A comparison of adolescents views about school, based on data gathered 26 years apart, shows remarkable similarities. Students interviewed in 1963 were from Detroit schools while 1989 interviews were conducted in small-town schools of Texas, Missouri, and Minnesota. viewed poor teachers as lacking respect for students, unwilling to try to…

This paper reports on an experiment designed to determine whether a novice second-language (L2) reader can be characterized as concept-oriented or syntactic-structure oriented. The operating premise was that high school L2 students read and understand not so much by translating as by combining conceptual fragments into a tentative "script," which…

In the 1980s, the falling incomes and climbing poverty rates characterizing young workers in rural America were closely linked to rapidly changing national and international economic systems. Findings of a recent Senate Budget Committee study indicate that between 1979 and 1987 the share of young workers (ages 16-34) with low-wage jobs increased…

The 1988-89 study reported in this paper focused on teacher attrition, examining the characteristics of beginning teachers in North Dakota. The purpose was to compare characteristics of those teachers who stayed in their first positions with those who left. The study gathered data by surveying school administrators and elementary and secondary…

In the 1980s California poverty rates increased dramatically. Poverty rates were substantially higher in rural areas and for Hispanics, Asians, single-parent families, and children. The percentage of the labor force in poverty increased, and poverty rates were exceptionally high for the unemployed and for "discouraged workers." The…

Data from a 1980 population census indicates that of the over 73.5 million people in Brazil who were over 15 years of age, 25.4 percent were illiterate and 27.42 percent had less than 1 year of schooling. Such data show the precarious situation of education in Brazil, particularly that of adolescents and adults. Its origins lie in the dual nature…

This resource bulletin provides an overview of creative disciplinary programs in rural, suburban, and urban school settings through interviews conducted with administrators in 1986. Principals interviewed in urban settings expressed concern about student gangs and safety. In rural schools, administrators stated that community cohesion and…

Analysis of census data indicates major population, industrial, and occupational changes occurred in many of Texas' 254 counties from 1960 to 1980. While 103 counties experienced rapid population growth by both natural and migration, patterns of change were dissimilar. Population grew steadily in metropolitan counties over the two decades.…

Data from the 1981 Census of Canada were used to gain an overview of the demographic and social characteristics of the aboriginal populations in Alberta and to compare the situations of aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples with regard to age and geographical distribution, educational attainment, labor force activity, and income. Census figures…

Focusing on law enforcement agents and taxpayers at the local level, this two-part report examines facts about crime in the United States and reports results of a survey conducted to determine attitudes about crime and police protection. Part One presents facts and issues related to types of crime, crime statistics, the extent of crime, trends in…

Three socioeconomic classes of rural students ages 6 to 18 were interviewed about their conceptions of the rich and poor and economic inequality. The 114 students in the sample were divided as follows: (1) middle class, 23; (2) working class, 61; and (3) lower class, 30. Responses of the students are analyzed according to Leahy's categories of…

This ERIC digest synthesizes research characterizing the economic climate in which rural schools operate and reports on the traditional strategies used to create greater economic support for rural school districts. The benefits of steady urban economic growth have not been shared, generally, by rural areas; this has led to inadequate financial…

This report focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of North Carolina, its future and potential, and the roles that the citizens and the state government play in moving the state forward. There are multiple realities within North Carolina. The average income has increased, unemployment rates have dropped, and educational levels have risen. The…

Data on high school students in occupational education classes in New York State during the late 1970s are presented from New York City and upstate school systems for four major areas: (1) demographic characteristics (sex, ethnic origin, disadvantaged status, handicap, age, grade level); (2) socioeconomic environment (family income, living…

Information available on rural education remains startlingly inadequate--partly because of the great diversity of rural areas, because agencies responsible for data collection disagree on the definition of small/rural schools, and because large metropolitan schools have received far more than their share of attention, research, and financial…