The Gifted Education Policy Studies Program was designed to address two issues: the status of state and local policies on the identification of gifted students from special populations (culturally diverse, children with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged); and the impact of educational reform movements (cooperative learning and middle…

This report provides statistics on academic achievement and educational outcomes for each of the 15 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), comparing them to past SREB figures and to national averages. The bulk of the report consists of 38 tables and charts that present data on: (1) number of schools, students, and teachers;…

Articles presented include: "Introducing the New Literacy" (John Willinsky); "The Emergence of Literacy" (Nigel Hall); "Media Education: The Limits of a Discourse" (David Buckingham); "Extracts from 'Thought and Language' and 'Mind in Society'" (L. S. Vygotsky); "From Communicating to Talking" (Jerome Bruner); "What Does It Mean To Be Bilingual?"…

By utilizing world systems analysis and dependency theory in world history, ways that students can raise questions and integrate ideas at the high school and undergraduate level are identified. A discussion of the origins and design of the 14th century world system demonstrates how it is set apart from the modern world and how conveying that…

Statistics indicate that 15 percent of beginning teachers leave the profession after the first year of teaching, and more than 50 percent leave within 6 years. This study was conducted to identify the problems and concerns faced by neophyte teachers at the middle and high school levels, and to distinguish between the concerns of first-year,…

This study was part of a series of studies examining the relationship of teacher variables to teachers' adoption of computer use. Previous studies have considered computer use as a process of the adoption of innovation and as a result of the influence of the internal variables of the person. This study adds the variable of subjective norms because…

This document summarizes droputs, transfers, and failures from the class of 1990 in Pennsylvania public schools. The total enrollment for Pennsylvania public schools in 1986-87 was 139,761, in 1987-88 was 133,449, in 1988-89 was 123,717, and in 1989-90 was 115,400. Over 40% of Black and Hispanic students who were in regular ninth-grade classes in…

This study describes the Michigan special education work force (as of 1988-89) with regard to six issues, one primary and five supplemental, having to do with the need for and supply of special educators and attempts to predict future personnel needs. The primary issue concerns the factors that will affect the teacher supply and demand in the near…

This paper outlines the need to diversify the education profession at practitioner, administrative, and personnel preparation levels in order to better serve culturally and linguistically diverse children with disabilities. Needs identified include developing effective recruitment and retention programs for members of ethnic minority groups;…

This report summarizes the results of a statewide survey of nonreturning freshmen (n=621) at Maryland public 4-year campuses. The former students were asked about the factors that were most instrumental in their departure from their institution, their reaction to their college experience, their likelihood of re-enrolling, and their level of…

Part of a larger project designed to produce a causal model of variables that impinge upon training interventions and influence adult learning, this research is concerned with learner attitudes toward the way employee training is delivered and the roles these convictions play in learning. Two research models served as a guide for comprehensive…

This curriculum presents career, academic, and life skill activities to assist education and training organizations in developing and delivering comprehensive career development and life skills programs. The guide helps individuals to develop self-awareness, discover career options, secure an understanding of occupational information, acquire…

Procedures are described to determine reliability and validity of the Brockton (Massachusetts) Battery's Tests of Reading Readiness and the Adaptive Behavior Scales, which were developed to assess performance levels of Hispanic, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean normal and high risk children. Among reasons given for development of the instruments are…

An analysis of a 1979 questionnaire and interviews with young women leaving school or continuing their education in country areas of Tasmania revealed that the females were having greater difficulty in obtaining employment and were the most isolated when unemployed. For this reason it was considered desirable to continue the study. A questionnaire…

Grolier Incorporated sponsored a national random-sample survey of 645 parents, aged 18 and over, to discover attitudes about education. The survey paid considerable attention to aspirations of America's nonwhite citizens. Results indicated that parents sought involvement in local schools, cherished the impact of education for life enrichment at…