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In 2011, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) founded the Center for Community College Advancement to provide training and resources to help community colleges build and sustain effective fundraising, alumni relations, and communications and marketing programs. A goal for the center is to collect data on best practices at community colleges. This white paper summarizes the results of a survey on foundation operations at community colleges across the United States and Canada. The purpose of the survey was to help community college staff benchmark their foundation experiences and programs with their peers. Participation in the survey was strong, with representatives from 122 foundations in the United States and Canada having contributed data (approximately 10 percent of the universe of institutions). Their responses revealed that foundations have evolved into significant contributors at community colleges through consistent positive results, service to a variety of stakeholders and leveraging of political capital--all while maintaining a low staff count and limited expenditures. Two appendices provide data tables and the survey questions.

This study uses the PIAAC data to examine the relationships between education system characteristics (e.g. early tracking and vocational education orientation) and distributions of adult numeracy skills. It also investigates the effects of postponing the tracking age and easing university access for students on a vocational track on the average skills and different percentiles of the skills distribution. Correlational analysis suggests that education systems with more students enrolled in vocational tracks have on average higher levels of numeracy skills and more compressed skills distributions between the 50th and 90th percentiles. Further analysis suggests that postponing the tracking age among 14 European countries does not have a significant effect on the average skills of the population. However, it increases skills for individuals at the 10th, 20th, and 30th percentiles of the skill distribution. Expanding university access is associated with an increase in numeracy skills, particularly for individuals at the bottom three deciles of the distribution.

It is well-known that there are large disparities in academic achievement between children of different socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. This study examines the evolution of disparities in literacy skills between adults of different SES backgrounds. It compares countries' patterns in the evolution of disparities in literacy by SES background as cohorts age and asks which patterns of educational and labour force participation predict a narrowing rather than a widening of these disparities. Since there is no international longitudinal study of skills across the entire adult life span, this study uses three cross-sectional international adult studies (International Adult Literacy Survey, Adult Literacy and Lifeskills and Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) and matches birth years to create synthetic cohorts. Results indicate that there is large cross-national variation in the evolution of skills disparities associated with SES background. Disparities in literacy proficiency tend to widen when SES disparities in high school completion, professional and blue-collar employment increase. Disparities narrow when workers exit the labour force, a finding that is explained by the large inequalities in the employment experiences of individuals from different SES backgrounds, measured by differences in use of literacy skills at work. These results help to explain cross-national variation in the evolution of skills disparities by SES background, which has implications for policies aimed at closing skills gaps over the life course. [Funding from the OECD Thomas J. Alexander Fellowship Programme.]

We assess the relationship between general literacy skills and health status by analysing data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international survey of about 250,000 adults aged 16-65 years conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2011-15 in 33 countries/national sub-regions. Across countries, there seems to be a strong and consistent association between general literacy proficiency and self-rated poor health, independent of prior socio-economic status and income. General literacy proficiency also appears to be a mediator of the association between self-education and self-rated poor health. While the literacy-health association is robust over time, it varies in magnitude across countries. It is strongest for those with a tertiary or higher degree and does not appear to exist among young adults (ages 25 to 34 years). Future studies are required to understand the contextual factors that modify the general literacy proficiency-health association.

Using the qualitative research method known as folknography, the authors led a research team to the heart of Illinois farm country to ask the question "What are the perceptions of the people of the Midwest concerning math and math education?" A review of the literature includes Canadian and Australian references on the topic, as well as information from the United States, and the targeted geography and population is described. Research followed the pattern of a similar study conducted in Appalachia in 2004. A preliminary survey was planned to gather benchmarking statistical data and to open respondents up to the possibilities of a folknographic interview. Folknographers entered the field in May 2006 to perform focused and intensive field research. Findings include: (1) belief that young people can not perform simple math; (2) perception that too much technology has a significant and negative impact on developing minds of students; (3) connection between acquiring math knowledge and achieving a dynamic career; (4) recollections of tyrannical or cruel math teachers; (5) desire for a school or school system that makes learning math an exciting and motivating experience. Folknographic narratives are included to illustrate each finding. Bibliography is included. Four appendixes conclude the document: (1) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Adults (18-55); (2) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Seniors (55-Over); (3) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Youth (Ages 10-17); and (4) Perceptions of Math Survey Mid-West. (Contains 4 charts.)

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 presents the results of a survey of both elementary and secondary level teachers in French-language schools in Ontario which was conducted to determine the usage of educational television in these schools. The 630 responses to the questionnaire yielded information on: (1) educational television usage, both live broadcast and videotaped recordings; (2) the availability of electronic equipment such as television sets and videotape recorders; (3) regional use of live television; (4) access to videocassettes produced or distributed by La Chaine; (5) sources of videocassettes other than those of La Chaine; (6) the primary function of educational television; (7) the relevancy of La Chaine broadcasts; (8) teacher planning processes; (9) teacher training needs; and (10) computer usage. It was concluded that educational television in general--and La Chaine in particular--are used widely and with great success because of the quality of the programs and the efficiency of the medium as an instructional tool in schools. Appendices include a copy of the questionnaire sent to teachers; a discussion of decisions made based on responses to the questionnaires; breakdowns of responses by gender, region, and elementary/secondary level; and a list of television series used at the elementary level together with the percentage of respondents who used the particular series. A summary of the findings in English is included. (DB)

This report presents the results of an extensive mail survey of Ontario elementary and secondary school teachers which was conducted in 1990 to explore their use of school television and video, and of TVOntario instructional programs and support materials. Where possible, the findings have been compared with those of a similar survey conducted in 1985. Based on responses received from 1,661 teachers (a 50.3% return), the report provides detailed information on the use of television and video in the classroom, the use of selected TVOntario broadcast programs and series, teacher attitudes toward educational television usage, school system support for television and video use, and the use of television for professional development. Teachers reported that secondary science programming and the School Broadcasts publication and TVOntario teachers' guides have been the most successful; fewer teachers have used other TVOntario publications or obtained assistance from TVOntario-trained television resource teachers. Teachers' responses also indicate that they have adopted video and educational television as a valuable aid, and that they are using varied approaches to integrating video use in instruction. The narrative report is supplemented by 21 tables, and a summary in French is provided. (DB)

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.

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.)

This report seeks to address critical issues such as these by synthesising the evidence on innovations in more market-driven education systems. The analysis draws on data from over 20 OECD and non-OECD countries, including both developed nations that seek to move beyond established systems of state-run schools, and developing nations where formal and de facto policies promote more free-market approaches to educational expansion. In doing this, the report focuses on the primary and secondary levels, where education is usually compulsory. The more universal nature of educational access at those levels provides a different set of conditions and incentives compared to the post-compulsory tertiary level. And the report pays special attention to the charter school experiment in North America, where reformers explicitly tried to create more competitive conditions in order to encourage the development of innovations in the education sector. Policy approaches such as this that use decentralisation, deregulation, greater levels of autonomy, competition and choice may have singular potential to induce innovations in the education sector, both in how education is organised and the school content that is delivered--critical concerns if the education sector is to be more effective and reach under-served populations. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures and 32 endnotes.) [This report was prepared in collaboration with the OECD Secretariat for the project "Innovation Strategy for Education and Training" undertaken by the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI).]

This report is the result of a sociolinguistic survey of the French-speaking minority of Welland, Ontario, most of which is bilingual. Interviews were carried out and taped in French with sixty French-speaking adults. Two series of closed questions and one series of open questions were asked, the former yielding detailed data concerning the linguistic aptitude and linguistic habits of the person interviewed. Results indicate that the subjects' linguistic aptitudes and habits are influenced by four principal variables: age, sex, social rank, and language or habit considered. Given the variation of linguistic aptitudes and habits according to age, predictions can be made concerning the evolution and preservation of French. The open questions yielded a significant linguistic corpus which should make possible a detailed analysis of spoken French in Welland. English elements in the subjects' French are also reported in relation to the four above-mentioned variables. A sample questionnaire is appended. (Text is in French.) (Author/AM)

Designed to synthesize information of interest about current doctoral-level library and information education in North America, this study examines the doctoral programs in library and information studies at 17 universities in the United States and Canada. Each program is investigated from the following perspectives: (1) a survey of faculty publications over the 5-year period 1978-1982; (2) a brief summary of the program curriculum drawn from catalogs and related materials disseminated by the program to prospective students; (3) a survey of dissertations completed during the 5-year period; and (4) an opinion questionnaire that drew responses from students at 13 of the 17 programs. An orientational survey, this study is intended only to be considered within a wider context in determining relevant problem areas related to library and information doctoral education, and the programs are not evaluated. Results of the faculty publication survey for each institution and summary results for all institutions surveyed are presented in tabular form, and the faculty publication survey subject classification scheme and a copy of the student questionnaire are provided. (KM)

This report presents the responses of three experts from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to 18 questions concerning issues in business-higher education alliances in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). They address such issues as the need for alliances; the characteristics of successful (and unsuccessful) alliances; the progress in each country toward establishing alliances; the function of government agencies, professional associations, and community organizations in the formation of alliances; the role of technology in furthering alliances; the advantages of alliances; and the prospects for alliances in the future. The questions are grouped into three sections. In the first, responses to the seven questions about smart alliances produce several definitions of alliances, note various types of alliances, and define the characteristics of "smart" alliances. Responses to the five questions in the second section address what is needed for higher education institutions and business to develop successful alliances, and cover issues such as relationship management and the necessary people skills for alliance building. The six questions of the third section address the required framework for these partnerships to prosper, such as mechanisms for measuring the impact of alliances and prospects for binational and trinational collaboration in the context of NAFTA and the global economy. Appendices present reprints of two brief related articles. (DB)

A community-based program for adults learning English as a second language has been carried out by Vancouver Community College in British Columbia. The program, known as Neighborhood English Classes of the college, offers classes at accessible locations in the community to serve immigrants who are unable or unwilling to attend the intensive program at King Edward Campus or its night centers. Three distinct types of classes are offered: classes for seniors, adult evening classes, and the "moms and tots" classes. The origins and development of the program are discussed. Based on a survey of students, information is provided on the following characteristics: education, language and cultural background, length of residence Canada, social role responsibilities, and personal characteristics. Special demands of the teaching situation are outlined. Monthly teacher workshops are held to develop good morale and growth in the quality of the program. Teaching techniques and content selections appropriate for the students are discussed. (SW)

An investigation was undertaken to assess student attitudes toward learning and using French and their reasons for studying it. It was felt that a more thorough investigation of these issues might help to broaden knowledge of some of the non-educational, social consequences of immersion programs. English-speaking students in sixth and eleventh grades in both immersion classes and regular French programs were given a questionnaire intended to evaluate their feelings about using French, their actual use of the language outside school settings, their motivations for learning French, and their perceptions of their own competence in it. At the same time, the immersion students were asked to assess the immersion program itself. Results indicated that the immersion students felt more at ease about speaking French and were more competent than students in the regular program. However, there was no indication that immersion students sought opportunities to express themselves in French. These results were explained in relation to three possible variables: (1) the speaking skill was felt to be weaker than other language skills; (2) students' long-range motivation factors effectively minimized immediate usage; and (3) students' usage of the language reflected general social norms in the community. Finally, it is noted that immersion students were generally satisfied with the program and recommended it to other students. (Author/AMH)