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Digital technologies offer immense potential for transforming teacher learning and the delivery of professional development activities throughout teachers' careers. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made face-to­-face professional learning challenging or impossible for teachers to attend in many contexts, online professional learning options for teachers have been receiving renewed attention. This paper puts forward research evidence on the effectiveness of various forms of online learning for teachers and adults, and examines prerequisite conditions for enhancing teacher learning through digital technologies. Teachers' engagement in online learning activities, as captured by OECD surveys, remained limited in many OECD countries before the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper provides a basis for investigating how policies can support teachers' engagement in professional learning using digital technologies and help strike a balance between system-level provision of online teacher professional learning opportunities and the facilitation of teacher-led initiatives.

The place of women in the manual trades is examined in this paper, which sets out strategies for encouraging them to study and work in areas such as building and construction. Such strategies include introductory and pre-apprenticeships courses, clustering female students, and support from teachers in opening up job opportunities. This paper is the result of a 2008 NCVER New Researcher Award. (Contains 2 tables.)

Stagnant earnings and growing inequality in the US labor market reflect both a slowdown in the growth of worker skills and the growing matching of good-paying jobs to skilled workers. Improving the ties between colleges, workforce institutions, and employers would help more workers gain the needed skills. Evaluation evidence shows that training programs linked to employers and good-paying jobs are often cost-effective. Helping more states develop such programs and systems would help raise worker earnings and reduce inequality. (Contains 1 table and 41 endnotes.)

One major report after another shows that the United States needs a large, innovative, and effective adult education and workforce skills system. It is essential to the national security, economic stability, and democratic way of life. To address this need fully a leadership agency focused on a singular national goal is required, one with a legislative mandate to perform strategic planning and other coordination functions between and among federal agencies and public and private sector groups. Such an agency can accomplish its mission only if it is supported by a strong governance structure. The Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) proposes that the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) be reauthorized with a new and broader mission, mode of operation, and governance structure, and that these transformational elements be clearly set forth in the reauthorizing legislation. This will effectively create a new agency (with a new name, National Institute for Adult Learning, NIFAL) in place of the current National Institute for Literacy. NIFL, as chartered by the 1991 and 1998 Acts, might have been an important agency in the adult education field, but it was handicapped from the outset. Redeveloped as discussed in this paper, NIFAL will be able to take on the essential and far larger task of building an adult education and workforce skills system to meet the nation's 21st Century needs. About the Authors and NIFAL Working Group are appended. (Contains 7 notes.)

The four papers in this series were commissioned for the first meeting of the National Commission on Adult Literacy, which met in Nashville on November 14, 2006. The first paper, "Adult Education and Literacy Legislation and Its Effects on the Field," provides the basic provisions of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA, 1998): its purpose, eligible participants and providers, the indicators of performance, and other critical foundations in the legislation. It reviews critical elements of the transition from regulatory to continuous improvement modes and looks to what is on the horizon at the federal level. The second paper, "Adult Education & Literacy in the United States: Need for Services, What the Current Delivery System Looks Like," examines the adult education and family literacy system in the United States and suggests that the nation has a long-term adult education and literacy need. The third paper, "Introduction to Main Strands of Federal Adult Literacy Programming," provides basic summary information on recent initiatives and projects funded by the Division of Adult Education (DAEL) of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), and the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The fourth and final paper, "Federal Role in Adult Literacy, FY05-06," is divided into three sections: Section I deals with a single piece of legislation that contributes the major share of federal support for adult education in this country. Section II is comprised of federal programs of varying size--some operated out of the Department of Education and others operated out of other federal departments or agencies--in which basic skills or English as a second language for out-of-school youth and adults is an authorized activity, but funding is either limited to serving a particular subset of that population or available for any number of activities of which basic skills or English language instruction is just one option. Some of the latter programs may have very large appropriations, but funding for adult education activities may comprise a very small portion of those appropriations. Section III contains research and demonstration programs. Nine appendices are included: (1) Percentage of adults "Nonliterate in English," "Below Basic," and "Basic" in Prose literacy: 2003; (2) Sample document task: receipt for certified mail; (3) State-Administered Adult Education Program Fiscal Year 2003 Expenditures (July 1, 2003 - September 30, 2005); (4) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Personnel; (5) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment; (6) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment of Participants by Age; (7) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment of Participants by Race/Ethnicity; (8) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment of Participants by Gender; and (9) Workforce Investment Act, Title I (Department of Labor) and Title II (Department of Education and the National Institute for Literacy). (Contains 16 footnotes.)

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

There is a well known large and persistent association between education and health. This relationship has been observed in many countries and time periods, and for a wide variety of health measures. The differences between the more and the less educated are significant: in 1999, the age-adjusted mortality rate of high school dropouts ages 25 to 64 was more than twice as large as the mortality rate of those with some college. Substantial attention has been paid to these "health inequalities." Gradients in health by education are now being systematically monitored in many countries (the United States includes them as part of its Healthy People 2010 goals), and countries such as the United Kingdom have target goals of reducing health disparities--specifically by education or factors correlated with education. In this paper, we review what is known and not known about the relationship between education and health, in particular about the possible causal relationships between education and health and the mechanisms behind them. We then assess the extent to which education policies can or should be thought of as health policies. Data Appendix is included. (Contains 3 tables, 3 figures and 13 endnotes.)

While the majority of adults who take the General Educational Development (GED) test do so in order to continue their education, few go on to enter postsecondary education. Yet, these same adults stand to make substantial economic and personal gains when they use their adult secondary credential to move from the ranks of high school dropout to postsecondary graduate, with the possibility of going from low-wage jobs to careers with a livable wage and benefits. Unlike transition services for high school graduates, which are well-established, the transformation of adult basic education (ABE) programs to include transition services for adults is an emerging area of concern for the field of adult education. Identifying adult education models that help adult learners avoid cycles of remediation at the beginning of their college careers is more likely to produce students who can persist and obtain a postsecondary education credential. In the first five years of adult transition work done by staff at the New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) at World Education, Inc., the team noticed distinct models emerging in the field. To capture and categorize these models, NELRC surveyed adult education centers with transition components from around the United States, guided by the question: Do ABE-to-college transition programs fall into discrete models and, if so, what are the key features of these models? Through the development of program snapshots and four state profiles, the team discovered commonalities, allowing for an extension of an earlier typology of adult transition programs now to include five models: (1) Advising; (2) GED-Plus; (3) ESOL; (4) Career Pathways; and (5) College Preparatory. In addition, analysis of the aggregated data produced a series of themes and recommendations that other states contemplating adult transition services might find helpful. Appended are: (1) Survey Questions on Emerging Transition Models; (2) Survey Questions for State-level Interviews; (3) Programs Surveyed by Model; and (4) Contact Information. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

This report examines access to lifelong learning opportunities on Canada's information highway. The report begins with a glossary and a learner-centered model in which the information highway links learners with learning opportunities provided through educational institutions, community organizations, government, and business and industry. Presented next is an overview of the economic, technological, social, and education and training-related factors that have led to recognition in Canada and worldwide of the leading role that lifelong learning must play in preparing individuals for the competitive, information-based global economy of the 21st century. The following three challenges facing Canada as it develops a lifelong learning system are discussed: (1) economic and social restructuring; (2) situational, dispositional, and institutional barriers to lifelong learning; and (3) learning models in response to new learning technologies. Trends and best practices in lifelong learning, the formal education sector, and nonformal education sector are reviewed. Next is a "made in Canada" response to the challenges. Included in the response are a conceptual framework and goals for lifelong learning in Canada. Appended are the following: barriers to learning identified in a 1982 survey; goal summary of a lifelong learning framework; overview of lifelong learning in the formal and nonformal sectors; and selected bibliography. Contains 39 references. (MN)

This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the information from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) regarding adults with low literacy and numeracy proficiency. The paper first describes the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of these populations. Although, they are more likely than the rest of the population to exhibit certain characteristics, such as lower levels of educational attainment, lower rates of unemployment or more disadvantaged backgrounds, adults with low literacy are found in among all socio-demographic groups and in all walks of life. The paper then explores the frequency with which adults with low proficiency engage in the reading, writing and numeracy practices and the relationship between these practices and a range of social and economic outcomes. For most outcomes, levels of engagement in literacy practices appear to be as strong predictors as proficiency, indicating the importance of encouraging more intense use of these skills both in and outside of work. The unique data from the Survey of Adult Skills regarding performance on the simple reading tasks (the so called "reading components") is also analysed. Adults with low proficiency are found to be able to easily recognise commonly used words in printed form but often have difficulty with processing the logic of sentences and reading extended passages for basic meaning. Adults with low proficiency are considerably less likely than their more proficient peers to participate in formal or non-formal adult education or training programmes, which is mostly due to the socio-demographic and employment characteristics of this population. However, the lower participation rates among the low proficient adults does not appear to be a consequence of their lack of motivation as much as of the presence of various obstacles to participation, such as lack of time and the cost of training. PIAAC Methodology for Measuring AET [Adult education and training] and two supplemental tables are provided in an annex. Individual chapters contain references.

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the link between age and proficiency in information-processing skills, based on information drawn from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). The data reveal significant age-related differences in proficiencies, strongly suggesting that proficiency tends to "naturally" decline with age. Age differences in proficiency are, at first sight, substantial. On average across the OECD countries participating in PIAAC, adults aged 55 to 65 score some 30 points less than adults aged 25 to 34 on the PIAAC literacy scale, which is only slightly smaller than the score point difference between tertiary educated and less-than-upper-secondary educated individuals. However, despite their lower levels of proficiency, older individuals do not seem to suffer in terms of labour market outcomes. In particular, they generally earn higher wages, and much of the available empirical evidence suggests that they are not less productive than younger workers. Older and more experienced individuals seem therefore able to compensate the decline in information processing skills with the development of other skills, generally much more difficult to measure. On the other hand, proficiency in information-processing skills remain a strong determinant of important outcomes at all ages: this makes it important to better understand which factors are the most effective in preventing such age-related decline in proficiency, which does not occur to the same extent in all countries and for all individuals. Two broad interventions seem to be particularly promising in this respect. First, it is important to ensure that there is adequate and effective investment in skills development early in the life-cycle: as skills beget skills, starting off with a higher stock of human capital seems also to ensure smaller rates of proficiency decline. Second, it is equally important that policies are in place that provide incentives to individuals (and firms) to invest in skills across the entire working life. In this respect, changes in retirement policies can not only have the short-term effect of providing some reliefs to public finance, but have the potential to radically reshape incentives to stay active, to practice their skills and to invest more in training, thus helping to maintain high levels of proficiency. One table, Age Differences and Age Effects, is appended.

This paper discusses the importance of effective training and workforce development programs as part of a broader strategy to increase the competitiveness of American workers. Although rapid technological change and increasing global competition have delivered great economic benefits to the U.S. economy overall, the development of new and more productive industries has caused some Americans to experience significant declines in their earnings and job prospects; the Great Recession exacerbated these longer-term trends. Workers with less education and those who have been displaced from long-tenured jobs face particular challenges, and effective job training programs are an important component of policies to help these workers. The Hamilton Project proposes two general principles that can guide policy-makers in improving training programs to aid American workers: 1) training funds should be directed to programs with a track record of success in improving earnings for the specific target population and to those workers who can benefit the most from those programs; and 2) training programs should directly engage employer and industry partners, or actively guide students to career-specific training. (Contains 6 figures.) [This paper was written with the assistance from Dmitri Koustas, Karen Li, Kristina Gerken and Kaitlyn Golden.]

This paper examines labor market conditions and public employment policies in the United States during what some are calling the Great Recession. We document the dramatic labor market changes that rapidly unfolded when the rate of gross domestic product growth turned negative, from the end of 2007 through early 2009. The paper reviews the resulting stress on labor market support programs and the broad federal response. That response came through modifications to existing programs and the introduction of new mechanisms to help Americans cope with job loss and protracted unemployment. The particular focus is on federally supported public programs for occupational job skills training and temporary income replacement. We also discuss procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of public reemployment efforts, and adjustments to these programs that were adopted during the crisis. (Contains 6 tables, 5 figures, and 10 footnotes.)

There is widespread concern that the United States faces a problem in maintaining its position as the scientific and technological leader in the world and that loss of leadership threatens future economic well-being and national security. Business, science, and education groups have issued reports that highlight the value to the country of leadership in science and technology. Is there a real problem in the job market for scientists and engineers today? If so, what sort of policies might resolve the problem? This paper argues that the country's problem in the science and engineering job market differs greatly from a classical labor market shortage. The problem is twofold: inadequate investment in R&D for the economic and security well-being of the country, which keeps earnings and opportunities in science and engineering occupations those that would attract large numbers of young Americans from competing occupations; and unlimited access to immigrant scientists and engineers, who can fill demands at going wages. As long as the United States enjoys an ample supply of immigrant scientists and engineers, it cannot have a classic labor market shortage. The worst it can have is an imbalance between the supply of citizens and immigrants. The author presents a policy--increasing the number and value of graduate fellowships in science and engineering--that can augment the supply of U.S. students in science and engineering without impairing access to immigrant scientists and engineers, and he gives the evidence that this policy would work. If the United States increases research spending, as laid out in the American Competitiveness Initiative and other proposals, and if the nation takes steps to improve the career opportunities for young scientists and engineers, the expanded fellowship policy would help solve the science and engineering workforce issues that have produced the outpouring of concerns documented in this paper. (Contains 10 exhibits and 15 footnotes.)

Policy interest in international surveys on Adult Learning (AL) has increased strongly. AL survey data are used as benchmarks for a country's educational system. However, results of key indicators like participation in learning activities often vary remarkably between different data sources. Stating that these differences are due to varying concepts and methods is not enough. The key question is: Which figures represent reality more appropriately? Therefore, evaluation of survey concepts and methods is crucial for international comparison of Adult Learning. This report provides guidelines on methodological and conceptual issues. Part one covers methodological aspects while part two deals with concepts, definitions and example questions. Recommendations are based on input from 14 countries. The methodological section covers data collection (telephone vs. f2f-interviews and online surveys); reference period (calendar year; recall problems); target population (age limit; non-national residents); sample design (proxy interviews, random selection of learning activities). The second part first discusses the basic concepts of Adult learning used in the European Adult Education Survey and in non-European countries (e.g. Canada, USA), including informal learning. The report then goes on to discuss empirical concepts and questions on AL participation and shows how different concepts affect empirical results and recommends example questions for formal, non-formal and informal learning. Other chapters refer to volume of AL; costs (what can be answered by non-experts?); providers of AL (define by teacher or learning location?); fields (ISCED, etc.); obstacles and benefits (which items are more valid?) and imputation. This report will act as a useful resource tool for researchers and policy makers when designing new national AL surveys or when optimising existing surveys. Results are focussed by a summary of conclusions, recommendations and example questions at the end of each section. Annexes include: (1) Acronyms used in this report; (2) References; (3) Existing OECD Education Working Papers. (Contains 40 footnotes and 18 figures.)

The ongoing debates about the future of social insurance programs such as Social Security and Medicare raise questions about the public's knowledge of the history of social insurance and about the impact these programs have on millions of Americans. In general, public conversations about social policies in the U.S. tend to focus on whether or not the nation can afford entitlements to social insurance rather than on the adequacy of benefits or on program improvements. Many American youth believe that Social Security will not be there for them when they grow older, a stark indicator that young people are not exposed to accurate information about the future of the program. The prevalence of this false belief about America's "most beloved" social insurance program raises questions about whether and to what extent students are exposed to information about social insurance and, consequently, how prepared they are to understand its effects on their security in later life. As an intergenerational collective of educators in and students of gerontology, the authors recognize the transformative power of education to provide students of all ages access to knowledge that allows them to more actively engage in their communities. They believe that teaching social insurance is integral to the mission of institutions of higher education to prepare students for participation in the political, civic, and economic realms of social life. Consequently, they designed two complementary research projects to assess the frequency and content of teaching social insurance in college-level, aging-related courses: the first was a survey of gerontology faculty in California and Minnesota and the second was a series of key informant interviews with noted authors from the field of gerontology who have published widely on social insurance and/or teaching social insurance education. Consequently, in the study and the presentation of the results that is provided here, they focused primarily on teaching social insurance within those classes that can be broadly described as "aging courses." In this paper, they use the results of both of these studies to argue that faculty who teach age related courses, and presumably faculty in other disciplines, need more awareness of and greater access to existing resources on teaching social insurance. A bibliography is included. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [This report was supported by AARP's Office of Academic Affairs and Community Partners.]

Human capital--the productive capacity that is embedded in people--is one of the most important contributors to the growth in nations' output and standard of living. Globalisation and technological change have increased the importance of human capital in recent years, to the point that there are now only two options to sustain high profits and high wages in developed nations: escalating the skill levels of individuals or developing superior capacity for managing those skills and "human capital" more broadly. Employers have responded to these new phenomena by increasing wages for employees with more skills and by increasing their use of downsizing and other methods (such as "offshoring") intended to reduce labour costs. There is little evidence, however, that such efforts by employers have improved profits, productivity, or stock price performance. Employer-provided training for employees represents one method of improving the skill level of a nation's workforce. Although long-standing economic theory suggests that existing incentives for employers and employees should naturally yield the delivery of an optimal level of training, there is new awareness of a variety of market failures that may be causing a sub-optimal level of training, despite evidence that points to a positive relationship between employer-provided training and firm outcomes (productivity, profitability, employee retention, customer retention, stock performance). (Contains 3 figures, 3 tables, 1 box and 35 footnotes.)

The mechanisms through which lifelong learning affects health were examined by analyzing research from the fields of education, the economics of education, the economics of health, medical sociology, health promotion, health psychology, health inequalities, and medicine. The first part of the analysis dealt with the correlations between education and health and directions of causality connecting education and health. The next phase of the analysis focused on the mechanisms through which learning affects health. Particular attention was paid to the following topics: economic factors; health-related behaviors; resilience and dealing with stress; relationships with medical professionals and access to medical services; and education and healthy societies. A substantial body of evidence suggesting the existence of positive correlations between education and physical and mental health was identified. A common theme emerging from the research was that the immediate outcomes of education play a fundamental role in generating the behaviors, skills, and personal attributes that have early but lasting effects on mental health and cumulative effects on physical health. It was suggested that participation in education promotes health by increasing participants' self-esteem, self-efficacy, problem-solving skills, aspirations, future orientation, interpersonal trust, social competency, antidiscriminatory attitudes, and sense of belonging. (Contains 9 tables/figures, 10 endnotes, and 214 references.) (MN)

This report is a digest of a larger work, "Developments in Paid Leave of Absence," a report including case studies and analysis of the collective experience of nine European countries and the United States with paid educational leave. Section I defines paid educational leave as "leave given to an employee for educational purposes for a specified period during working hours, with adequate financial entitlements." Section II discusses developments within the International Labor Organization and that body's recent acceptance of a convention on paid educational leave. The history of the support of the concept by the Center for Educational Research and Innovation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is also recounted. Section III summarizes a study of the paid educational leave programs in 10 countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia). Section IV reviews the interest shown, the perspective, the potential benefits, and the roles played by labor, management, government, and education with regard to paid educational leave as it developed in various countries. The final section highlights the potential significance of paid educational leave, recrurrent education, and continuing education and offers some suggestions for adjustments in American educational policy and practice. A biographical note on the author is included. (LMS)

Canada has explored the use of satellites as a means to provide information and communications services to geographically isolated populations since 1962. Between 1972 and 1984, five series of satellites known as Anik A, B, C, and D and Hermes were launched. Each satellite provided expanded communications services, and each led to research and experiments in educational applications, some of which included joint ventures with other countries. For example, more than 20 Canadian organizations carried out technical and social experiments with the Hermes satellite, including direct-to-home television and radio broadcasting, tele-education, telemedicine, community interaction, administrative services, and native communications services. Research indicates that communications satellites far surpass their initial purpose of reaching remote populations. Current and future developments include two-way satellite technology, integration of satellites and computer assisted and managed instruction in distance education, and local and regional computer networking via satellite. Among the most important issues regarding the use of satellites for educational purposes are: (1) determining ownership and copyright of satellite programs; (2) integrating satellite educational services with existing terrestrial distribution systems; (3) determining cost-effectiveness of satellite delivered educational service; (4) evaluating student satisfaction and performance for educational services delivered by satellite; (5) establishing educational satellite consortia on a regional basis; and (6) deciding whether a satellite educational service should have one-way or two-way capabilities. (10 references) (DB)

This is a report on the Symposium that accompanied the 15-16 May, 2007 meeting of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education. The IATT Symposium provided an opportunity to address in some detail two selected problems that are critical to stemming the advance of HIV infection--areas that have had some attention, but remain insufficiently understood for education to make the impact that the Academy for Educational Development (AED) knows it can. This paper consists of five parts: (1) The Introduction gives a brief summary of the purpose and operating procedures of the IATT, outlines the purposes, organization, and structure of the May 2007 Symposium, and briefly describes each of the hosting organizations; (2) This section reflects the morning talk on HIV, AIDS and education in emergency, conflict, post-conflict and fragile states, a panel discussion thereupon, break-out group findings, and implications for the IATT; (3) This section covers the afternoon talk on Masculinity--how male gender roles affect learning and learning spaces and impact on vulnerability to HIV, a panel discussion thereupon, break-out group findings, and implications for the IATT; (4) Informational session on US Presidential initiatives in relation to HIV, AIDS and Education; and (5) Conclusion. In the first paper of this document, Dr. Gebrewold Petros of UNHCR, makes the case that it is essential that education programs refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) be attentive to the full range of issues around HIV and AIDS. This provides practical suggestions for how to move forward. His paper also provided opportunity for panelists and participants to share their own experience and jointly make suggestions to improve education for refugees and IDPs. The second paper, by Dr. David Plummer of the University of the West Indies, takes a very different approach and explores some of the research regarding how Caribbean boys develop their male identities, leading to some important conclusions about the roles of schools and teachers and how these really have to be rethought in regard to gender identity. His paper points to some of the negative results of "hard masculinity" in relation to boys' participation in education and puts rest to the argument that emphasis on girls' education has been to the detriment of boys--even though there are real reasons to be concerned about male educational achievement. The paper provoked some thoughtful reflections by panelists and served to provide a series of practical next steps for the IATT and others concerned with HIV, AIDS and education. Finally, the Symposium provided an opportunity for representatives of the US Government to discuss two key Presidential Initiatives. Ms. Michele Moloney-Kitts of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Response (PEPFAR) and Dr. Sarah Moten, of the President's Africa Education Initiative (AEI) made an unprecedented joint presentation. Their presentation outlined the main goals of each initiative and then identified the synergy between them. Appendices include: (1) Symposium Program; and (2) Participant List. Individual sections contain references. (Contains 3 boxes and 27 footnotes.)

The U.S. Department of Education Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG) reviewed and responded to the EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office] African American Workgroup Report. The BIG ED Chapter considered whether: There is any evidence indicating that the number and percentage of African Americans employed by any federal government agency is a variable in the barriers described in the Report. Articulated another way, do barriers still exist in agencies with large numbers and percentages of African Americans relative to the total number of employees in an agency? Do barriers exist in those agencies with small numbers and percentages of African Americans? The recommendations were timely and strategic, given: (1) The Obama Administration; and (2) The increasing numbers of other groups of people of color along with the lower number of Blacks employed by some agencies in the federal government. While the Report included unconscious bias as a barrier, the ED Chapter recommendations urge monitoring out and out racial discrimination and subtle forms of intentional racism. Recommendations include tracking and monitoring the furloughs, layoffs and other adverse actions for Black employees in all agencies, given sequestration. An appendix presents: EEOC African American Workgroup Report. (Contains 7 tables, 38 endnotes, and 9 notes.)