As a first step toward the development of social indicator reports on the role of the federal government in elementary and secondary education, this paper reviews the history of that role and summarizes the literature that discusses controversies and related issues. The discussion focuses on two issue areas: (1) the responsiveness of federal…

A forum, convened to consider the subject of beginning teacher induction, focused on questions about: (1) the importance of the induction phase; (2) whose domain induction is; (3) what happens to the teacher in this phase; (4) training that is most needed in this phase; (5) how induction is related to licensure; and (6) whether induction is unique…

A study examined the objectives of supported employment programs for individuals with severe disabilities and identified performance measures to document the practices and achievements of such programs at the federal, state, and local levels. A set of proposed data items and potential performance measures was developed on the basis of programs…

In recent research on the computer there is an optimistic outlook, i.e., the promise of this new tool in fostering learning and literacy. But an examination of 33 studies (experimental, case, and ethnographic) also indicates deficiencies in computers and writing research. Two drawbacks seem to be the lack of rigor in both quantitative and…

The High Level Seminar on Educational Achievement in Asia and the Pacific was organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand). The objectives were to exchange information and experiences on educational assessment at the primary and secondary school levels; to review major…

Research findings are reported which depict characteristics and conditions of young adolescents in the 1980s. Discussion begins with an overview of what is known about the physical, socioemotional, and cognitive growth of young adolescents. It is argued that: (1) adults perpetuate many myths about teenagers; (2) adolescence is no more pathological…

The paper, originally given at a 1986 Ethnic and Multicultural Symposium, provides an overview of educational opportunities for American Indian handicapped and gifted/talented students in the United States. Prevalence data of handicapping conditions among Indian children is presented for public schools, schools under the Bureau of Indian Affairs,…

A prevailing common notion regarding fund-raising success in higher education is that institutions with "more" of certain important characteristics achieve higher totals in voluntary support than institutions with "less." The corollary, which also prevails, is that if there are not high levels of these characteristics, the…

This document reviews the literature on the following: (1) studies on the nature of the Hispanic family; (2) studies on the prevalence of Hispanic alcohol use and abuse; (3) general impact studies on the consequences for children of family alcoholism; and (4) studies of family factors that appear to protect or shield high risk children from the…

Summaries of conference discussions on state funding of public higher education are presented. Attention is directed to the practice and the context of state funding. The following topics are addressed: current state priorities and relationships between state government and publicly-supported institutions, funding for quality, incentives in the…

Of great concern among researchers is the effectiveness of holistic scoring, which is necessarily product-centered and decontextualized, in measuring writing quality, the mental processes necessary for writing, or teaching skill. The Committee on Teaching and Its Evaluation in Composition of the Conference on College Composition and Communication…

The culmination of many years of implementing and analyzing the Bank Street model in Project Follow Through, this paper provides an extensive discussion of controversial and problematic issues related to the program and reviews what has been learned at Bank Street as a result of experience with Follow Through. Recommendations for program…

There is an emerging research base on teacher effectiveness that should be used in redesigning teacher education programs. However, the complexity of teaching and learning does not permit simple solutions to complex problems. Several studies, projects, and programs with the goal of conducting research for teacher education programs are discussed.…

The concentration of learner needs in programs of English for special purposes (ESP) has led to the neglect of teacher needs, particularly in the case of teacher training courses. A solution to the problem is to apply ESP principles to the design of teacher training courses for general English teachers. The language needs of teachers of English as…

Three basic assumptions which underlie the public attitude toward the teaching profession should be challenged. The first of these is that people should teach because they love it; the rewards of teaching are intrinsic. The second is that teaching is primarily the transmission of content. The third is that teacher preparation should consist of…