The contributions distance teaching (education delivered to learners who study anywhere and in their own time) can make to work-oriented, family and community, professional and paraprofessional, and general basic education in developing rural areas are discussed briefly. Its use in professional education is illustrated with description of the Free…

In discussing federal policies of full disclosure to students of pertinent information about institutional policies the author concludes that full disclosure of completion and placement data may create more problems for consumer protection than it resolves and recommends steps colleges take in obtaining necessary and reliable data guidelines.…

The attrition rate of freshmen at USM was examined over a four year period. The 1974 entering freshmen dropped out at a rate of 47.54 percent. Age, race, and enrollment status significantly distinguished the retained from the dropout students. The Black students had a higher retention rate (63.64 percent) than the White students (51 percent).…

Factors contributing to high crime rates and low school attendance rates among Chinese youth include language problems, lack of youth programs, crowded living conditions, peer group struggles, lack of role models, and difficulties in communicating with parents. Project Reach attempts to deal with some of these problems. (EB)

The author reviews the "Cultural Missions Programme" of Mexico's educational reform after 1920, in which groups of teachers using Catholic missionary methods fought poverty and ignorance in rural Mexico. These mission programs embody most of the community development principles and are still needed. (MF)

The structure of nonmetro employment has become increasingly diverse and decreasingly agricultural. The precise policy implications of these shifts are not self-evident, but the increasingly nonagricultural character of the rural economy is at the heart of the population turnaround. (Author/KR)

Studies which examine student withdrawals and procrastination in self-paced (SP) psychology courses indicate that: (1) withdrawal is correlated with inferior academic performance, (2) early performance appears to be predictive of later performance, (3) and SP instruction produces better performance for students with weak academic records. It is…

An Open University counselor wrote to disabled students to discover why they failed to continue their studies. Difficulties indicated by the replies include costs; physical impediments like toilets, stairs, desks and chairs; lack of understanding of deaf peoples' deprivation; illness; and meeting time requirements. (SW)

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 indicate that women are more likely to withdraw only in two year colleges and that whites are more likely to withdraw than blacks. High school program, college grades, and educational aspiration are significantly related to withdrawal, but receipt of financial aid is not.…

A paper from an International Labour Office seminar states that the economic and social development of rural workers must be through their labor organizations. In principle, such organizations for rural workers are the same as those for urban industrial workers. Services provided by unions are discussed. (MF)

A white high school dropout stands a better chance at employment than a black high school graduate, according to a study that maintains that persistent high black unemployment rates and lower paying, less prestigious jobs are not a matter of poorer or less education but of prejudice. (Author/LBH)

The Home Education Livelihood Program, Inc. (HELP) has been involved in the creation of new mechanisms designed to improve the quality of life in the rural towns, villages, and small cities of New Mexico. HELP assists in the physical, human, and economic development, and provides a multitude of socioeconomic services to such rural residents as…

To counter the teenage pregnancy epidemic, sex education should be expanded to a twelve year learning program. Schools must develop imaginative and innovative programs geared to their individual and community needs. School-based medical clinics and special programs for pregnant and parenting teens may be necessities in some communities. (MD)

Since the state of Florida enacted stricter academic standards for high schools, the dropout rate has increased and middle schools have suffered. Funds formerly intended for elementary and middle schools are being used to sustain high school reform programs. School reform at one level has serious implications for other levels. (MD)

Analyzed Boshier's congruence model constructs in concert with a variety of socioeconomic and psychological variables using a population of adult high school completion students. Revealed that incongruency variables were poor predictors of dropout, and dropouts had less self/other incongruence. Suggests that dropout studies be approached from a…