Community service is a voluntary contribution to the commonweal that teaches valuable lessons about the responsibilities of citizenship in a free society. Vital services are provided through thousands of organizations created to meet needs not otherwise provided for by government. Participation in these community service projects help create a…

School climate is a term used to describe how people feel about their school. The following 10 factors are described: (1) a supportive, stimulating environment; (2) student-centered; (3) positive expectations; (4) feedback; (5) rewards; (6) a sense of family; (7) closeness to parents and community; (8) communication; (9) achievement; and (10)…

Analysis of the provisions for Hispanics, Asians, and other minority groups (excluding Blacks) in the desegregation plans of 13 cities (Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle) suggests a number of trends: (1) These groups have not been classified…

Work Inc., a community rehabilitation center south of Boston, provides moderately to severely disabled (primarily mentally retarded) students with paid work opportunities while they are still in school. In the Work Inc. program, the Greater Boston business community becomes part of the daily curriculum of 500 students in 35 different communities…

The future of the American community, technical, and junior colleges will depend on the ability of educational leaders to shape the environment in which these institutions must function. The advent of the information-age, increasing competition for the recent high school graduate, and the current emphasis on education reform are examples of…

John Dewey proposed a transactive educational process in which personal experiences and development interacted with curriculum in order to transform the learner and the learning procedure. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate ways in which some of Dewey's concepts of progressive education provide a theoretical rationale for the increasing…

This position paper examines educational policies, school effectiveness, and responses to broader public policy concerns in the context of the special needs of early adolescence. The policy issues under consideration derive from a statewide comprehensive survey of educational trends in the middle grades and are addressed in a statewide Regents…

This study of parents' role in the college selection process is part of an ongoing market research agenda at a small, private, liberal arts college. Data were gathered from parents of currently enrolled freshmen about the information they needed to make informed decisions about which school their child would attend and the information they…

This ongoing project, conducted in four municipalities in Sweden, is investigating the ways in which schools and teaching are affected by various local communities and the ways in which central directives are transformed into a local educational reality. A diverse range of data have been collected, including demographic data from the…

Direct and indirect contributions of nine Arkansas universities to the economic well-being of the state, as well as the expected rate of return from support of higher education, were assessed. In-state expenditures by the universities and local expenditures by university staff and students were measured. A major impact was the value of business…

A task force was created to establish a collaborative relationship among government, education, private agencies, and employers for transition services for special education students. Findings were that unemployment and underemployment were extremely high for special education graduates who lacked adequate basic, job-seeking, and work skills. Few…

Concerned with the role of education in the development of rural areas, this report summarizes some of the major findings of the Australian Education and Local Development (ELD) projects combined with information collected from New Zealand rural areas during 1983. The five major studies contributing to the report are: (1) a case study of the…

The views of faculty members from postsecondary institutions in California, Utah, and Nevada regarding the impact of field-based courses in the humanities and social sciences as necessary to perform effectively, indicated problems frequently encountered during such courses, and recommended ideas to help others implement field-based courses. The…

The major vocational education research needs in North Carolina in the 1980s should represent the major research areas in other states. Research issues will fall into four major areas: policy, planning, finance, and citizen participation. If no appropriate state policy on vocational education is in place, an appropriate one must be established and…

An analysis of college programs that extends beyond cost comparisons and that may improve academic decision-making is described. The framework is based on the program cost elements presented by Gonyea and Harper (1978). A hypothetical college of urban affairs is used to illustrate the program cost elements. The program includes four constants:…