Farms and the people who live on them differ dramatically from one part of the United States to another. These differences are prominent both from one region to the next as well as between farms and people in the same region. The varying characteristics of agriculture and the farm population have helped shape regional experiences in the 1980s. In…

A survey of four-year colleges' and universities' graduate follow-up procedures was conducted to (1) establish what type of follow-up systems are used, (2) determine what commitment the administration of the institutions has to implementing a graduate follow-up system, (3) determine to what extent the institutions are planning changes in their…

This speech on the International Project for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) discusses policy perspectives which could be aided by information such as: relationships between educational policy and social and economic policy, the structure of basic schooling, and the effects of school resources and instructional processes. (CTM)

British and American approaches to educational evaluation are compared in terms of definition, political genesis, the agencies which commission and execute evaluation studies, and the use of results. The future evolution of these evaluation approaches is also discussed. (JAC)

Exploring the variations in economic status on the Navajo Reservation, this article maintains that regional differences prevent the validity of speaking in terms of "the Navajos." (JC)

Small farmers are a diverse group, ranging from part-time hobbyists with good off-farm jobs to full-time operators. General rural development policies, rather than traditional farm policies, may be the best method to help those small farmers who earn insufficient income. (JHZ)

Examined alienation of international students from university life among 600 international students. Found that alienation could be predicted on the basis of social contact, graduate status, and geographical home region. Results suggest that international students at high risk for alienation are non-European undergraduates who spend little time…

As with a 1979 study, in a large senior high school in upper South Carolina students and teachers were asked to list--spontaneously and anonymously--20 things they loved to do. The lists showed students and teachers more similar in their interests than in 1979 and more concerned with immediate pleasures. (JHZ)

This study compared two types of school breakfast programs in Minnesota: Fast Break to Learning, a universal free breakfast program ("Fastbreak" schools), and programs with a sliding fee scale ("control" schools). Fastbreak and control schools were compared on several variables: (1) survey responses from principals and food…

Contrasts and compares historical research on rural and Native American education and regional novels ("To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Laughing Boy") in order to demonstrate the importance of diversity in the concept of rurality. Suggests regional novels are an important component in the study of rural education. (AH)

Criticizes the report "Public and Private Schools" by Coleman, Hoffer, and Kilgore for failing to consider alternative explanations of school effectiveness and for drawing narrow policy implications. Student body composition and school admissions practices need to be considered in evaluating educational policy alternatives. (RM)

A comparison was made between the accuracy of handwriting on large-spaced paper and normal-spaced paper of urban and suburban students. Results indicated that, with large-spaced paper, suburban students produced more accurate strokes than urban students, but when normal-spaced paper was used, there were no signficant differences. (Author/JN)

Suggests and annotates educational materials for use by instructors of college-level courses on regional geography of Europe. (Author/DB)

Reviews social, economic, educational, and commercial interests that compete for the control of resources allocated to young children. Proposes that public policy for the child be based on child growth and development, rather than on other factors. (Author/GC)

Ward Welty notes that the standard advertising course could be improved by including a unit of study in rhetoric, especially Aristotelian rhetoric. Bruce Vanden Bergh reports on research on the differences in creating advertising copy for radio versus the visual media of magazines, newspapers, and television. (RL)