This document examines political questions that surround the issue of literacy. "City Literacy Cuts" outlines effects of the most recent budget cuts in New York City. "Families, Inequality, and Power: The Cultural Politics of Literacy" (Deborah D'Amico-Samuels) focuses on the importance of understanding the different models…

Under Phase II of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, eligible legalized aliens (ELAs) can become lawful permanent residents (LPRs) if they demonstrate English language competency or show that they are satisfactorily pursuing a course of study to obtain English language skills. Certain English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs have been…

This plenary opening address on cultural and language rights emphasizes both the opportunities and constraints facing selected European minorities in their struggle both to reproduce their culture and to have their efforts recognized as a permanent, legitimate, and democratic contribution to modern society. The central thesis is that although the…

An account of the career of Isaiah Bowman, a leading figure in American science, is discussed in the context of the historical uses of geography and the contemporary perspective of that discipline. The first of three sections briefly addresses the current crisis in the field of geography: a narrowness of disciplinary perspective. Such a view would…

Focuses on the impact of major political, economic, social and psychological forces on the black community, its adaptive response, and the outcome for black students, past and present. Optimal conditions that foster education, technological change, black adaptation, and educational planning are discussed. (Author/AM)

Depending upon the framework in which questions are raised, racial minorities are seen to be growing both closer to white cultural norms and farther away from the historic traditions which defined those norms. Changes are urged for traditional manners of posing and answering questions regarding the future of racial minorities. (Author/AM)

Two factors during the 1988 presidential campaign were largely responsible for the erosion of "women's issues" and the so-called "gender gap"--the perception that a candidate is unattractive to women voters. This perception is thought to be based upon the candidate's stand on issues such as abortion, day care and the Equal…

The Europe of the 21, an organization of Western European countries, recently recognized equal political rights for men and women. Yet, a second achievement, without which the first will be meaningless, has yet to be attained: providing women with effective ways of asserting their rights and ensuring that they are no longer excluded, in practice,…

Needs assessment is an activity undertaken for planning purposes. It is important to define the limits of the study and design it on a scale appropriate to the entire planning process. This paper suggests that a needs assessment be structured into two phases. In the pre-assessment phase, a conceptual framework and well-defined exploratory…

A study examined the attitudes of legislators toward issues facing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, to determine (1) if there were differences in legislators' perception of the usefulness of mass media and interpersonal sources for information, (2) if there was a greater evidence of mass media usage among legislators who can be considered opinion…

A study examined the source of important voter perceptions during the 1984 presidential election and their impact on the choice between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale--specifically perceptions involving the effects of either a Reagan or a Mondale victory on the American economy. The origins of these economic perceptions were sought in…

Defining agenda-setting as the ability of the mass media to influence the level of the public's awareness and perceptions of political issues, a study was conducted to examine the agenda-setting power of the black periodical press in the United States. Survey responses collected by the University of Michigan Center for Political Studies were…

To increase political awareness and competence in the nursing profession, the papers in these proceedings identify political concerns affecting nursing and nursing education and explain how individuals and groups can become effectively involved in the political process. The proceedings contain: (1) "Update on National Nursing and Health Policy…

Unit 4 of the six-unit Indiana history series designed to be taught in Indiana secondary schools covers the years from 1880 to 1929, from President Garfield's assassination to the inauguration of President Hoover. Each chapter is divided into short sections that describe events and is followed by questions to reinforce the learning. The many…

This booklet describes the work of the Alaska Women's Commission, a state agency dedicated to the achievement of equal legal, economic, social, and political status for women in Alaska. Since its inception, the Alaska Women's Commission has provided funding for regional women's conferences in rural parts of the state. The document describes four…