This report contains six research papers and a summary of a panel discussion on the topic of cognition and the adult learner. The papers are as follows: "Psychology and Adult Cognition" (Wilbert J. McKeachie); "Biology and Adult Cognition" (Frank Farley); "Technology and Adult Cognition" (Barbara Grabowski); "Enhancing Cognitive Skills" (Richard…

This report describes the make-up and mission of the Commission on Workforce Quality established by the U.S. Secretary of Labor on July 11, 1988. According to the report, the commission is to conduct a year-long study on the present quality and future needs of the U.S. work force, with a report due on Labor Day, 1989. This short introductory…

Research is examining the processes by which persistent and concentrated urban poverty is created, maintained, prevented, or overcome. This paper reports on discussion and suggestions generated in a planning meeting of the Social Science Research Council's Committee for Research on the Urban Underclass held on September 21-23, 1988. Issues…

Many teachers work in the difficult situation of teaching academic subjects to students who are not academically oriented. Especially in high school, non-college-bound students are required to take two or three years of science and social studies. For these students schools offer lower-track classes that exhibit high failure rates and low teacher…

Based on the premise that composition skills and their evaluation are crucial to the educational process, this paper presents a tentative research program for conducting future English as a second language (ESL) composition evaluation studies. The program developed in the paper covers the following topics as areas which merit further rigorous…

A study of high school dropouts and programs in Appalachian regions of 13 states also sought exemplary programs and methods of replication. The high school dropout rate was found to be 5.8% higher than the national average of 23.9%. Within the region, rates were 19.1% in the northern, 38% in the central, and 30% in the southern region. Differences…

This paper discusses the changes in social processes and corresponding changes in education as a result of the presence of post-war, non-Anglo-Celtic immigrants in Australia. This is followed by analyses of recent reports which have influenced policy, and the paper concludes with identification of research needs in the light of recent research…

Higher education research on faculty and psychological and sociological literature on professionals at work in organizations are reviewed in order to determine, as part of a 5-year project, why faculty behave as they do. The survey is seen as a conceptual guide for understanding the multidimensional factors involved. The results of the analysis of…

Education students planning to teach in rural areas need, but do not receive, specialized training. Among differences encountered by rural teachers are professional isolation and limited inservice training; assignment to more subjects, more grade levels, and more extracurricular activities; lower budgets and salaries; inadequate materials; less…

These proceedings consist of the following presentations and discussion papers: "Extension Research Needs in Evalaution" (Michael Patton); "Needed Research in Program Development" (Roger Lawrence); "The Cooperative Extension Service: A National Assessment" (Paul Warner); "National Study of Extension's Research…

This monograph reviews research and educational reports to examine the state of the art in preservice and inservice teacher education in the urban community in the United States. A review of urban areas in the last thirty years reveals major social and environmental changes, such as population increases, shifts in racial composition, the…

Based on existing data on enrollments, student characteristics and performance, and student follow-up, this report describes the status and quality of general education in the Maricopa County Community College District and recommends areas in which further research is needed. The first major section of the report presents a data summary. With…

This paper on the future of preservice teacher education examines the question of whether a crisis exists today in schools and in teacher education. It is noted that judgments vary, given different perspectives and vantage points for observation, and that a reliable assessment of the current health of schooling and teacher education is difficult.…

Focusing on cultural influences and minority control over water and mineral resources, this workshop collection contains two papers and two sets of comments regarding those papers. Studying the relationship between rural poverty and water resources in the Southwest, the first paper, by Helen Ingram and five others, examines how water is important…

Rapid technological change in American society has been accompanied by accelerating growth of the population over 65. This report discusses the new challenges that will face the public and private sectors in both responding to the needs and making use of the resources of older Americans. The report discusses five chronic conditions that severely…