An inservice workshop program for elementary school teachers in Israel helps them in coping with students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Program topics include discussion of: individual differences, pluralistic views of education, tests and measurement methodology, and new instructional strategies. Emphasis is placed on values…

Effective schools have staffs that stress the importance of educational goals and have a well-defined mission. They also clearly communicate the expectation that all students can and will reach the stated goals. Reviews of studies of exemplary schools find that the principals express high expectations for both teacher and student performance,…

Perspectives on the context and results of the investigation conducted by the National Commission on Excellence in Education are presented. It is noted that the Commission's analysis sought to determine the extent to which colleges fail to set and maintain high standards, and the extent to which they fail to make their measures and benchmarks of…

Part of a nine-country cross-cultural research project designed to answer the question "Why do people want children?", this study examined the social, psychological, socioeconomic, and demographic determinants of fertility in Turkey. A nationally representative sample of 2305 married persons (1762 females and 543 males) were interviewed…

Prepared as a predeparture orientation program for high school students participating in an exchange experience within the United States, this publication may also be useful to any adolescent or adult about to relocate within the United States. Materials are divided into a student handbook and a leader's guide. The student handbook focuses on four…

The value system of a school is a major factor affecting the teacher's working conditions, but public discourse on educational reform tends to avoid serious discussion of the most deeply embedded values in our educational system. This absence of serious reflection on values limits consideration of alternatives for improving both education and the…

Students in a children and television course wrote their "television autobiographies" (that is, their relationship with TV). Forty-three students at a mid-size upstate New York college participated. The autobiographies corroborated the results of previous quantitative and qualitative research, but added a personal, more in-depth look at the…

While the government of South Africa has outwardly promoted democracy since 1983, it nonetheless has placed its press under tight constraint to discourage dissent concerning political issues and enhance the government's credibility. Not only are journalists within the country restricted, but foreign correspondents as well. Moreover, although there…

This paper examines the appropriateness of the case study approach, commonly used in medical and law schools, for prospective and inservice teachers in schools of education. Developing courses in which case studies would be used to illustrate moral dilemmas would aid teachers in examining their ethical principles, weighing moral issues, and…

Interdisciplinary programs at nine colleges and universities are described. An introductory essay, "Reflections from an Interdisciplinary Milieu," by Donald N. Levine discusses the benefits of an interdisciplinary emphasis for undergraduate education. The following programs are featured: Bowdoin College's environmental studies program;…

A study explored the relationship between social/cultural control and the way knowledge is structured and presented in schools. "Critical literacy" was defined as the perception of meaning within the total context of the relevant experiences of the reader. The "dilemmas of schooling" language developed by A. Berlak and H. Berlak was used to…

The core curriculum at Saint Joseph's College is described, along with the revision of the general education program during 1966-1969. The core program, which is integrative in structure, was adopted because it provided a means to achieve the goals of the institution, a Catholic liberal arts college. The change to the core curriculum required…

Six course units and learning activities for the Career Planning and Decision-Making course is presented. The course emphasizes career comprehension, career values, and career action. Career comprehension includes developing knowledge of the world of work and planning and decision-making skills. Career values focus on clarifying, identifying, and…

Drawing largely from institutional research prepared at Harcum Junior College (HJC), a private all-female two-year college in Pennsylvania, this report contrasts private junior college students with community college students in terms of their attitudes and values, reasons for attending college, rates of and reasons for attrition, and evaluations…

Current trends in ethical/moral instruction are placed in context by tracing educational and social change from the 19th century to the present. The focus on religion for salvation and on good behavior lasted in modified form well into the 19th century. In the late 19th century curriculum in the schools changed due to immigration, industrialism,…