Students in a multi-occupational (cluster) metals program scored higher on tests covering three metals areas than students in single-occupational programs, suggesting that, at the secondary level, general rather than special instruction in metal trades has considerable value as far as pencil and paper tests of cognitive outcomes can reveal.…

A history, task analysis, and manpower needs for specialists in laboratory animal medicine are discussed. Institutions offering training in this veterinary medicine speciality are listed, and a cooperative program between the veterinary school at Washington State University and the medical school at the University of Washington is described. (JMD)

Declining academic standards will not improve unless institutions of higher education reject the new form of relativism, which continues to be the prevailing educational philosophy. Examples of declining standards are reported, and educational philosophies and the phenomena which encourage the persistence of the current ideology are examined. (JMD)

Similarities and differences between primary care and specialized care are reviewed, based on research in health care. Professional requirements for primary and specialized care are identified, and implications for the scope and type of learning situations needed by undergraduate medical students are suggested. (Author/LBH)

Examines the advantages and disadvantages of diversification as a strategy for economic development. In particular, rural economies that specialize in government and education tend to perform well. Includes map of U.S. labor market areas (LMAs), graphs and table comparing rural and urban LMAs' income and employment rates. (TES)

The current baccalaureate trend toward professsionalization is lamented because it responds to the superficial and ultimately meaningless accouterments of professional life. The mission of developing broadly applicable intellectual capabilities must be maintained. (MLW)

A study of changes in master's programs in nursing between 1979 and 1984 found significant changes in some admission requirements, an increase in gerontology majors and a trend toward specialty majors, and no change in thesis requirement but an increase in requirements for comprehensive examinations. (MSE)

The characteristics of current U.S. society and the roles assigned to teachers suggest the need for more comprehensive teacher education programs, including breadth in the liberal arts, depth in content fields, and field experience. (MSE)

High school and college curricula have operated in isolation from each other for too long, and more effort should be put into understanding the curricular and instructional continuities between them. (MSE)

Instead of the random scattershot of the core curriculum, a program of overlapping curricular circles could provide students with a more effective educational experience. Each circle would center on the student's major, and would draw together the underlying strands of a liberal education. (MSE)

A discriminant analysis of objective and subjective measures from the records of students who graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School over a six-year period was used to generate a model for the prediction of medical specialty choice. (Author/MLW)

Analysis of national data on intended majors and degrees received and four major longitudinal studies of freshmen indicates a modest decline in segregation of the sexes in academic specialization during the college years, despite attrition of women from mathematics and science, partially reflecting social trends. (Author/MSE)

The objectives of the Soviet system of higher education and the expansion of the role of higher education are described, emphasizing the development of labor and industry for increased productivity, creativity, and specialization. A trend toward regular continuing education to keep pace with technological advancement is also noted. (MSE)

A tendency in liberal arts to organize the disciplines into a common, core curriculum and to evangelize this common learning in a puritanical way is examined and criticized. It is recommended that the liberal education mission must not be imposed on those who do not seek it. (MSE)

This time of student agitation offers law schools opportunities for substantial improvement in legal education and legal scholarship. (IR)