A prototype model was developed to estimate the effect of various variables on the internal rate of return to starting college. The model arose out of observations that there is a nonlinear relationship between education and earnings, that many students who begin college never finish, that there are large differences across fields of…

This collection of eight papers is designed to assist educators in becoming computer literate and in identifying and developing competencies necessary to implement microcomputers in K-12 classrooms. For the novice, it contains an overview of computers, a discussion of their use in daily life and in education, and coverage of important terms and…

Twenty countries are participating in the IEA International Study of Written Composition, for which this is a background report. school-based writing in particular, this report discusses the functions of writing from the point of view of culture, cognition, and child development. It also presents a usable model for constructing and evaluating…

To clarify computer literacy needs in teacher education, this study focused on the determination of computer literacy course offerings in higher education institutions, the perceived skills a computer literate teacher should possess, and discrepancies between teacher perceptions and computer literacy course offerings. Results were used to develop…

The rural special education context is unique because of the distinct environment and the variety of rural school subcultures. However, little information about rural special education is available prior to the late 1970's, partially because federal agencies lacked a working definition of "rural." Although rural and urban special…

A course designed for college students with severe writing problems, especially those stemming from nonstandard speech patterns, was adapted to a variety of noncollege settings: two high schools, a labor union, a manpower training program, and the staff education department of a psychiatric hospital. Each setting attempted to integrate classroom…

The orthodox view of reading as the accumulation of isolated skills continues to dominate classroom practice. Under this framework, prescriptions for problem readers usually involve intensified drills in the same basic skills to which the students failed to respond in the first place. Prevention entails the early and often precipitous examination…

A survey of 80 department chairpersons, directors of forensics, and debate coaches indicated an increased use of nontraditional, audience-centered debate paradigms since the National Developmental Conference on Forensics issued its report advancing alternative debate options during the 1970s. Report recommendations on expanding the role of…

While no one method can possibly solve all the problems in an educational system, the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) addresses many. The PSI method is a self-paced, mastery learning approach based on reinforcement and personal attention. It is typified by five characteristics that help to meet or minimize the adverse aspects of…

The Nonbiased Assessment module contains seven sections that provide information on various issues relevant to the construction of programs for assessing minority group children. Each section, in addition to the discussion of the topic, contains a list of objectives for the workshop participant or reader, a pretest, simulations, and an annotated…

A model for generating global scenarios for higher education is presented, and five global scenarios for the future of higher education in the United States are proposed. Multiple scenarios help to set the context in which planning occurs. They are similar to planning assumptions that many institutional research offices prepare as background…

Although the technology of needs assessment has made progress in recent years, much still remains to be learned about how to determine the kinds of training methods and programs that should exist. Of the technology currently available, most is more suited to application with learner groups that are "closed" and "captive" rather…

This literature review of factors affecting the postsecondary decision-making process, with special emphasis on parents' and students' attitudes and characteristics, focuses, in the first section, on research on these topics: (1) student and family characteristics (ability, expectations, motivation, race and sex, family background including…

This document presents a model for student organization development, defining in detail the central conditions for the CORE model (Cohesion, Organization, Resourcefulness, and Energy); and provides an assessment tool, the CORE Conditions Checklist, for checking the extent to which these conditions are present in organizations. The CORE model is…

Described are various models and methods that have helped communities around the United States and Canada give the public a better understanding of legal and judicial systems. An introductory section discusses the role of the legal profession in improving public understanding of the law, how to put together a team to teach about the judicial…