The paper examines ethnicity in American society and the role of ethnic studies in education in the context of a critical response to a paper presented at the National Council for the Social Studies in November, 1977. The original study, "Ethnicity and the Schools," by Daniel Selakovich, claimed that ethnic studies should play no role in education…

Drawing from extensive resources in the area of retirement and gerontology, this information analysis paper, which discusses preparation for retirement and advanced age, has three primary objectives: (1) to assess the psychological effects of retirement on the individual, (2) to assess preretirement conditions and attitudes that affect the…

Designed for infusing career development concepts into existing courses or curricula at grades K-3, these learning activities developed by teachers and staff members in the Toledo Public School System cover the following seven developmental areas identified in the Ohio Career Development Continuum: individual and environment; world of work; self;…

A request to develop instruments for assessing local foster care costs provided the impetus to examine family foster care in depth. Based on data from original studies done in Delaware and nationally during 1974-75 and on review of other research available, the study examined the history and connection of foster care to rural areas in the United…

A questionnaire distributed in March 1977 to 71 Canadian school systems sought information on any energy conservation programs that the school boards might have undertaken. Based on the 43 replies received, a 60 percent response rate, the findings are reported and some suggestions are offered. The first section on energy conservation at the board…

Student attrition was studied in relation to the quality of the interaction between the student and the college environment, using a modified version of the Total Adjustment Scale, a self-report rating scale. Academic functioning, social functioning, and bonding to the college setting were assessed for 459 college freshmen at the University of…

An article and descriptions of programs for first-year college students are presented. In "As Freshmen First," John Orr Dwyer recounts the history of the word "freshman" and outlines some of the characteristics of the 1980s first-year student. Recognizing the problems that face students entering college for the first time, he…

Rural sociology confronts a continuing crisis of identity because of its failure to develop a sociology of agriculture. Historically, despite an initial focus on agriculture, rural sociology became deflected to the analysis of rurality. Recent emphasis of rural sociologists on the turnaround phenomenon is symptomatic, but fails to deal with the…

As part of a series on career and life planning for adults, this booklet provides a guide to the job market and strategies for choosing a career. Part I suggests the reader list prospective careers and preferred job conditions. Part II helps the reader to categorize careers on the basis of requisite skills, occupational classifications,…

Research relevant to instructional improvement has usually been conducted from one of three perspectives: the adoption of improvements in the classroom, the dissemination of information about improvements to practitioners, or the relationship between adoption of improvements and the administrative organization of the adopting agency. This paper…

The future of K-12 social studies is examined in this volume, one in a series resulting from Project SPAN (Social Studies/Social Science Education: Priorities, Practices, and Needs). The report contains four sections. The first section presents "A Summary of Project SPAN." The project reviewed and analyzed the current state of K-12…

English language sociological research on higher education in Canada from 1970-1980 is reviewed. Functionalists have tended to concentrate upon the task of describing the perceived functions of the educational system in the society and have usually considered major educational change as occurring in response to the requirements of the polity and…

A study examined the relationship between different types of learning climates and the levels of academic achievement in extra-mural classes in Nigeria. Investigated during the course of the study were the following six types of learning climates: open, autonomous, controlled, familiar, paternal, and closed. To determine what, if any, relationship…

One of the major concerns in educating children with exceptional needs in the public school is the extent to which these children are socially accepted by teachers and peers. It has been suggested that the teacher may influence students' perceptions of handicapped children and that attempts to improve the social position of these children depend…

Changes in the metropolitan environment and its population, and the inability of public school systems to respond to these changes, are discussed in this paper. The author states that public school systems are closed systems which are inflexible and resistant to change, and are therefore unable to meet the challenges posed by the massive changes…