SIX MAJOR ASPECTS OF EDUCATION AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT ARE ANALYZED WITHIN A GENERAL FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATION REGARDED AS A COMPLEX SOCIAL PROCESS. PART 1 CONSIDERS THE SOCIAL ASPECTS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT, CONTRASTING THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS OF CHILDREN IN AN AMERICAN SUBURB, AN AMERICAN CITY SLUM, AN AMERICAN SMALL TOWN, AND A PAKISTANI VILLAGE. THE CLASSROOM, WITH ITS INFLUENCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND LEARNING, IS REGARDED AS A LITTLE SOCIETY IN WHICH A TEACHER CAN IMPROVE THE LEARNING CLIMATE. PART 2 RELATES THE STUDENT'S ADJUSTMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL TO THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT OF HIS FAMILY AND PEER GROUPS. PART 3 ANALYZES SOCIAL CLASS INFLUENCES ON LEARNING. PART 4 STUDIES THE SCHOOL AS A CULTURAL SETTING WITH FOUR DISTINCT STYLES (VILLAGE, TOWN, SUBURB, CITY) AND ANALYZES PATTERNS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION WITHIN THE SCHOOL AND BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY. PART 5 REVIEWS WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER AND CONSIDERS THE REVOLUTION TAKING PLACE IN METHODS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING. PART 6 FOCUSES ON CURRENT SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF SCHOOLS, URBAN AND NEGRO EDUCATION, AND THE DROPOUT PROBLEM. OVER 60 PICTOGRAPHS VISUALIZE PRIMARY CONCEPTS OF THE ANALYSIS. AN EXTENSIVE REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED. THIS DOCUMENT IS PUBLISHED BY JOHN WILEY AND SONS, INC., 605 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10016, 540 PAGES, $7.95. (JK)