Focusing on the rationales and materials for teaching social issues in the English classroom, this thematic issue contains the following articles: "Introduction: Reflections of Society in Literature" (M. B. Fleming); "Addressing Social and/or Controversial Issues in the English Classroom" (S. Totten); "The Growing Threat to Quality Education: How…

The opinions of principals and newspaper advisers toward high school student press freedom were surveyed in a random sample of principals and newspaper advisers at 502 high schools in all 50 states. Subjects completed a 39-statement instrument on which they indicated levels of agreement or disagreement on the following concerns: control and…

Intended for those involved in American social service and educational communities, this book addresses the widespread problem of illiteracy in the United States and the social consequences of this problem. Following an introduction, the chapters in the first section of the book discuss the growing crisis of illiterate America, specifically, the…

In order to create the ethos of a social "movement," a collective must show that it is moving (1) against something (an enemy); (2) towards something (a vision of possibility); (3) from something (situation of origin); and (4) with something (an ever-expanding collection of people). When applied to protestant Christian feminism (as…

This resource manual was developed to assist Texas school districts in their efforts to address and respond to the dropout problem. A 1986 study revealed a dropout rate of 33 per cent in Texas. A task force was initiated in 1987 to study the educational and social problem and produce this manual as a step toward overcoming it. The manual has the…

Noting that the work of Jurgen Habermas has had an important influence on philosophy and the social sciences recently, this paper examines the implications of using Habermas's "ideal speech situation" as a criterion for deciding issues relating to the First Amendment. The paper first briefly reviews the distinctive features of critical…

Background, rationale, and promising practices for teaching about science-related social issues in the science and social studies classroom are presented. Material is divided into five sections, each introduced with a topical question. The first section considers the challenges associated with the pervasive influences of science and technology in…

This study is a history of the societal-problems approach in social studies education as revealed in secondary school social studies textbooks used in Problems of Democracy courses from 1895 to 1985. The central thesis is that the definition of the problems approach and the problems selected for study by educators as illustrated by the textbooks…

This paper traces an administrator's view of the changes necessary to make the community college a viable force in postsecondary education. First, problems and challenges facing the United States in general are reviewed, including rising illiteracy and dropout rates among the nation's high school students, increasing violence and crime in the…

As awareness of the threat of nuclear war has increased over the past decade (1975-1984), young people have learned to cope with the possibility of unimaginable catastrophe. This paper accordingly begins by reviewing literature on how people cope with the threat of nuclear war, in order to reconcile general theories of coping with nuclear anxiety…

The paper summarizes the results of an analysis of recently issued Census data. Examining the anti-poverty effectiveness of cash and non-cash benefit programs from 1979 to 1986, the analysis focuses on the impacts of those programs on families with children, the group whose poverty rate has risen most rapidly since 1979. The data reveal that…

To investigate the gap between the supply of and demand for child care in Vermont, the Child Care Task Force (CCTF) held a series of hearings. Testimony was taken from more than 40 persons involved with child care programs, including parents, child care providers, employers, professionals in the early childhood development field, and…

This article in a population education newsletter focuses on films and other audio-visual materials suitable for secondary and higher education and available for teaching about current population issues. The article discusses how to get the most out of population-related films. Eight hints for structuring film viewing and follow-up activities are…

Assuming that neighborhood newspapers and neighborhood leaders are among the most important influences on neighborhood residents' issue agendas and definitions of issues, a study examined some of these influences by interviewing a random sample of 239 residents of a low income, urban neighborhood in Minneapolis. In addition, a purposive sample of…

Because new programs are being developed throughout the country to address the needs of midlife and older women, the Center for Women Policy Studies in Washington, DC, conducted a survey of selected programs and prepared a report based on the results. The Center's purpose was to establish a network through which professionals involved in issues…