The major candidates in the 1980 presidential election, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and John Anderson, present their opinions on the problems facing elementary education today, their plans for improving it, and their views on the future of the new Department of Education. (SJL)

The Council on Social Work Education's Accreditation Standard 1234A encourages special efforts by schools to promote racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in the student body, all levels of instruction and research, and institutional support. Criticisms of the standard's vagueness and techniques for its clarification and implementation are…

The 1981-83 American Association of University Women's proposed Association Legislative Program is presented, based on members' input through the Every-Member Legislative Survey. Issues considered include: equity/advancement for women, rights of the individual, community, cultural policy, educational policy, and foreign policy. (MLW)

AAUP's position is that the purpose of an institution's retirement plan for faculty members and administrators and its plan for their insurance benefits should be to help educators and their families withstand the financial effects of illness, old age, and death and to increase the educational effectiveness of the college and university. (MLW)

Explains and supports the policy statement on assistive technology devices and services approved by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. The need for the identification of appropriate assistive technology devices and services subsequent to examination of factors across multiple…

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) supports the position that evolution is a major unifying concept in science and should be included as part of K-college science frameworks and curricula. Includes recommendations and information on the nature of science, scientific theories, evolution as a unifying concept, creationism, and legal…

Summarizes major points of NAEYC's revised position, describing how the revision builds on and expands the previous document through the growing knowledge base and the input of practitioners who used the original publication. Discusses the historical context within which the position statement was written, and summarizes the revisions. Discusses…

A national association of composition teachers is drafting a statement on professional standards and recommendations for writing instructors. The statement addresses teacher autonomy and curricular input, teacher qualifications, class size, temporary part-time vs. full-time employment, compensation, and teaching assistant qualifications. (MSE)

The American Council on Education's guidelines are summarized to help boards formulate needed, comprehensive policies on alcohol and drug abuse in all aspects of campus life. (MSE)

Presents text from the vision statement for family friendly libraries to help citizens who are experiencing difficulties with public library system policies of the American Library Association. Describes five articles from the statement: traditional family emphasis, parental library rights, respect for standards and laws, respect for minors, and…

Reviews reasons for the Association for Childhood Education International's opposition to standardized testing of children in the early grades. Discusses two alternative approaches: nonstructured assessments and structured assessments. Considers parents' and teachers' roles in these forms of assessments, and the teacher training that is needed.…

A situational perspective of instructional supervision views context as mutually constructed by participants. The article presents a history of supervision, then details the rationale for a situational approach, presents a vision of what situational supervision may look like, and notes implications of a situational approach. (SM)

This statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children maintains that teachers must concern themselves with inequities in children's experiences and individual differences of students. They must have appropriate expectations for children's capabilities at the time of school entry. Offers strategies schools can use to…

Policy statements of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages are presented for administration of foreign language departments; use of outside reviewers; and statement of good practice: teaching, evaluation, and scholarship.(LB)

The Scottish 5-14 master educational narrative prescribes a rigid framework for curricular policies and planning. The ideological strands of 5-14 present education as a business, promote the maintenance of a common culture, and attack teacher professionalism. Argues that the program should be seen as a means of control over the practice and…