The major papers collected in this work were written by researchers who participated in a regional research project entitled "Isolation of Factors Related to Levels and Patterns of Living in the Rural South." Chapter 1 examines the low income rural family as an open system. Chapter 2 discusses research objectives and sample design.…

Policy issues relating to the integration of information and communications technology into higher education are addressed, primarily for those with policy development responsibility at the state level. The following chapters are included: (1) "State Higher Education Policies in the Information Age: An Introduction to the Issues" (Robert…

Grade retention data were collected from the Campbell River, British Columbia schools to determine the prevalence of retention and its effect on school completion. An extensive survey was administered to 52 parents and 204 educators to assess attitudes towards grade retention. Individual interviews were conducted with eight teachers from various…

Strategies to facilitate better cooperation between business and higher education institutions are explored with a focus on policies that colleges, businesses, and public policy makers can implement to utilize educational resources for economic development. Consideration is given to: developing informal university-industry networks, universities…

Dislocated workers are distinguished from chronically unemployed individuals in that the former have a stable work history and are generally unaware of the community's social services programs and how to use them. Dislocated workers frequently lack job search skills and do not see the transferability of their work skills. Often, they have heavy…

Information collected from interviews with 15 ministers of education and 30 program directors and researchers at 18 universities in Venezuela, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina is used to study academic programs which prepare persons to be educational planners and administrators. Section one describes background…

A study examined curriculum policies and practices within technical and further education (TAFE) in Australia. To isolate and explain differences in patterns of curriculum development (CD) within the TAFE sector, researchers administered a set of three-tiered questionnaire information-gathering sheets to curriculum developers and project managers…

"Adult competence" and "productivity" can be viewed as interactive terms on the same continuum; as the definition of one term expands, so does the definition of the other. For example, while productivity may once have meant simply the efficient production of goods and services, it now encompasses a much vaster dimension, including such factors as…

Limitations on governmental taxing and/or spending, exemplified by the "Proposition 13" initiative in California, have been instituted or proposed in a large number of states. As the movement spreads, state education agencies (SEAs) and, especially, chief state school officers have fundamental policy decisions to make. Areas where the…

The comprehensiveness and specificity of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and the detailed regulations that accompany them, might seem to foreclose any opportunity for states to develop and follow their own policies. However, reports from chief state school…

Six papers, which comprise Part II of "Studies in Curriculum Decision Making," explore: (1) actions taken by those in nonteaching roles to facilitate teacher effectiveness; (2) how helpful these actions are likely to be; and (3) what individuals in nonteaching roles can do to assist teacher effectiveness. Interviews and questionnaires…

This comprehensive admissions model is designed to assist school personnel on both the secondary and postsecondary levels in the State of Missouri with the admission and selection of students for vocational programs. Presented in flow chart form with an accompanying outline to describe its various steps, the model addresses the following stages of…

Through site visits, a case study was made of the California Conservation Corps (CCC) in order to provide a description of its history, objectives, program features, participants, funding patterns, future plans, and key issues scheduled to be addressed by the program. Descended from similar earlier programs, the CCC was established in 1976. After…

A task force was created in Iowa to develop state standards for vocational education programs. From the task force, a standards committee with four objectives was created. These objectives were (1) to collect and study existing standards, (2) to ascertain changes and/or additions needed to assure quality programs for students of vocational…

A paper examining recent changes in the social and economic development of rural America--with comments by a different author--and a paper discussing rural policy comprise this workshop collection. Placing the changes of the 1970s in a broader historical perspective and developing a general framework within which to consider the influence of…