Aimed at federal policymakers, this monograph presents a discussion of the role of excellence in vocational education and the role of the government in achieving it. The report is organized into five chapters. In the first chapter, the dimensions of excellence are examined with a focus on values, the atmosphere of crisis engendered in part by a…

The literature of social work and rural sociology lacks conceptualization of the term "rural" and treats the term imprecisely. According to a 1960 survey, authors dealing with rural/urban differences do not agree on the attributes of "rural." However, if the rural concept is to be a useful analytical tool and guide to social work practice, its…

A review of 178 sources (articles, books, and other sources from 1971 through 1980, and frequently-cited earlier sources) on rural sociology and rural mental health indicated 4 major categories of definitions of rural: not explicitly stated, verbal (qualitative), homemade quantitative, and external quantitative. Sources were summarized as to…

The manual is intended to help new teachers in North Carolina provide education and related services to handicapped and gifted students. The first section discusses general resources for beginning teachers. Topics covered include getting the room ready, preparing to manage behavior, enjoying the first day of school, managing classroom problems,…

The monograph addresses legal issues involving discrimination against handicapped persons and the key legal requirement of reasonable accommodation. Four chapters in Part I examine background issues, including definitions and statistical overviews of handicaps; historical attitudes toward handicapped persons and an analysis of the extent of…

This unit on protecting a business, the 18th in a series of 18 units, is part of the first level of a comprehensive entrepreneurship curriculum entitled: A Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship (PACE). (Designed for use with secondary students, the first level of PACE introduces students to the concepts involved in entrepreneurship…

Providing instructors an efficient way to acquire a well-defined, tailored test for a given student, or group of students, the Item Bank deals in multiple-choice, Rasch-calibrated problems which are deposited under two subject areas: reading and mathematics. Users can obtain a test which is appropriate to what their migrant students have been…

This paper focuses on the common features of Guided Discovery Architecture (GDA) online programs. It is also about developing a descriptive cost-benefit analysis of online program of GDA. It discusses how the features of GDA instruction differ from those of conventional distance education (DE) courses in terms of not only cost categories…

The meanings of the words grammar and linguistics have undergone a multitude of changes in the last years, but teachers should continue to teach linguistics and formal grammar in the schools. (JH)

This report was prepared as part of a 5-year study of the states' implementation of federal legislation regarding infants and toddlers (the Education of the Handicapped Act, Amendments 1986). In spring of 1988, a survey was made of key state personnel to assess current implementation status along a number of critical dimensions: definition and…

Current approaches to educating at-risk students are the result of several shifts in thinking over the last 35 years, and a new way of defining at-risk students is needed to permit changes in school policy and practice to meet these students' needs. Cultural deprivation was originally considered the single cause of at-risk status. Subsequently,…

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of a Minnesota panel commissioned to find ways to: increase awareness of appropriate technology for persons with disabilities; provide access to appropriate technology-based products and services; and fund research and development in this field. The executive summary provides a definition of…

The paper addresses behavior management strategies for developing new behaviors in special needs learners, strategies for changing existing behaviors, and strategies for developing behavioral generalization. An introductory overview identifies five basic principles of behavior management. Fourteen behavioral terms are then defined (e.g.,…

This position paper discusses: (1) the definition, rationale, and goals for social studies in the early childhood and elementary years; (2) developmental characteristics that should be considered in the planning of a social studies program; (3) basic research on elementary social studies; (4) the status of social studies in the elementary school;…

This literature review provides information on the status of family day care around the world. The three chapters of Part 1 introduce the report. Chapter 1 includes an outline of the organization, an explanation of the terminology, and a description of the methodology used in the review. Chapter 2 presents a policy framework which can be used to…