In order for the United States to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals, we must invest in research, encourage innovation, and grow a strong and talented science and technology workforce. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation explores the role of diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce and its value in keeping America innovative and competitive. According to the book, the U.S. labor market is projected to grow faster in science and engineering than in any other sector in the coming years, making minority participation in STEM education at all levels a national priority. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation analyzes the rate of change and the challenges the nation currently faces in developing a strong and diverse workforce. Although minorities are the fastest growing segment of the population, they are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering. Historically, there has been a strong connection between increasing educational attainment in the United States and the growth in and global leadership of the economy. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation suggests that the federal government, industry, and post-secondary institutions work collaboratively with K-12 schools and school systems to increase minority access to and demand for post-secondary STEM education and technical training. The book also identifies best practices and offers a comprehensive road map for increasing involvement of underrepresented minorities and improving the quality of their education. It offers recommendations that focus on academic and social support, institutional roles, teacher preparation, affordability and program development.

"In Earthen Vessels, Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Association for Theological Schools, makes the case for the future of theological education in a personal and conversational essay. Rather than using a historical or analytic approach, Aleshire uses what he terms appreciative inquiry to identify the strengths of theological education and how they can support future work in the field. By describing this work and its far-reaching benefits, he aims to inform school board members, donors, administrators, and faculty who may be seeking to understand the bigger picture of their institutions. Aleshire organizes the book into three parts. The first makes the case for theological schools by describing the work they were intended to do and the contributions they make. The second focuses on the nature of their work - teaching, learning, and research. Finally the third describes the partners who make this work possible. Aleshire notes that much of the future of these schools will be framed by changes in these partners - administration, the church, and the higher education community - and the ways that schools change in response"--Amazon.com.

This report gathers & collates the best national data available to provide a reliable & comprehensive overview of American reading today. This report relies on the most accurate data available, which consists of large, nat. studies conducted on a regular basis by U.S. fed. agencies, supplemented by academic, foundation, & business surveys. Although there has been measurable progress in recent years in reading ability at the elementary school level, all progress appears to halt as children enter their teenage years. There is a general decline in reading among teenage & adult Americans. Both reading ability & the habit of regular reading have greatly declined among college grad. The declines have demonstrable social, economic, cultural, & civic implications. Illus.

Introduces the American Human Development Index, which provides a single measure of well-being for all Americans, disaggregated by state and congressional district, as well as by gender, race, and ethnicity. The Index rankings of the 50 states and 436 congressional districts reveal disparities in the health, education, and living standards of different groups.

The Handbook of Educational Evaluation brings together the experience of top evaluation leaders around the world to present and discuss the core methods and applications of educational evaluation.

This groundbreaking three-volume set spotlights how conditions around the world are affecting the healthy development of adolescents in their respective environments, on all six continents. Continually unstable or perpetually poor economic conditions, globalization, and rapid technological change are just three of the forces affecting a group 1.2 billion strong today, a demographic poised to become our world leaders and catalysts in the not-too-distant future: the world's adolescents. Led by two editors who have been dedicated to studying adolescent development worldwide for decades, this novel collection of works from contributors in more than 40 countries emphasizes how possibilities for healthy mental and physical development are affected by the difficulties youths face in their countries and how these challenges have shaped, and are shaping, contemporary teenage life today. The set comprehensively addresses issues for adolescents across the globe, such as the day-to-day challenges of poverty, inadequate education, violence or war, disease, reproductive matters, globalization and technological challenges, and more, while also providing a strengths-based focus in the volumes, showing how and why some teenagers in each country have surmounted the challenges and forged stronger characters to better their worlds. These stories document more than personal victories, and their experiences matter to far more than the adolescents themselves. In its State of the World's Children 2011 report, UNICEF noted that the world community needs to turn its attention to adolescents in need, explaining that focusing on this large and potentially powerful group makes economic sense as well as being a necessary step in working towards achieving human justice. By addressing the risks, challenges, and strengths of teenagers as a group in countries worldwide, this work serves to break the cycle of poverty, violence, discrimination, and death for adolescents.