Trends in the enrollment of adult students in higher education are examined, and some inappropriate policies and procedures presently in effect at colleges and universities that are obstacles to adult learners are discussed. The demographic picture of the adult student population is presented as are projections for the general population and…

A sociolinguistic investigation of pupil interpretations of the functions of questions and responses was applied to 165 pupils in a multiethnic, lower socioeconomic status elementary school. Procedures involved videotaping of language arts lessons and family conversations. Videotapes were played back to pupils, who were then asked to explain "What…

Secondary and college teachers from the Northeast Conference on Foreign Language Teaching responded to a survey to investigate the status of foreign language instruction in the United States. The morale of the profession was found to be high, in spite of the demands made on language teachers, reduced job mobility, and a high average age. The…

MIDCAREER MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION FOR FEDERAL CIVIL SERVANTS REQUIRED AN ACCEPTED SET OF RULES AND STANDARDS FOR MAKING JUDGMENTS RELATING TO THE INTELLECTUAL IMPROVEMENT OF CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS WHO QUALIFY FOR HIGHER, MORE RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLICY MAKING POSITIONS. CRITERIA FOR SUCH A DOCTRINE WOULD PERTAIN TO…

EFFECTIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT DEPENDS UPON AN ANALYSIS OF SCHOOLS AS SOCIAL SYSTEMS AND THE DETERMINATION OF THOSE STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES MOST PROMISING AS ENTRY POINTS FOR CHANGE EFFORTS. FIVE FEATURES ARE CENTRAL TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOL--ITS CHILDREN-CHANGING EMPHASIS, LOCAL CONTROL, NONVOLUNTARY NATURE, RELATIVE ISOLATION FROM OTHER…

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDREN'S ATTITUDES TOWARD SCHOOL AND THEIR BEHAVIOR IN THE CLASSROOM WAS EXPLORED. SUBJECTS WERE 125 STUDENTS IN FOUR SIXTH GRADE CLASSROOMS IN A PREDOMINATELY WHITE WORKING CLASS SUBURB. THE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR OF THE SUBJECTS WAS OBSERVED OVER A THREE MONTH PERIOD. QUESTIONNAIRES DESIGNED TO MEASURE THE CHILDREN'S…

The purpose of the staff development project in Mt. Diablo Unified School District is to personalize management for school improvement. This report describes how the project staff developed both a strong process (individual sites) and product (aggregated data across sites) evaluation component. In the process evaluation section, technical…

Much research shows that the correlation between IQ and school performance is consistently high. However, some evidence indicates that this relationship is not consistent but is moderated by classroom psycho-social environment at the first-grade level. Data from IQ tests, the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale, number of attendance…

Guidelines for conducting art activities with young children are provided in this curriculum manual for teachers of pre- and primary school-age students. Part One of the manual presents a philosophy and approaches for setting up an art program. The first chapter explores the concept of creativity, how it can be encouraged, and identifies some of…

This Personalized Activity Kit is designed to provide an overview of the major factors that must be considered in improving existing school programs as well as in initiating needed programs. The factors reviewed here are student objectives, districtwide program structure/program objectives, school building philosophy/staff objectives, staff…

This article describes the philosophy and methods used by the staff at the Granite Alternative School in changing student attitudes through behavior modification. The students involved all have a failure syndrome or low self-image, and are dropouts from traditional high schools. Among the techniques used are: (1) reinforcing good behavior (praise…

This Child Development Associate (CDA) training module focuses on the staff's role in creating and maintaining a child-oriented learning environment for preschool children. An Environment Checklist is provided to help CDA interns assess the richness of their classroom environments before and after completing the training module. Module objectives,…

Part of the Basic Citizenship Competencies Project, this guide is intended for elementary and secondary school principals. It suggests school management practices and leadership strategies to be used in developing a favorable school climate for citizenship education, and in encouraging teachers to think systematically about citizenship goals and…

Recent research is beginning to shed some light on the nature and extent of violence and crime in American schools, the role that schools themselves play in producing, aggravating, or reducing school crime, and how changes in the schools can remedy social control problems. Data from these studies indicate that: (1) despite public opinion, school…

IN A 3-YEAR STUDY OF PUPIL MALPERFORMANCE IN FIVE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN, THE FOLLOWING FACTORS WERE EXAMINED--(1) STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS AND BEHAVIORS, (SOCIAL CLASS, MOTIVATIONS, ETC.) AND (2) SCHOOL CONDITIONS AND PRACTICES. PERFORMANCE AND MALPERFORMANCE PATTERNS WERE FELT TO BE A RESULT OF THE INTERACTION OF BOTH…