between men and women. Contains 19 references. (KC)

Researchers at the Policy Information Center of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) have analyzed information from the National Center for Education Statistics; data from state, city, and other sources; and results from recent surveys of high school students to present a summary of the current dropout situation. The 1995 ETS report, "Dreams Deferred: High School Dropouts in the United States," which has a special focus on urban youth, is summarized in this digest. Although calculating an accurate dropout rate is nearly impossible because of differences in counting methods and definitions and student mobility, the dropout rate appears to be declining. In 1993 about 381,000 students left school without graduating. Nearly two-thirds dropped out before the 10th grade. The dropout rate in large cities remains high, although it too has decreased slightly in recent years. With respect to lifetime wages, the gap between dropouts and more educated adults is widening steadily. Student survey responses have indicated that dropouts tend to have many characteristics in common and that they express a variety of reasons for dropping out. Most dropouts surveyed recognized that they needed further education, and they expected to acquire it, although their expectations suggested that they did not believe they were sacrificing their futures by dropping out. (Contains 7 references.) (SLD)

This digest analyzes information from two recently completed national surveys to determine the extent to which various vocational education programs improve employment opportunities in the United States. The impact of a General Educational Development (GED) certificate on workers' wages is also analyzed. Data are from the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and the 1991 Workplace Literacy Assessment Survey. NALS sampled 14,900 persons aged 16 and older, with oversampling of African Americans and Hispanic Americans. The Workplace Literacy survey profiled and assessed approximately 8,000 persons enrolled in Job Training Partnership Act programs. Graduates of high schools with a vocational focus generally earn substantially less than persons who attend high schools with a college preparatory or general academic focus. The lower earnings of these graduates have a disproportionate effect on the earning of minority populations, since minorities are overrepresented in vocational education. Survey results indicate that dropouts who obtain a GED generally have higher wages than dropouts who do not. (Contains 4 references.) (SLD)

Changes in the U.S. economy have increased the number of 25 to 54 year old women in the work force to about 74 percent. However, most of these women are segregated in low-wage jobs. Women often fall into those jobs because of sex-stereotyped vocational education enrollment and gender-related barriers in education and in their family and socioeconomic lives. Vocational education can make a difference in helping women to achieve better-paying jobs by supplying support for nontraditional enrollees, such as role models, job placement services, information on dealing with discrimination and harassment, staff training on gender bias, screening for health concerns that conflict with occupation, and encouragement to continue training and upgrading skills. The 1990 Perkins Act provides that states must use 7 percent of their basic state grant to do the following for single parents, displaced homemakers, and single pregnant women: (1) provide, subsidize, reimburse, or pay for preparatory services, including basic academic and occupational skills and materials in preparation for vocational education and training that will furnish them with marketable skills; (2) make grants to eligible recipients for expanding preparatory services and vocational education services to increase their marketable skills; (3) make grants to community-based organizations for providing preparatory and vocational education services to them; (4) make preparatory services and vocational education and training more accessible to them by assisting with dependent care, transportation, supplies, and more flexible scheduling; and (5) provide information to inform them of vocational education programs, related support services, and career counseling. Three percent of the 1990 Perkins state grants must be used to promote sex equity by providing programs, services, and comprehensive career guidance, support services, and preparatory services for girls and women. (Contains 42 references.) (KC)

This newsletter issue offers six articles on employment of people with disabilities. "Employment and People with Disabilities: Challenges for the Nineties" (Frank Bowe) discusses the Americans with Disabilities Act, issues in unemployment and under-education, earnings, and implications for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. "The National Supported Employment Initiative: Expanding Employment Opportunities for Persons with Severe Disabilities" (Paul Wehman and others) presents findings, from a 1989 update of an ongoing national study of supported employment implmentation, which aims to gauge the progress made in incorporating supported employment into the existing rehabilitation service system, identify national trends regarding major policy issues, and identify the amount and sources of state funds to operate supported employment programs. "Training Students with Learning Disabilities for Careers in the Human Services" (Jane E. Herzog) proposes that the field of human services is an excellent alternative to other types of vocations for workers with learning disabilities and describes programs of the Para-Educator Center for Young Adults at New York University. "Projects with Industry" (John Eger) is described as a federal program composed of three elements: a linkage to the private sector via an advisory council; a training site, generally a rehabilitation facility; and a source of people with disabilities, generally the state vocational rehabilitation agency. "Help Wanted: People with Disabilities Needed" (Mark Donovan) focuses on a school-to-work transition program developed by the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities, called "Bridges.""Employment and Workers with Disabilities" (Reed Greenwood) addresses issues of where workers with disabilities stand in regard to employment, what can be done to improve opportunities of workers with disabilities for meaningful work, and what types of jobs are likely to be available in the future. (JDD)

This research brief highlights student employment trends and their implications for higher education, and identifies major sources of national data on the subject. Text and tables provide data on: (1) number and percentage of college students employed, by age range, for 1988; (2) changes in the number and percent of employed college students, from 1972 to 1988; (3) percent of students in the work force by family income, by type of institution, and by race/ethnicity; (4) hours worked per week; (5) kinds of jobs held by college students; and (6) average earnings. Data highlights include: the percentage of employed full-time students aged 16 to 24 has risen from 35 percent in 1972 to 46.5 percent in 1988; 62 percent of students of all ages are working; and full-time students who are employed are working an average of 20 hours a week. Implications of student employment are noted, including the growth of part-time study, the growth in duration of study, and lower levels of participation in college activities. Descriptions of three data resources and a bibliography of nine items are provided. (JDD)

This digest reviews various longitudinal studies that examined the long-term effects of programs that served young children living in poverty and at risk of school failure. Concerning program effects on school performance, all studies that collected data on children's intellectual performance found that their program groups had better intellectual performance than their no-program groups during the program and for a year or two thereafter. Results of various studies indicated that, compared to the no-program group, program group members were less likely to be placed in special education classes and to be retained in grade, and had higher high school graduation rates. Concerning the programs' effects on community behavior, one study found that, compared to the no-program group, program group members: (1) had fewer criminal arrests; (2) spent less time on probation; (3) reported higher monthly earnings; (4) were more likely to own a home and a second car; and (5) received less welfare assistance or other social services as adults. One study that analyzed the costs and benefits of a preschool program found significant returns to taxpayers from savings in later schooling costs, higher taxes paid by program participants because of their later higher earnings, savings in welfare assistance, and savings to the criminal justice system and to potential victims of crimes. These studies suggest that high-quality programs for young children produce long-term benefits because they empower young children to carry out their own learning activities; parents to work with teachers in supporting children's development; and teachers to engage in practices that support children and parents. (BC)

The purpose of "Focus" is to provide coverage of poverty-related research, events, and issues, and to acquaint a large audience with the work of the Institute for Research on Poverty by means of short essays on selected pieces of research. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Changing poverty and changing antipoverty policies (Maria Cancian and Sheldon Danziger); (2) Poverty levels and trends in comparative perspective (Daniel R. Meyer and Geoffrey L. Wallace); (3) Economic change and the structure of opportunity for less-skilled workers (Rebecca M. Blank); (4) Family structure, childbearing, and parental employment: Implications for the level and trend in poverty (Maria Cancian and Deborah Reed); (5) Immigration and poverty in the United States (Steven Raphael and Eugene Smolensky); (6) Enduring influences of childhood poverty (Katherine Magnuson and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal); (7) Mobility in the United States in comparative perspective (Markus Jantti); (8) Trends in income support (John Karl Scholz, Robert Moffitt, and Benjamin Cowan); (9) The role of family policies in antipoverty policy (Jane Waldfogel); (10) Improving educational outcomes for poor children (Brian A. Jacob and Jens Ludwig); (11) Workforce development as an antipoverty strategy: What do we know? What should we do? (Harry J. Holzer); (12) Health care for the poor: For whom, what care, and whose responsibility? (Katherine Swartz); (13) Poverty politics and policy (Mary Jo Bane); and (14) What does it mean to be poor in a rich society? (Robert Haveman). Individual articles contain tables, figures and footnotes.

The purpose of "Focus" is to provide coverage of poverty-related research, events, and issues, and to acquaint a large audience with the work of the Institute for Research on Poverty by means of short essays on selected pieces of research. This issue features articles drawn from four of the conference papers presented at the September 2007 IRP (Institute for Research on Poverty) conference Pathways to Self-Sufficiency: (1) Effects of welfare and antipoverty programs on participants' children (Greg J. Duncan, Lisa Gennetian, and Pamela Morris); (2) Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children (David N. Figlio); (3) The employment prospects of ex-offenders (Steven Raphael); and (4) The growing problem of disconnected single mothers (Rebecca Blank and Brian Kovak). An introductory essay (Pathways to self-sufficiency) by Carolyn Heinrich and John Karl Scholz is also included. Individual articles contain figures and footnotes.

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Show Me the Money: Alliance Analysis Finds That States Could Generate Millions More in Wages by Raising High School Graduation Rates; (2) Confronting the Dropout Crisis in California: Conference Convenes Researchers on Dropouts, Hopes to Inform a Public That Is "Largely Unaware" of the Problem; (3) A City At Risk: New Research Identifies Sixth-Grade "Risk Factors" That Can Predict Future High School Dropouts in Philadelphia; and (4) Overview of 2005 Smaller Learning Communities Activities: U.S. Department of Education Announces Special Competition to Evaluate Supplemental Reading Programs Targeted at "Striving Readers." (Contains 3 footnotes.)

"The Edge" is a Canadian publication for youth. The mandate of the Edge is to support and celebrate all career journeys embraced by youth. This issue contains career profile articles covering three jobs: crane operator, indoor climbing instructor, and product certification tester. Career trends and the state of today's workplace are also discussed. Two articles concerning money are included. The first provides a sample paycheck and explains taxes, deductions, etc. The second discusses budgeting and provides a sample budget. Two teens, one who is planning to attend college and one who is not, are interviewed. Another article provides tips for succeeding in job interviews. Members of Wide Mouth Mason, a music group, discuss their work. Adolescents share embarrassing job moments and their ideas about what success is in two separate articles. Articles concerning stress management are included in this issue; one discusses guided imagery as a stress reduction technique. In another article, Canadian youth discuss barriers in their lives and how they are working to overcome them. Students are encouraged to lobby their schools for needed changes in the next article. A quiz with questions about the information covered in this issue is included. A list of resources concludes this issue. (MKA)

Current knowledge and practices in the field of preprimary teacher education are discussed with respect to unique characteristics of the field, general issues in teacher education and preprimary education, and recent developments in inservice education. Unique characteristics of the field of preprimary teacher education include role ambiguity, variations in program goals, and low wages. General issues in the areas of teacher education and preprimary education include (1) the elusiveness of criteria for good teaching, (2) the impact of training on teacher performance, (3) the "feed-forward" problem stemming from the provision of content and methods to students who have not yet had experience in settings where the training is relevant), and (4) problems of teacher training program content. Recent developments in inservice education are discussed in terms of two types of inservice education: the "advisory approach" and its variant, the Enabler Model; and the Child Development Associate project. (RH)