Presents the statement of philosophy and purposes for the Agricultural Education Program Area at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University that serves as a framework for planning, organizing, and conducting a quality program. The need for the statement and the process of creating it are examined. (CT)

Assigned 64 urban disadvantaged fourth- and fifth-grade students to either a social problem-solving training, response cost, social problem-solving training plus response cost, or control group. Those exposed to problem-solving training improved on measures of alternative thinking and consequential thinking skills. Training did not affect teacher…

A questionnaire was distributed to teachers in a northeastern urban school system to ascertain the availability and usefulness to them of 10 continuing education activities. A Spearman correlation coefficient was computed. The resultant negative correlation between availability and usefulness indicates that the most useful activities tended to be…

This article is a review of studies on whether vocational schools are an effective educational device for training the youth of developing countries to enter the world of work. Although the studies differed in their findings, some common themes reappear in their recommendations to make vocational education in these countries effective. (Author/CT)

Describes WILL (Women Involved in Living and Learning), a 4-year developmental program for liberal arts students designed to help undergraduate women define goals, and develop self-knowledge. A series of tests, interviews, and questionnaires indicated that WILL students are more outgoing, flexible, and open-minded about themselves as women than…

Describes an innovative delivery system for teacher inservice education developed by the University of Calgary Teacher Inservice Office. (FL)

Staff of the Title VII Bilingual Education Training Institute for Administrators cite administrator support and involvement as critical in the success of bilingual programs. Methods for implementing appropriate administrator training programs include a rationale for training, selection of participants, planning (scheduling), content selection,…

Faculty development programs have generally failed to become a permanent fixture in colleges' organizational structure, largely due to outdated personnel policies. A flow concept of planning, focusing not on individuals but on personnel slots determined by program design, allows for flexibility and reflects the realities of contemporary academic…

This article describes a labor education program specifically targeted to working class women, who themselves form a minority within the labor movement. The focus of the article is on the Southern School for Union Women. (CT)

An accurate needs assessment process is essential in designing effective career development systems. This model helps to guarantee a high-quality needs assessment. It provides a basis for conceptualizing an ideal system for a particular organization, for describing what currently exists, and for identifying gaps between the real and the ideal. (CT)

The article lists skills to be taught, then describes the psychoeducational training procedures, management problems, and research evaluation results of the structured learning approach for teaching social competencies to aggressive, withdrawn, immature, or developmentally lagging preadolescents and adolescents. Effectiveness reported includes…

Changes in teacher education programs and middle-level curricula are advocated based on the sociological implications of research on middle-level education. Teaching and learning effectiveness can be improved with better understanding of adolescent development. (DF)

In order to make an efficient and effective contribution to learning, audiovisual media must be designed to fit the situation, not vice versa. The effectiveness and efficiency of media are discussed, along with the skills required by a good media specialist. Marketing the media contribution is also explored. (CT)

A literacy program incorporating adult learning principles was designed using functional materials and an appropriate methodology, and the feasibility of this program was assessed in an adult basic education setting. Analysis of achievement data indicated that the application of adult learning principles to adult literacy resulted in effective…

Describes a workshop led by resident assistants offering communication skills to roommates in university residence halls. Results of an evaluation showed most participants as well as RAs found the workshops a positive experience, although significant differences in roommate relationships between participants and controls were not observed. (JAC)