U.S. education leaders have spent decades highlighting and attempting to close achievement gaps among demographic groups. The gaps between African-American and Latino students compared to their white and Asian peers, as well as the gaps between low-income students and others, are among the most pernicious. In 2017, Oak Foundation commissioned…

The purpose of this report is threefold: to provide a brief overview of national dropout issues--both data and risk factors, with emphasis on those in rural areas--and then focusing on the particular factors that have the greatest impact on students in Mississippi; present the critical challenges for rural areas; and finally to recommend…

Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to…

Reviews economic, sociopolitical, and ideological factors that characterize the modern professions and argues that the technical communication field, at best, only partially meets the criteria. Argues that prospects for professional status might be improved by developing a critical consciousness of the processes of professionalization and…

The author examines the social and economic forces affecting adventitiously blinded men in terms of goal setting, family life, attitudes, status, and income. Case records suggest that adventitiously blinded male must set realistic employment goals and make personal and social adjustments or risk facing a life of dependency. (Author/CL)

This program guide encourages discussion on the fundamental values on which the government's economic policies are based. This public talk series program is designed for the discussion of critical social and political issues through a balanced, nonpartisan presentation of a spectrum of views. The core of the program is consideration of four…

Methodological issues which confront researchers using the concept of the family career include the selection of appropriate dependent variables; the efficacy of historical versus immediate effects; and scaling the family career (a proposed replacement for the "family life cycle"). The issue of which dependent variables should be…

This report describes problems directly related to the present method of dealing with suspension and expulsion in the Chicago public schools and recommends specific strategies for dealing with these problems. Problems discussed include: (1) the need for a definition of "gross misconduct"; (2) the need for the dissemination of information…

The three sections making up the main body of this publication look at lifelong education from three successive approaches at different levels. An introduction briefly reviews factors influencing the rapid spread of lifelong education--anthropological, socioeconomic, and political. Through a series of questions emerges the idea that lifelong…

Findings are reported from a six-year study of seven expert mathematics teachers who taught in elementary schools in very poor neighborhoods with "difficult" students or in economically depressed areas with high unemployment. Compared with novice teachers, the expert teachers used time more wisely, organized lessons better, and knew their content…

To address the issue of at-risk students, school systems must reexamine the value structure of schools and determine whether it is still valid. Curriculum developers need to be aware of socioeconomic class variables and develop school environments with a balanced perspective that enhance achievement for all students. (MD)

Presents two viewpoints on the economics of the tobacco industry and cigarette smoking. The industry has been rated as outstanding in economic performance by the U.S. Department of Commerce. However, the debilitating effects of smoking have imposed costs on society in terms of lives and money. Questions whether decisions about smoking should be…

Characteristics of culturally diverse students are discussed in terms of language, culture, and socioeconomic factors. Meeting the educational needs of culturally diverse students can involve interactive teaming of professionals; parent involvement; and providing appropriate services, assessment, curriculum, and instruction. (JDD)

This report describes the relationship between maternal malnutrition and child development. The report is divided into three sections. The first section, which describes child development, focuses on brain, mental, and psychomotor development. The second section describes the methodological difficulties of measuring effects of malnutrition on the…

Describes differences between a middle school in a low socioeconomic neighborhood and a high school in an affluent suburb. Suggests four ways to create language arts classrooms that have basic literacy as the primary focus yet are vital, dynamic places where students interact with the subject matter and with each other. (MM)