A public education system's effectiveness should be based primarily on whether graduates have been equipped to be productive workers following program completion. Otherwise, neither the system nor the completion certificate (diploma) is worth the tax dollars spent. As Kentucky's education commissioner, the author found it woefully apparent that…

The view of the government in England is that good English and mathematics knowledge is key to employment and education prospects. Students who do not achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above in these subjects must continue to study English and mathematics alongside their chosen post-16 studies. This article outlines the background to this situation, then…

In this article, Gwen Taylor describes the West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) groundbreaking program, "Accelerating Opportunity" (AO), which targeted students who are deficient in math, reading, or writing. The program uses the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges' (2013) Integrated Basic…

As the state emerges from another recession, jobs that remain and those opening require workers with higher-order skills most often acquired in postsecondary education. Increasing numbers of adults look to community colleges to learn those skills and to find a way out of a cycle of low paying, unstable jobs. Even workers with years of experience…

A previous working paper argued, that, to understand basic skills education, it is necessary to observe classrooms to see what the "instructional triangle" involving the instructor, students, and content is like. This working paper presents the results of observing classes in 13 community colleges. It starts with a conceptualization of…

The Performance Measures for Student Success Report is the North Carolina Community College System's major accountability document. This annual performance report is based on data compiled from the previous year and serves to inform colleges and the public on the performance of North Carolina's 58 community colleges. In 2010, President Scott Ralls…

Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, providing access to higher education for low-income young people, a path to higher-earning employment for low-income workers, and a supply of well-trained employees for local industry. In order to remain competitive with other major economies, however, the U.S. must sharply increase…

The Performance Measures for Student Success Report is the North Carolina Community College System's major accountability document. This annual performance report is based on data compiled from the previous year and serves to inform colleges and the public on the performance of North Carolina's 58 community colleges. In 2010, President Scott Ralls…

This document, the last volume of a four-part publication, describes the programs in basic skills in mathematics at the nine senior colleges and eight community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY), updating surveys made in 1976. These programs are for students who do not meet CUNY's standard for minimum competency in mathematics, or…

Detailed analyses are given of the most effective teaching techniques in each of four major basic skills areas: writing, reading, English as a second language, and mathematics. Six basic questions are addressed for each area: (1) What are the objectives of skills programs in this area? (2) What are the different skills levels of entering students,…

Describes a six-week summer program for disadvantaged college-bound students in which students created and wrote the content for a health education brochure as part of a workshop which integrated basic reading. writing, science, and mathematics. The brochure was then used by the students in a community service learning activity. Evaluation…

A statement regarding what is needed in academic preparation for college in the 1980s, which was developed during 1980-81 under th aegis of the College Board's Project EQuality, is presented. The work of school and college teacher in cooperation with other professionals addresses expectations about six basic academic competencies that should have…

This handbook was produced as a result of a project that studied California community college programs that teach basic skills in vocational education programs. The project included a literature review, a telephone survey, and 12 site visits. The handbook contains four sections: (1) steps for integrating basic skills and vocational instruction;…

Students in Miami-Dade Community College's remedial education courses supplement reading, writing, and mathematics coursework with computer-assisted instruction in a special electronic classroom. The experimental program is investigating whether integrating computer instruction in the basic skills curriculum helps underprepared students overcome…

This is the final report of a cooperative basic skills and literacy project of El Camino College (California) and two companies, BP Chemicals/Hitco Inc. and a division of the Hughes Aircraft Company. An extension of an earlier workplace program with BP chemicals, the program provided basic mathematics, reading, and English-as-a-Second-Language…