Background, rationale, and promising practices for teaching about science-related social issues in the science and social studies classroom are presented. Material is divided into five sections, each introduced with a topical question. The first section considers the challenges associated with the pervasive influences of science and technology in…

This study is a history of the societal-problems approach in social studies education as revealed in secondary school social studies textbooks used in Problems of Democracy courses from 1895 to 1985. The central thesis is that the definition of the problems approach and the problems selected for study by educators as illustrated by the textbooks…

This paper traces an administrator's view of the changes necessary to make the community college a viable force in postsecondary education. First, problems and challenges facing the United States in general are reviewed, including rising illiteracy and dropout rates among the nation's high school students, increasing violence and crime in the…

As awareness of the threat of nuclear war has increased over the past decade (1975-1984), young people have learned to cope with the possibility of unimaginable catastrophe. This paper accordingly begins by reviewing literature on how people cope with the threat of nuclear war, in order to reconcile general theories of coping with nuclear anxiety…

The paper summarizes the results of an analysis of recently issued Census data. Examining the anti-poverty effectiveness of cash and non-cash benefit programs from 1979 to 1986, the analysis focuses on the impacts of those programs on families with children, the group whose poverty rate has risen most rapidly since 1979. The data reveal that…

To investigate the gap between the supply of and demand for child care in Vermont, the Child Care Task Force (CCTF) held a series of hearings. Testimony was taken from more than 40 persons involved with child care programs, including parents, child care providers, employers, professionals in the early childhood development field, and…

This article in a population education newsletter focuses on films and other audio-visual materials suitable for secondary and higher education and available for teaching about current population issues. The article discusses how to get the most out of population-related films. Eight hints for structuring film viewing and follow-up activities are…

Assuming that neighborhood newspapers and neighborhood leaders are among the most important influences on neighborhood residents' issue agendas and definitions of issues, a study examined some of these influences by interviewing a random sample of 239 residents of a low income, urban neighborhood in Minneapolis. In addition, a purposive sample of…

Because new programs are being developed throughout the country to address the needs of midlife and older women, the Center for Women Policy Studies in Washington, DC, conducted a survey of selected programs and prepared a report based on the results. The Center's purpose was to establish a network through which professionals involved in issues…

A substantial review of both the goals of Western civilization and the political realities of American democracy serves to establish the context in which the author of this lecture considers the problems facing educational administrators and the institutions that train them. Noting the failure of civilization to assure mankind of its basic needs…

The assessment and diagnosis of learning disabilities (LD) in the school is problematic. How do educators determine who is learning disabled? What practices are recommended? The main focus of the paper is on specific, relatively technical points that influence the validity of assessment. Since technical concerns are only one of the factors…

One of a series of teacher-developed curriculum guides designed to encourage student participation and involvement in important social issues, this secondary level guide presents toxic waste as one example of a current issue requiring social action. The first section focuses on the skill of investigating as a means of introducing students to…

This module is part of an interdisciplinary program designed to educate the general citizenry regarding the issues of science/technology/society that have important consequences for both present and future social policies. Specifically, the program provides an opportunity for students to assess the effects of selected technological innovations in…

Nathan Cole and Denise Thompson have really thought about Key Stage 3. They have been forced to; they now teach it in only two years. The switch to a two-year Key Stage 3 has made them re-evaluate their entire programme of study, and their rationale for teaching history. The result is illuminating. They argue convincingly that social history…

The main trends in U.S. race relations are assessed from the time of the appearance of Gunnar Myrdal's book "An American Dilemna" in the 1940's and Dorothy Newman's examination of the same theme through 1975. Both authors' perceptions of the racial situation and the problems of inequality are briefly reviewed. Rising educational…