To improve the quality of teaching in New York State's schools, state and local policy-makers must consider a number of issues that affect teaching quality. These issues are outlined in this booklet, which also provides a number of policy recommendations. The basic concepts reviewed are (1) the assumptions that underlie the collaborative endeavor…

National data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1981 (11,754 adults) and regional augmentation data collected in 1984 (812 adults) were analyzed to provide--in profile form--baseline information to assist practitioners and policy makers in having a better understanding of the educational needs of rural adult…

While it is commonly assumed that teaching children is unrelated to teaching at the advanced level, the two kinds of teaching are closely related and mutually effective. The experience of teaching young learners can benefit the instruction of college students of English as a second language. In both cases, providing motivation is a challenge.…

Although a basic premise of higher education is that students must take the primary responsibility for their own learning, problems arise when the focus throughout elementary and secondary schooling is on passive, rote learning with the student totally dependent on the teacher and text, as in Islamic schools. The educational shock experienced in…

Ways to improve undergraduate education are suggested, based on the work of the Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education. After considering shared values and long-term goals for American higher education, attention is directed to both the achievements and problems of colleges. Major themes are that student…

Commissioned papers to help the National Commission on Excellence in Education make the recommendations for educational improvement for its report "A Nation at Risk" are cited in this annotated listing. The report presents recommendations in five areas: content, standards and expectations, time, teaching, and leadership and fiscal…

Experiences in using positive reinforcement while teaching on an Indian reservation are presented for teachers and administrators. Several "positive reinforcers," intended to prevent potential discipline problems from occurring, are described, including student involvement in deciding on classroom rules, election of classroom officers, class…

A study assessed vocational agricultural programs throughout Texas as they were perceived by the female students enrolled in them. During the study, researchers administered questionnaires to a randomly selected sample of 735 female students from 64 schools representing the 10 geographic areas of Texas. The students were asked to respond to…

The nine articles are divided into three general topics: language, cognition, and social development. Eduardo Hernandez-Chavez discusses strategies in early second language acquisition and their implications for bilingual instruction. Eugene E. Garcia, Lento Maez, and Gustavo Gonzales examine the incidence of language switching in Spanish/English…

At a conference that focused on critical issues for small schools, the initial speaker voiced the opinion that if current trends continue, public schools may ultimately serve only the handicapped. He cited a need for schools to implement changes through community outreach, day care, senior citizens programs, retraining opportunities, work with…

The study summarizes discussions and conclusions of the Regional Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Development Projects in East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya, April 1979), whose purpose was to share lessons learned from field experiences in managing information for rural development. An initial section summarizes information in papers…

Strategies for devising primary grade academic learning activities that promote cultural diversity are provided. Based on the responsive multicultural basic skills (RMBS) approach, the strategies emphasize skill development, incorporate content from a diversity of cultural groups into all parts of the curriculum, and provide each child with…

Research from sociology, science education, mathematics education, and psychology, as well as data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicate some of the causes of and potential solutions for sex inequities in science education. NAEP has indicated that 13- and 17-year-old girls have strong negative attitudes toward…

This guide is designed to assist administrators of human service agencies in developing and implementing driver selection and training programs. Examined in the first half of the guide are the following aspects of designing a transportation training delivery system: understanding the training mission, identifying the program target group, training…

Demographic trends, technological change, and increased international competition are creating shortages of skilled workers and an excess of unskilled workers. In response to this growing crisis, the Commission on Workforce Quality and Labor Market Efficiency made 44 recommendations for a substantial, ongoing national commitment to investment in…