There is a resurgence of scientific and public interest and controversy centering on four interrelated themes: (1) intelligence testing; (2) racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in measured IQ; (3) genetic and environmental influences on abilities; and (4) the role of scientific research in social policy. Given the polarization of views,…

The overall economic well-being of U.S. rural communities is on the decline. Rural America is now dependent on a highly diversified economy, and its problems will not be resolved through improved farm income alone. Various weaknesses in rural development policies must be addressed. The narrow policy focus on attracting manufacturing industries to…

To help develop a long range plan for the California Community Colleges (CCC), a "futures research" project was undertaken to gather information on internal and external college trends and subject that data to various analytical and consensus-building techniques. In the project, a literature review was conducted, external forecasts for…

Students in Israel who wish to enter institutes of higher education are required to hold a matriculation certificate. Matriculation exams are therefore high-stake and stressful. In 1993 the Minister of Education appointed a committee to consider reforming the matriculation policy. This paper describes the political and societal aspects of the…

The 1994 and 1996 Federal Forecasters Conferences provided forums at which forecasters and those involved in predicting trends from different federal agencies and other organizations could meet to discuss various aspects of forecasting in the United States. The theme of the 1996 conference was "Federal Forecasters Look 10 Years Ahead."…

The Tasmania Department of Education and the Arts commissioned policy research in February 1992 to identify forms of accountability preferred by stakeholders. This paper describes the policy-research project that sought to clarify the accountability processes and the criteria for collecting data and improving the quality of learning, teaching, and…

Under the California Community Colleges' (CCC's) current grading policy, a symbol of W is permitted to designate that a student withdrew from a course before a locally determined drop deadline. There is no allowance for a symbol, however, that accurately denotes that students have ceased to participate at a point in the term beyond which they are…

This consensus report on supported employment for people with severe mental retardation was a product of a conference which brought together the expertise of consumers, practitioners, researchers, family members, and analysts. Determinants of success in supported employment for this population are identified along with critical issues for…

The Nation's Report Card, formally known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), has been informing the United States about the state of learning since its first survey was conducted in 1969. This report describes how this project, mandated by Congress and funded by the Department of Education, has evolved. It describes the…

One of the first steps psychologists can take toward making themselves indispensable in the schools is to actively participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of crisis intervention teams. Unless effective crisis intervention strategies are instituted, the educational process comes to a standstill. School psychologists need to play…

This publication presents the American Federation of Teachers' 10 criteria for high-quality public school academic standards and seeks to contribute to the national debate about school reform, academic achievement, and world-class educational standards. The criteria are: (1) standards must focus on academics because the purpose of setting…

The Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council convened a workshop in 1994 to help policymakers and others better understand the complex issues emerging from the standards-based educational reform movement. This bulletin synthesizes the workshop discussions. It is organized around four major themes that emerged from the…

Most contemporary social and political discourse in the United States takes place within a particular framework of assumptions. The rise of mass media, mass politics, and massive government means that an elite group of articulate people have great leverage in determining the course of the whole society. This book examines the vision of the…

Carleton University (Ontario, Canada) has implemented an employment equity plan and has received a federal merit award for this program. The program has involved a concrete investment of time and resources for training, review of employment systems, implementation and monitoring, and ongoing attention at the senior policy level. At the outset the…

A research project acquired and compiled information on the services (from state and federally funded programs in California) available for chemically dependent pregnant and parenting women and young drug-exposed children from birth to age 3. The research methods consisted of a literature review and a survey of 13 key state and federally funded…