This survey was developed to accumulate and interpret data pertaining to the current status of music, art, dance, and drama/theater education in U.S. public schools. Questionnaires were designed to secure four types of data: (1) demographic; (2) curricular; (3) adequacy of instructional materials; and (4) support for arts education. Findings were…

In a study of the influence of parents' expectations and short-term goals on their choice of activities and their children's achievement, a total of 180 parents of students in grades two through six were surveyed. The sample population of students was 13 percent Asian-American, 12 percent African-American, 19 percent Latino, 51 percent Anglo, with…

This paper reports on a correlational study of the relationship between adolescent alienation, demographic variables, and school variables. Participants were 466 students including Hispanics, Native Americans, and Whites from 4 public high schools in a Southwestern state. Students completed Mackey's Adolescent Alienation Scale and Ahlgren's…

The relationship between education and the economy is explained by opposing theories--functionalism and conflict. A way of assessing functionalism and conflict theory is to see if increasing educational attainment increases social equality. Higher educational attainment has occurred but has not led to an equal distribution of income. The extent of…

This study is a comparative analysis that addresses the question: to what extent has the relationship between parental socioeconomic characteristics and educational opportunities changed over time and why? The document suggests six hypotheses regarding change in the effects of social origins on education transitions: (1) modernization hypothesis:…

This paper addresses the issue of the equitable participation of minorities in higher education. Evidence of the magnitude of the problem is presented in discussions which address: (1) enrollment trends; (2) the persistence of minority students in academic study; and (3) the time required of minority students to complete their academic studies. It…

An analysis of 12,000 1982 high school graduates' transcripts, as part of a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, substantiates the National Commission on Excellence in Education's (NCEE) concern about students' insufficient coursework in the new basics: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer…

This is a report on a study of how Hispanic youth fare in the labor market, based on data from the 1979 and 1980 National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth Labor Market Experiences. Chapter 1 reviews some of the major factors (low educational attainment, language problems, influx of foreign workers, cultural problems, and discrimination) that have…

The major conclusion of a conference on Hispanic-Americans and education was that partnerships among businesses, school, and the Hispanic community can make a big difference in improving the educational preparation of young Hispanics for success in a fast-changing economy. It was also recognized that the future for Hispanics in the United States…

This issue of the Hispanic Research Center's journal contains three articles which explore diversity among Hispanic American groups (Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans) in health status, family structure, and socioeconomic characteristics. In the lead article, "Variations in Hispanic Health Status," Antonio Zavaleta examines differences in…

Researchers used data from a 1981 questionnaire survey of 248 heads of household in 3 Mississippi counties to examine efficient predictors of community and life satisfaction in rural Mississippi. Analyzing the impact of 43 variables on 25 questionnaire items concerning community satisfaction, researchers found 13 significant predictors of…

The purpose of this study was to develop, validate, and describe indicators of educational disadvantage to be used in Australia to identify schools and students most in need of assistance from the Disadvantaged Schools Program. Initially, a detailed review was prepared of the resource allocation responses which have been made in Australia to the…

Young children's nonverbal affective expression and communication reveals an emotional complexity and sensitivity which exceeds their verbal abilities. To investigate the development of nonverbal emotional communication in young children, two studies were undertaken. In the first study, equal numbers of 5- and 11-year-old children from two schools…

Botswana has nearly attained universal primary school attendance, but the additional quantitative intake has weakened the original qualitative base. Employing data collected by the National Commission on Education in Botswana, this study looked for ways to derive benchmark measures of the effects of school quality on learning. One method uses a…

Relationships between mothers' behaviors and (1) their children's verbal and nonverbal cognitive functioning, (2) their children's level of play, and (3) mothers' perceptions of their children's task motivation were investigated. Forty-four mothers and their preschool children from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds participated in the…