This paper outlines the main substantive findings from the latest stage of a research programme which began in 1982. The most recent project was designed to provide an interim snapshot through a questionnaire survey of the progress of a group of young men and women whom we have been following since the start of their secondary education when they…

California continues to widen access to local child care and preschool programs--albeit in fits and starts--for a variety of families. About 65% of all four year-olds statewide now attend a preschool center. Government spends $3.6 billion on early care and education programs statewide, including a three-fold increase in state spending since 1996.…

The combination of Afrocentric students in Eurocentric schools results in a conflict of cultures that places black students at risk. Although schools endorse societal beliefs concerning equal treatment and equality of educational opportunities, certain practices such as the hidden curriculum, tracking, and discriminatory discipline practices are…

Teachers should first realize that their assigned role (according to society's decision-makers) is to produce a brainwashed work force which does not question the prevailing culture. Then they should take action to reject this role. As Michael Holzman put it, "We should stop doing harm if we can help it." Many "compositionists"…

Hearings held before the Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities on the Student Assistance Amendments of 1981 are presented, along with the text of S. 1108. A major objective of the bill is to amend Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to emphasize the element of need in the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program and the…

The relationships between the public and nonpublic sectors of higher education are considered with respect to planning issues, financing issues, and accountability. Among the planning concerns are the following: to what extent should the nonpublic sector be involved in the statewide review of new and existing programs; how can resources be shared…

An ethnographic sketch of a small, Midwestern, middle-class American community emphasizes the shared value system, the derived code of conduct and an analysis of the three levels of social interaction and their respective functions. Data were gathered over a two-year period of field work, including ten months of intensive observation of the town,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the verbal and nonverbal interaction patterns of black parents and their preschool children. Three types of verbal interaction patterns were observed between the parent and child: nurturant, non-nurturant, and restrictive. Patterns of nonverbal interaction were also observed. Also studied were patterns of…

AN ASSESSMENT IS MADE OF VARIABLES THAT ENCOURAGE OR DISCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. ONE VARIABLE IS THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF FELT NEEDS, WHICH ARE DETERMINED PARTLY BY PERSONALITY BUT FAR MORE--ESPECIALLY AMONG THE POOR--BY ENVIRONMENT. ANOTHER IS THE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT ONE CAN IDENTIFY FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE LABOR MARKET…

A number of propositions about power in America--taken from the work of Olson, Lowi, McConnell, Schattschneider, and Edelman--are presented and discussed. These propositions comprise an alternative theory to pluralism, which is termed "plural elitism." But neither pluralism nor plural elitism explains the emergence and effects of the…

A 4-YEAR RESEARCH STUDY HAS INDICATED THAT A MOTHER'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SCHOOL INFLUENCES THE YOUNG CHILD'S SCHOOL BEHAVIOR AND HIS ABILITY TO DEAL WITH ADULTS AND PERFORM COGNITIVE TASKS. THE SAMPLE POPULATION FOR THE STUDY WAS MADE UP OF 1,963 NEGRO MOTHERS OF 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN FROM ONE MIDDLE-CLASS AND FROM THREE LOWER-CLASS…

LANGUAGE PATTERNS OF BALTIMORE FIFTH-GRADERS FROM FOUR DISADVANTAGED, INNER-CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS--TWO WHITE AND TWO NEGRO--AND FROM ONE WHITE MIDDLE-CLASS SUBURBAN SCHOOL WERE EXAMINED (1) TO IDENTIFY SUBGROUPS WHOSE LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR DIFFERS SYSTEMATICALLY FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM STANDARD ENGLISH, (2) TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE LANGUAGE…

A study conducted in a rural and an urban county in Texas sought to determine factors affecting changes in occupational patterns taking place in selected Spanish American populations from each of the 2 areas. An attempt was also made to determine levels of living, income, education, and aspirations of parents for their children's futures. The…

This final report describes a personalized kindergarten program which has three main features: (1) systematic observation of the individual learning needs of kindergarten children, (2) staff training to assist teachers in developing and using methods for personalizing their classroom programs, and (3) involvement of parents in implementing at-home…

The operation of several coal mines with vast proven reserves on the Navajo reservation is a manifestation of conflict between: a power hungry external world; the preservationist attitudes of traditional Navajo culture; the disadvantaged socio-economic status of the average Navajo wage earner; and the Navajo Nation's long term needs for internal…