The focus of the curriculum in the elementary schools today is on reading, writing, and mathematics, an emphasis reinforced by state competency testing programs. This trend is lamented by science and social studies educators who argue that one of the major goals of today's education should be to produce citizens who are technologically literate.…

The National Research Council's Committee on the Education and Utilization of the Engineer conducted a study aimed at achieving a comprehensive understanding of engineering in the United States and an assessment of its capacity to meet present and future needs. This document reports on the findings of the committee's work over a 2-year period. The…

This paper addresses the demographic and socioeconomic effects on schools of the "new baby boom," consisting of school-age children of the original "baby boomers." The effects of this second-generation demographic trend include a higher proportion of minority students (since the decline in marriage and birth rates among baby…

To examine the process of language shift (bilingualization) in an area where there is a local dialect equivalent to a "language of solidarity" and a national language equivalent to a "language of power," language interactions in the impoverished village of San Marcos in the highlands of Guatemala were examined. Although Spanish…

When in childhood concepts about alcohol and drinking begin to develop has just begun to be investigated. A study was conducted to examine cognitive, maturational, and differential exposure influences on the acquisition of concepts about alcoholic beverages in preschool children. Knowledge about alcoholic beverages and drinking was assessed in 65…

The basic premise of this paper is that second language learning or teaching is an exercise in contrastive linguistics because learners filter and assimilate the second language through the categories and experiences represented by the first language to create situationally appropriate utterances. By selecting and exchanging information,…

The distribution of knowledge in society tends to parallel the distribution of other social and economic resources. Currently four major socioeconomic trends point not only to widened knowledge gaps in the future but also to greater divisions between higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups. First, a long-term trend toward a more…

Intergenerational child care is a general label for the concept of interactions between young children in prekindergarten and child care programs and older adults who are retired or nearing retirement. Discussion of the concept and associated trends in care initially focuses on factors accounting for the recent interest in involving older adults…

The seven papers presented in this document are the products of a Think Tank held concurrently with a 1985 conference on the black family. Approximately 45 representatives of the Greater Cleveland community participated in the Think Tank, which was divided into ten task forces that addressed issues that are critical to the survival and development…

Case studies of a Southern Appalachian urban middle-class family, a rural lower-class family, and a rural middle-class family illustrate the nature of Appalachian ethnicity and its relationship to school experience. The variables of ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and rural/urban residence are investigated through structured interviews with…

Using generalizations based on pre-U.S. Civil War era history to interpret U.S. social history, this paper presents: (1) the effects of various social institutions in history on civic values; (2) the current role of U.S. colleges and universities as social institutions; and (3) curriculum development suggestions for the preparation of civic…

To provide an understanding of the current controversial issues about civic education in U.S. schools, the historical interrelationships of schools, communities, and families and their bearings on civic education revolve around three basic themes in U.S. history. These themes are: (1) the cohesive value claims of a democratic political community;…

Nine chapters emphasizing religious, domestic, and economic aspects of women in Southeast Asia are presented. In an introductory chapter, Penny Van Esterik discusses women and Buddhism, societal and domestic roles, occupational patterns, research on women in Southeast Asia, and Southeast Asia's past and future. In chapter 2, "Buddhism,…

This publication, volume 1 of 2, contains proceedings from a national symposium on recreation trends. Topics of the 25 papers in volume 1 include: selected trends in recreation activities; and recreation planning, policy, financing, equipment, organizational membership, and lands and waters. Papers are arranged in six sections: (1) Data-Deficient…

In the spring of 1987, a survey was conducted of 2,700 seniors in 37 overseas schools of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) system, replicating an earlier 1982 survey. Both matched a parallel series of domestic national surveys in the ongoing Monitoring the Future study. This report presents the findings on the prevalence of drug…