This paper examines the extent to which legitimacy affects program continuation, and focuses on the process by which programs attempt to maintain legitimate status through conformity with the larger environment. Legitimacy is defined as cultural support from a program's larger environment, such as the school district or community. An innovative…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 27 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effect of a crowded or spaced appearance of narrative material on the reading comprehension of above-average and below-average fourth grade students; (2)…

The paper describes development of the Pupil Observation Schedule (POS), a computer based system which provides a framework for assessing, evaluating, and reporting behavioral progress of emotionally disturbed students. The POS is used to rate five skill areas--computation, language, reading, reference, and psychomotor skills; and nine behavioral…

Improving student motivation and self-concept is now an important concern of principals. Positive results arise from such diverse theories as Skinner's positive reinforcement techniques or Maslow's self-actualization model. Although evidence on cause and effect of motivation is scarce, it does seem likely that motivation is related to student…

Substance abuse is pervasive in both rural and urban settings. Previous attempts to educate America's youth as to its dangers have not reduced the numbers of adolescents involved in the drug culture. The assertiveness-based "Just Say No" campaign attempts to counter peer pressure to use drugs, but is hampered by our society's…

As a result of the Holocaust, many survivors developed long term psychosocial impairment known as the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by depression, anxiety, hypocondriasis, inability to concentrate or to express anger, nightmares, insomnia, obsessive thoughts, guilt, mistrust, and alienation. The literature in this…

One of the most serious impediments to the development of high quality education in the United States is excessive legalism. This legalism takes two forms: administrative legalism is the trend toward ritualistic conformity to increasingly detailed, bureaucratic rules and regulations; judicial legalism is the tendency to cast all social issues and…

Four classroom-based experiments in which teachers were trained to use a direct instruction model were analyzed to compare the results of intensive and minimal training methods. The direct instruction model involves extensive coverage of content, student time allocated to instructional tasks, and teacher time allocated to the encouragement of…

Four major topics were discussed at the conference: application of information theory to testing; recent advances in psychometric methods; evaluating group interaction; and new developments in the education of abler students. Papers delivered were: Multiple Assignment of Persons to Jobs, by Paul S. Dwyer; New Light on Test Strategy from Decision…

Teachers in general are hired in conformity with an assumed standard, and are expected to reflect a conventional morality that corresponds to the government's ideologically sanctioned model of behavior. This book explores the situation of the lesbian teacher and her disposition not to reveal her sexual orientation. It is set in the Canadian…

A random telephone survey of 562 residents of the Pacific Northwest was designed and conducted to determine public sentiment toward the teaching of values within the public schools. The respondents were asked either the open-ended question of whether it was appropriate to teach values within the public school curriculum, or one of two…

This paper reports a case study of Rajesh, a highly motivated and successful Asian Indian youth who has a severe form of spina bifida, a complex condition of the central nervous system. The paper also describes the demographics and discusses the child rearing practices of Asian Indian families, explains family structure and role relationships in…

University supervisors act as the link between the needs and interests of student teachers, institutions of higher learning, and public and private schools. This volume serves as a practical guide for university supervisors, examining the supervisory process as well as the necessary preparation and responsibilities of the supervisor, the…

The paper examines the nature of creativity and blockages to its expression especially in home and school settings in South Africa. A definition of creativity is offered which stresses the production of an original outcome or achievement. The creative process is broken down into the steps of preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.…

Based on interviews with 150 persons in departments of education and in national, provincial, and territorial education organizations in Canada's major capital cities, this paper discusses seven vital issues in Canadian education and briefly states seven others. The seven major issues needing resolution concern: (1) the appropriate balance between…