The paper investigates the qualities which distinguish representative democracies from other forms of government, particularly direct democracies, dictatorships, and oligarchies. Representative democracy is based on the precept that political authority should be located in offices which are specified by a popularly ratified or accepted…

Research techniques for measuring political learning during a campaign are examined. Micro-analytic techniques involve intensive analysis of individuals. Large amounts of data on the psychological and sociological settings of subjects are gathered, along with information on opinions toward past and emerging political situations. Macro-analytic…

Testimony is presented on the extension of those provisions of the Voting Rights Act which are due to expire later in 1975. The testimony describes the facts and reasoning which support President Ford's recommended Bill, H.R.2148. Also discussed are H.R.'s939, 3247 and 3501. The latter two bills propose that additional changes should be made in…

One person in five--42.4 million Americans--belongs to youth, viz. those who are 14 to 24 years of age. The 1970 census showed that there were 1.8 million Spanish heritage young Americans between 15 and 24 years of age. The number of white youth is estimated to be 36.6 million. The estimate for blacks and other racial minorities was 5.8 million in…

The research presented in this study focuses on the hypothesis that there are consistent patterns of school desegregation and racial attitudes in the South and urban North which can be empirically derived and mathematically described through the simultaneous use of ecological and opinion data. Findings relating to the public school desegregation…

The report questions whether there is evidence to indicate a significant undercount of the Spanish speaking background population in the United States in the 1970 Census and whether the undercount, if any, was due to the U.S. Census Bureau's methodology, including its collection techniques. The report also notes that these issues are not unique to…

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to political parties and elections. Ways in which political scientists study voting behavior, sampling techniques, problems arising from interpreting findings, and the use of correlational studies are presented. The unit includes an…

In October 1970, the Commission on Civil Rights published a large-scale study of "The Federal Civil Rights Enforcement Effort." Based on an evaluation of more than 40 departments and agencies with significant civil rights responsibilities, the Commission found that enforcement was characterized largely by inaction, lack of coordination,…

This report examines underlying causes of racial and ethnic tensions in the Mississippi Delta. It is based on sworn testimony from a public hearing, subpoenaed documents received by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and legal research. Data are provided on: equality of economic opportunity (racial factors and economic opportunity, agriculture,…

The United States has an extensive network of publicly financed and managed schools and provides almost no financial support to private schools. One of the most fundamental justifications for the status quo is the hypothesis that the regulation of private schools cannot adequately ensure that the desired social benefits of schooling will be…

Identified voter attitudes directly affecting voter behavior in fiscal elections, including attitudes about community involvement in policy-making, school community relations, school discipline and the teaching of democracy, present level of spending, and present level of taxes. Perceptions of school quality and social conditions have little…

Voters in five states approved referenda making English their official language. The vote is used to assess racial, ethnic, economic, political, and cultural hypotheses. The racial and cultural hypotheses are not validated; the ethnic and class ones are partially supported; and the political hypothesis offers the most compelling explanation. (26…

Reports on a study of the political attitudes and views toward elections among 140 Nigerian secondary students. Argues that, if schools are to play a significant role in Nigeria, it is essential for social studies educators to try to improve the current orientation of students toward elections. (CFR)

The involvement of parents in the community school board elections in New York City in May 1989 was to be closely watched. Puerto Rican and other minority parents must seize the opportunity provided by the elections as a first step toward determining the educational agenda for their children. (SLD)

Since the early 1990s, the majority of school-aged children in Texas have been non-White. The 1995 Texas legislature authorized the use of cumulative voting in school districts as a result of lawsuits prompted by the underrepresentation of minority groups on school boards. In cumulative voting, each voter has a number of votes equal to the number…