The renewed emphasis on the community college transfer function has both positive and negative aspects. On one hand, the creation of articulation agreements, transfer centers, consortia, and national centers promises to reduce the barriers between two- and four-year colleges, enhance the mobility of minority students, and improve teaching and…

A seminar paper concerning the relationship between applied and basic research in the study of educational and social inequality, and two commentaries are presented. The paper--"In Defense of Ivory-Towerism: Confessions of an Unreconstructed Basic Researcher," by Karl L. Alexander, the seminar's main speaker, presents the point of view of a…

Administrators and scholars from 10 countries attended a global change seminar at St. Andrews University in Scotland. The purpose was to introduce a systematic and rigorous planning methodology to enhance success in moving forward into a complex, turbulent, and uncertain future. The focus of the methodology was the identification, analysis, and…

The objective of this study was to assess the misconceptions held by preservice teachers about essential concepts of the moon related to information taught in elementary schools in Taiwan and to develop multiple-choice test items to identify the misconceptions about the moon. Additionally, this study considered relationships of gender, religion,…

A discussion of public language policy formation focuses on the situation in the Netherlands and Europe. First, a number of considerations in the formation of second language instruction policy are reviewed, including determination of content, conditions of instruction, and languages to be taught. The Dutch national program for foreign language…

Using a pamphlet format, the Ad Hoc Rural Development Committee of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development formulated a working agenda that addresses the challenges and opportunities of rural development research and extension programming. The agenda establishes the need for emphasizing rural development in the Northeast, and presents…

Little is known about urban American Indian elders, although most American Indians live off reservations in the nation's cities. Accordingly, this research project compiled information about these older Americans from the following databases: (1) results of academic and applied research; (2) Management Information System (MIS) reports of service…

This report describes an experimental program developed by the RAND Corporation to prevent or reduce the use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana by adolescents. Section 1 introduces Project ALERT and presents major findings and conclusions from a study which assessed the program's effects at several points over a period of 15 months in 30…

This paper tracks the changes in beliefs and dispositions regarding the teaching of writing of a cohort group of prospective secondary teachers during their graduate year of teacher preparation. Changes in the prospective teachers' beliefs regarding the knowledge they need to teach and the ways in which learners who differ in race, social class,…

This study investigated the relationship between locus of control orientation and adoption of cigarette smoking among ninth grade urban black Southern students. It sought to identify this relationship and determine if school-setting (junior or senior high school) or gender-related differences exist. The following information was used to assess…

This study evaluates the personal, academic, and social factors associated with high school graduation and non-graduation among Hispanics. Subjects for this study included 56 high school graduates, 58 high school equivalency (GED) students, and 50 dropouts from high schools in the South Bronx (New York). The following measurement instruments were…

White males represent only 46 percent of the U.S. work force. Within a few years, 75 percent of those entering the labor force will be women and minorities, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The work force is getting smaller as well as changing in nature. To attract and keep the most qualified and productive workers, businesses must make…

Discussions about the social responsibility of businesses have led to questions about the social responsibility of academic institutions. As governmental support of community activities appears to be lessening, activities by educational institutions in support of local communities becomes more essential. New developments in the linkage between…

The use of multiple indicators of educational achievement is called for to replace a single measure of student achievement in order to identify the school context in which education occurs. School-level indicators have been identified, such as access to knowledge, press for achievement, and professional teaching conditions. These indicators are…

Correlations between the California Critical Thinking Skills Test--College Level (CCTST) and student-related factors regarded as indicators of academic ability and success were studied in a series of four experiments investigating whether the CCTST measures improvement in critical thinking (CT) skills. During 1989-90, data were collected on 1,196…