This bulletin is a compilation of a few recent addresses and papers presented by the United States Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner material pertains particularly to the public affairs forum movement. The publication is issued in order to further meet the many requests for information in this field. Included in this bulletin are the…

Examines some alternative approaches to teaching science in the elementary school, and in particular compares the attributes of instructional approaches to those of experimental approaches. (JR)

Article presents an approach for use by community action groups as a means for changing society from an impersonal, super-industrial'' state to one more responsive to human needs. (Author)

Recognition of the noncommunicative functions of language has implications for the study and treatment of children with language disorders. (Author)

The physical arrangement of groups and sub-groups can have a direct bearing on the effectiveness of a case study. (Editor)

Five experimental groups, representing fifteen teachers and 370 students, were formed in an attempt to determine if teachers could modify student perceptions of their teaching performance by employing multiple educational methodologies in their teaching. (Author)

Improved performance for students with learning disabilities may result from exemption from certain subjects or adaptation of teaching methods. Potential areas for needed educational change are indicated. (Author/AG)

Reprint from Curricula for the Seventies: Early Childhood Through Early Adolescence, pp. 431-442, Boston, Mass., Houghton Mifflin Co., 1969

Examined participation by (N=9) older adults in a literary discussion group. Results indicated that the impetus for elderly attendance was to learn. Discussed the effect of program design and location, group dynamics, and various facilitation techniques. (RC)

The findings from a survey of 53 public school programs for behaviorally disordered children are presented suggesting that a majority considered their theoretical focus to be behavioral. (Author)

The family is a context in which young children can acquire a sense of purpose, dignity and worth, if ideas of individualism and privacy are tempered by a sense of community. The school, the parents' places of work and community institutions should be used as extensions of the family setting. (Author/RH)

Evaluating extension educator performance is difficult due to the nature of extension education, the variety of educational methods and clientele, and the broad subject matter taught. Some approaches to performance evaluation are classroom visitation, self-appraisal, plan of work review, "student" input, group sampling, and peer evaluation. (MF)

In an interview, Dr. Edward L. Meyen (a past director of state planning for the mentally retarded) discusses the learner characteristics of mildly retarded students and describes organizational characteristics that facilitate learning, as well as training components that produce the most effective intervention. (SBH)