Prepared to help community college planners and policy makers identify likely future conditions and draw implications from that information, this report focuses on those statewide trends and policy directions considered important to the development of educational programs and services. Specific areas covered in the report are: (1) demographics,…

The 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk" began a new reevaluation of American schooling. The issues raised in that and several more recent reports are summarized and discussed in this preface to the ERIC volume, "Trends and Issues in Education, 1986." This paper offers observations and reflections on the issues presented in that volume and…

A study synthesized existing data and information on the characteristics of actual and potential dropouts and identified strategies and techniques employed in vocational programs in order to remedy basic skill deficiencies in these youths. During the study, a veriety of sources were examined, including school performance and job proficiency data,…

This anthology of 58 pieces originally published in the "Journal of Experiential Education" focuses on the value of experiential learning and the need to incorporate direct experience in formal education. Chapter 1 summarizes and reviews the findings of "A Nation at Risk" and other major national reports on education. Chapter 2…

Farming-dependent counties are some of the most economically distressed parts of nonmetropolitan America because their inability to diversify economically has left them vulnerable to changes in natural resource markets, commodity prices, and farm conditions. The Midwest has been hit hardest. The greatest proportion of highly leveraged farms is in…

This second of four volumes on the history of compulsory education among the nations of Europe and the western hemisphere covers schools, pupils, teachers, programs, and methods. Of the volume's 16 selections, 13 are written in English and 3 are written in Italian. Most selections contain summaries; summaries of the Italian articles are written in…

Research on the development of the master's degree in the United States and its growth in the postwar technological era are reviewed within the context of tradition, diversity, and change. Research on structure and organization, curricular reform, quality control, and innovation is synthesized, and suggestions for future research are offered. The…

This report analyzes the effect of public participation and the use of third party neutrals on recommendations for reorganization of a large Ontario school system. To reexamine the system, expand programs, and consolidate schools, the board of education commissioned an advisory council in 1984 to obtain community input before making…

The impact of student aid policies on women is assessed. Differences in the conditions affecting men's and women's need for aid are identified, along with actions that could improve women's participation in student aid programs. Gender issues in student aid policy include: loan burden, default, and bankruptcy; the award of merit scholarships;…

The contents of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 are summarized, with attention to competing interests and policy areas of concern to the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Current provisions and proposed changes are reviewed for: Title I, Continuing Postsecondary Education Program and Planning; Title II, College and Research…

Eight issues affecting the ability of the schools to meet the public's expectations and concerns are explored in this address. It examines problems, proposed solutions, barriers to change, and possibilities for reform in each of the eight areas. The topics considered are (1) school organization, the need for flexible structuring, and enhancement…

The emergence of the U.S postsecondary institution as a central economic, social, and cultural institution during 1915-1940 is traced. The complexity of the functions of education in the egalitarian and technocratic society of the United States is also addressed. Attention is directed to: developments during and after World War I, the expansion of…

This report investigates how administrative complexity in funding and personnel of American public school districts varies depending on local, state, and federal funding environments. The analyses are based on a data set integrated from several national data sources describing school districts in the 1970s. As hypothesized in the study, dependence…

Nearly 150 exemplary programs and policies at colleges and associations that promote sex equity in postsecondary education are described that are also adaptable to other settings. Thirteen short essays on the basics of change are also presented. The sex equity programs included those directed to students and staff, those designed to improve the…

Recent attempts of the British government to shift its student aid programs from grants to loans are discussed, along with parallels between developments in student aid policy in both Britain and the United States. Great Britain's higher education structure, access to education, and enrollments are briefly described. In Britain over 90 percent of…