West Germany represents a typical case of how most West European countries have dealt with labor migration, common since World War II. West Germany's foreign workers are called "Gastarbeiter" (guestworkers), which implies that they are in Germany at the behest of the Germans, and for only a short period of time. Nonetheless, statistics…

The purpose of this paper is to identify the role of high technology in rural-to-urban and urban-to-rural movement and the implications of this technology for agriculture and rural areas. The first section of the paper considers the impact of technology on agriculture in the United States over the past 50 years. Because U.S. agriculture has…

This newsletter's first article is the director's report "Double Standards in Australian Family Policy" by Don Edgar. It asks for government support for families in the form of programs and funding, not just rhetoric. The next article, "IFS Research", also by Don Edgar, details the past, current and future research of the…

Life expectancy trends are examined from a policy maker's perspective. Since the late 1960's, life expectancy among the U.S. elderly has increased at unprecedented rates, from 70.2 years in 1965 to 74.5 years in 1983. Although unforeseeable events, such as outbreaks of new diseases, are not reflected in the projections, current projections assume…

The goal of test item writing is to create measures of the true achievement dimensions desired, not extraneous abilities or related skills. To encourage university instructors to apply newer test item writing technologies to test construction for course examinations, this paper: (1) sets forth basic principles for quality item writing; (2) reviews…

A comprehensive guide to the implementation of affirmative action in colleges and universities is presented. Information is provided on the preparation of an affirmative action plan subject to review by the federal Office of Contract Compliance. Attention is directed to qualifications for staffing affirmative action offices; procedures for hiring…

Designed for Head Start grantees, this book provides training guidelines for improving Head Start staff competency. Chapter I offers a rationale for staff training activities, while chapter II characterizes the Head Start trainee. Chapter III addresses assessment of training needs on program and staff levels. The development of a training plan is…

Papers on library theory and research presented at the 1985 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Information for Self Reliance and Self Determination: The Role of Community Information Services" (Elaine Kempson, Acumen, United Kingdom); (2) "Relationships between Practice, Education and…

This report assesses the impact of instruction in online bibliographic database searching on high school students' use of library materials and facilities in three Delaware secondary schools (one public, one parochial, and one private) during the spring of 1984. Most students involved in the analysis were given a brief explanation of online…

This guide for operating the Head Start home-based program option is based on experience gathered in the initial Home Start program and in the decade spanning 1974 through 1984. Its purpose is to offer the tested ideas and procedures gained in those years to organizations wanting to provide home-based child/family development services. The Guide…

This report of a study of 36 Australian families involved in distance education suggest ways to improve learning materials and cautions that more needs to be known about how children learn in isolation before new communication technologies can be used effectively. Researchers interviewed parents, pupils, and home tutors--mothers or governesses,…

This article describes some key lessons from the MindMatters Plus (MM+) initiative, as a best practice approach to improving the mental health outcomes of secondary school students with high support mental health needs. The MindMatters Plus initiative focuses on early identification of students with mental health needs, implementation of…

Data from 18,385 first-time full-time students, approximately 10% of total freshmen enrolled during 1977-78 at Illinois public community colleges, who took the American College Testing Program (ACT) test showed average ACT composite scores of 16.7 and average high school grade point averages (GPA) of 2.6, compared with national norms for entering…

In order to bring national focus on the lack of minority engineers, more than 250 engineers, educators, students, and representatives of minority social action groups, professional and technical societies, foundations, industry, and government met to discuss the recruitment and financial support of minority students, program financing, and the…

A research project was designed to develop a hospitality education program model for Hawaii's community colleges. Primary data were gathered in a survey of the hospitality industry characteristics, manpower requirements, and training needs. This report of the project covers the following information: history and growth of the hospitality industry…