This paper looks at an idea that the fundamental "social" purpose of college composition is not to expand but to contract students' capacities to function in and transform their world. The paper manifests interest in this conception of composition for intellectual, historical, and political reasons--historically, it addresses the…

The downward trend in educational quality, as evidenced by sinking Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and other evaluatory measures, is examined. Both secondary school teachers and university faculty are held accountable for lowering academic standards, and much critical attention is paid to the precipitant implementation of innovative educational…

Examines why some children of disadvantaged homes succeed in the face of adversity while others, growing up in the same circumstances and sometimes the same family, fail. Numerous studies show that nurturing, competent adults can buffer children from the stresses in their lives. Positive role models are crucial. (SM)

Forecasting models for maximizing postsecondary futures and applications of the model are considered. The forecasting of broad human futures has many parallels to human futures in the field of medical prognosis. The concept of "exasperated negative" is used to refer to the suppression of critical information about a negative future with…