Proposals for shaping the National Information Infrastructure (NII) lack sufficient provision for supporting locally controlled information delivery systems, which could serve all the people, regardless of class or community environment. A system of federally sponsored National and Regional Institutes for Information Democracy could help meet this…

Reviews the association between material deprivation and child abuse and considers the implications of this association for preventive strategies. It is concluded that communitywide strategies aimed at supporting all care providers are more likely to succeed than those based on at-risk groups. (SLD)

Reviews the performance of large school districts, particularly those of New York City, and argues that their relatively poor performance is caused by fundamental tensions among effective school practices and the nature of large systems. Alternative means of encouraging school independence are considered, and the most noteworthy of these are…

D. M. Stewart does not adequately portray the problems, or sufficiently assess socioeconomic and political realities with respect to African Americans today. The lack of neutrality and objectivity in standardized tests must be recognized, and alternative forms of assessment are imperative to provide equal access to education for African Americans.…

Summarizes the history of education in a rural, primarily African-American town in North Carolina as one of denial used as a coping mechanism for disappointment. Denial of real problems by blacks and whites has contributed to the town's weakened sense of community and its lack of a local school. (SLD)

Applies the opportunity to learn conceptual framework to previously collected multiple-case study data from a 3-year study of an academic intervention program in 10 urban Chapter 1 elementary schools. Also illustrates how the multiple-case study approach can be used as an explanatory research tool. (SLD)

Surveys 600 Russian college students regarding their hopes for the future, economic and social advancement, and personal information. Argues that, although students generally are optimistic about their future, many fail to exhibit the self-discipline necessary to be successful. Skepticism about the government is endemic. (MJP)

Continues an article that began in the summer 1995 "Interdisciplinary Humanities." Examines ethical concerns about nuclear power, societal control, and prejudice articulated in science fiction literature. Authors studied include Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Damon Knight. The earlier article covered literature concerned with ecology…

Maintains that teachers can convert social studies to "prosocial" studies by emphasizing the role of caring and empathy as a response to social problems. Briefly addresses integrating the concept of caring into discussions concerning personal relationships and community issues. Advocates modeling behavior and cooperative learning. (MJP)

People's lack of connectedness and increasing alienation, dubbed the "epidemic of insecurity," have unhealthy impacts on society, and create some special problems for males. Cites research findings that closeness and pleasure, especially during child-rearing, promote nonharmful behaviors, and discusses parental, educational, and institutional…

The abuse of people with developmental disabilities has a long and horrific history, which extends from prehistoric to current times. Only in the past 20 or 30 years has society recognized that this abuse is a serious social problem and, with this recognition, research has been carried out on the topic. The limited research that has been done…

Most primary prevention research has attempted to explain sexual health outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections, by focusing on individual characteristics (e.g. age), qualities (e.g. knowledge levels), and risk behaviour (e.g. unprotected intercourse). Emerging evidence indicates that population-level health outcomes are unlikely to be…

This collection chronicles the development of the field of special education through the writings of Samuel A. Kirk and comments by contributing scholars in the introductions to each section. The selections of Kirk's work evidence his contributions to the many domains of special education. The testimony and comments by contributing scholars place…

The following 19 papers were delivered at the 1992 annual meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions for the Division of Education and Research: (1) "Across the Frontiers: Impact of Foreign Journals in Library Science in India: A Citation Analysis" (M. A. Gopinath); (2) "Children and Reading in…

This chapter examines the current state of research and knowledge about the Chicano dropout problem. In 1986, in every age group, dropout rates were higher for Chicanos than for Whites or other ethnic or racial groups. National dropout rates have improved slightly for Hispanic and Mexican-origin populations since 1980 but remain more than twice as…