Beginning with a review of signs and signals of public attitudes toward American education over the last 15 years, this paper analyzes some concerns regarding public confidence in public schools. Following a brief introduction, issues involved in the definition and behavioral attributes of confidence are mentioned. A synopsis of three approaches…

This report describes a "third wave" of educational reform that focuses on improving academic achievement and preventing dropping out among disadvantaged children. It contains eight sections. The Executive Summary surveys the dimensions of the at-risk situation and strategies to confront it. "The Scope of the Problem" provides background on the…

The relationship between the internal structure of the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (GIAE) in rural Australia and the structure of the social and physical environment are considered, based on a sociological case study. A review of higher education covers the technical school system, the development of colleges of advanced education in…

Our nation's youth dropout rate, while consistent for almost 20 years, has increasingly become a major educational and societal problem. This summary of a longer sourcebook provides an overview of various strategies and initiatives for groups, schools, businesses, and communities to consider in addressing their dropout problems, and describes a…

Without massive public intervention centering on the public schools, America will have a permanent underclass. This report of the Council of Great City Schools analyzes existing reports on educational reform and provides recommendations for improving urban schools. The report examines the following five key issues that urban schools will have to…

A report of the Quality Higher Education Study Committee on state-supported institutions in Arkansas is presented, including 43 recommendations. Attention is directed to: economic characteristics in the state (business indicators, population and growth, personal and family income); social characteristics in the state (education levels, illiteracy,…

The efforts of Vassar College and Cornell University in their early years (1865-1890) to manage problems presented by underprepared students are described. Based on archival materials, registers, institutional publications, and histories, attention is directed to the perceptions of administrators, faculty, students, and alumni concerning academic…

Designed to help principals in rural and small schools, this volume contains 29 articles under the three broad headings of new possibilities in everyday practice, applications of recent research, and initiatives to help schools and communities grow. The editors' introduction notes the challenges facing small school administrators, the problems…

Twenty-two principles of middle grade education are addressed in this report, which is intended for those who have the authority to give meaning and substance to the reform of middle grade education in California's public schools. Each principle is developed through a discussion that concludes with specific recommendations that have implications…

Inner City children have been known to experience difficulty in school with their academic programs because they are taught in an environment that is culturally different from the home and community that a child comes from. Thus, an inner city child may be stigmatized as educationally deficient, consequently depriving him of the opportunities to…

The way in which student services can meet the needs of a small segment of the student body who need extensive and intensive developmental work is considered as part of the American Council on Education's Higher Education/Comprehensive Employment and Training ACT (CETA) Project, which was supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary…

The characteristics of a proposed basic skills instructional program that would involve all staff in a junior high school are described in this report. Basic skills are defined as ideas needed throughout life. Planned for the 1982-83 school year, the program is aimed at creating an environment for effective school change. Activities in seven…

A summary is provided of the progress of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) in meeting the major objectives of its 5-year plan. Chapter I focuses on academic affairs, providing an evaluation and review of academic programs; an examination of program and curriculum development activities; an analysis of curriculum/program development in…

Theories by Sergiovanni and Vaill suggest that what a leader stands for and communicates to others is qualitatively more important than how that leader behaves, given any particular set of circumstances. Quality is the primary criteria for determining successful educational practices today as measured by the Secondary School Recognition Program's…

This document provides an account of the status of Hispanics in inner-city public high schools, and recommendations for improving that status. The report has two main parts. The first gives background data which reveal, among other things, that although the majority of Hispanic students enter high school with aspirations as high as any social…