The working of the educational system in a welfare state was examined in a longitudinal study of a cohort (initially 1,029) of students followed from age 7 to age 23 years. An initial sample included 329 males and 342 females, of whom 352 had working class careers and 319 had middle class careers. Relationships among social origin, gender, and…

A career training program funded by the Job Training Partnership Act was developed in Loudon County, Tennessee, to alleviate the stresses that are described in the hypothesis that occupational aspirations and expectations are lower for rural, female, economically disadvantaged, and handicapped youth than they are for other youth. To participate,…

This report describes a model for improving retention and graduation rates of culturally diverse students that involves a guided studies seminar in psychological education. The objective is to provide incoming freshmen with an experiential seminar structured around examining higher education, learning and study skills development, and personal and…

Prepared by a Provost's Task Force on Assessment of Quality and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education, this report reviews the background of the currently burgeoning "assessment" movement and sets forth principles to guide the University of Arizona's efforts to redefine and reassess the quality and outcomes of its undergraduate programs.…

A recent California task force report on middle grade education, "Caught in the Middle," recommends that the master schedule provide for extended time blocks for core curriculum courses. Several goals of middle school education will be fulfilled by the program which is often called "core block" or "block time." The…

An overview is provided of the problem of student attrition and the essential components of effective retention programs. Following introductory arguments that the secret of retention is in the development of communities committed to education rather than retention, the paper discusses several major causes of student attrition, including academic…

Project ARETE and the English Festival, two programs sponsored by the English Department of Youngstown State University, are described in this report. The programs bring together university and public school teachers of all grade levels to reward students for reading and writing outside the classroom, assess student writing, renew classroom…

A study was conducted at Monroe Community College (MCC) in Rochester, New York, to assess the need for and define the objectives of an expanded orientation program, to determine the components of such a program and how these components would be integrated with other student development services, and to propose and design a program for future…

Summer Bridge, a 2-week, non-credit program of intensive career exploration and personal development offered to eligible freshmen at Alvin Community College, was instituted to enhance retention rates and achievement levels among high-risk students, particularly during their first semester at the college. The rationale for the program lay in the…

The concept of excellence is explored in relation to various dimensions. Since the time of ancient Greece, there has been difficulty in defining "the Good," or the nature of human excellence. It is suggested that "the Good" of which excellence is an important part is a fundamental concept of the human personality, and that…

The question of whether a liberal arts education is the best or the most useful kind of schooling is considered through a historical perspective. While education may be viewed as instrumental to the development of the individual and the overall society, some believe education should provide specific job training. In the first view, the needs of…

This report presents the Academic Retention and Talent Retrieval components of the Special Services Program at Northern Illinois University. The support structures are described in detail, including: CHANCE counseling, which assists students with academic and financial planning, personal growth, peer tutoring, and career counseling; and the Talent…

This document consists of a series of worksheets and lesson plans created by social studies teachers for use in an eighth grade urban studies course. The worksheets are designed to help students to discover first themselves, then the school, the community and the work world beyond school. Some examples of worksheet topics are: a chronological list…

A bibliography of Arthur W. Chickering's works on the college student as an individual is presented. Specific topics include the following: diverse student bodies and a changing society, competency-based education, adult development and teaching-learning implications, lifelong learning by handicapped persons, college curriculum development,…

During their first quarter, all nonremedial liberal arts students at LaGuardia Community College take an introductory cluster of four courses. These "freedom clusters" use a single body of material and a common analytical method and have, as their fixed elements, courses in philosophy, English composition, and the research paper. Course…