The major societal trends happening in Alberta, Canada, have an impact on educational effectiveness in the region. Statistics are provided in the areas of demographics, family and society, Alberta's youth, labor force, and advances in science and technology. The section on demographics includes data on population growth, births, fertility rates,…

This primer for state legislators discusses reasons for the current increase in home schooling and describes legislative actions regulating home schooling. In regards to guidelines for making workable laws regarding home schooling, attention is given to: (1) requiring communication between parent and school; (2) establishing minimum standards for…

In Canada today no single ethnocultural group makes up a majority of the population. Increases in the number of immigrants, especially people from Third World nations, continue to accelerate Canada's ethnocultural heterogeneity. A new descriptive term "visible minority," is now used to describe persons who are non-white, and distinct…

Existing work and research on literacy education across generations is reviewed, focusing on issues of gender inherent in literacy learning and considering them within a broader social context. In examining existing initiatives in family literacy, the meaning of intergenerational or family literacy is examined and critical questions about the…

A study of the discourse of Ga'dang, a Philippine language, focuses on normative discourse and persuasion, especially the ways in which the former is used to accomplish the latter. The first five chapters outline the theoretical framework of the study, placing normative and persuasive discourse in a philosophical context and relating them to the…

The use of the computer as an educational tool is examined in the two papers of this report. The first paper, "Taking Control of Educational Technology" by Bertram Bruce, considers what computers are and how they might be used productively in education. The paper notes that the biggest impact of computers may be in terms of the ways they…

Contemporary demographic, economic, political, and social changes in Europe are influencing cultural and educational processes. International migration, internal migration from rural to urban centers, emergence of the welfare state, professionalization of society, technological advancement, and changes in occupational structure and the situation…

The responses of 400 ninth grade students to a survey relating to six social factors and to youth input in decision making were ranked in reference to characteristics of the students and their families. The success of 4-H and other youth programs in meeting these concerns was compared. (SA)

A 1969 sample survey of 565 households in New York's Chinatown indicates that the pattern of recent Chinese immigration is characterized by young age, low sex ratio, high educational level, high rate of occupational downgrading, and a high proportion of nuclear families. (Author/SF)

Professionals in the field of social work are becoming increasingly aware of ethnic factors in their work and of the particular problems and requirements of ethnic minority clients. This book was written for students and practitioners who want to prepare for effective social work practice with black clients. The concept of "empowerment" is…

Creative and inexpensive teaching suggestions for high school anthropology courses are presented. They are chosen specifically for programs which cannot afford expensive curriculum materials. All activities demonstrate the application of universal anthropological principles to the American society. Seven areas which reflect the general functions…

This study examines the appropriateness of the preventive mental health model by comparing a sample of non-opiate drug abusers with a sample of psychiatric patients. Data indicate non-opiate drug abusers and psychiatric patients are similar, although the drug abuse sample shows small, but consistent evidence of greater psychosocial adjustment…

Demolinguistics is a branch of sociolinguistics observing linguistic trends as affected by population distribution and redistribution and by the status of societies. Modern communication techniques favor the spread of the 'big' languages to the disadvantage of the 'small' ones. (Text is in French.) Available from Humanities Press, Inc., Atlantic…

Three motivating factors are discussed as they relate to the adult illiterate: social-cultural forces; interests and needs; and methods, techniques, and devices. (MW)