Preservice teachers must be prepared to address substantial student diversity and to educate all students to higher levels of understanding and competence. Many teacher educators are not competent to prepare new teachers in this area. Several approaches to handling institutional aspects of teacher education for diversity are discussed, noting…

This paper takes a look at the role and function of faculty in higher education from a public policy/public higher education perspective, focusing on the view of faculty not just as an institutional asset but also one for the public good. The paper examines major external challenges currently facing public higher education, faculty activities and…

This paper addresses, from an ecological perspective, the idea that a system of education includes much more than schools, encompassing such elements as families, day-care centers, peer groups, television broadcasters, and workplaces. At the core of such an educational system are educative communities, of which schools are an important part. If…

This proceedings report contains 6 of the 12 papers presented at a conference on the social role of the community college. First, information on the event, a conference program, an ERIC bibliography, and opening remarks by Richard M. Romano, conference coordinator, are presented. Next, the following papers are reproduced: (1) "Community…

In 1987, one-third of the kindergarten students in the United States were minority. These students will be the pool from which institutions of higher education will draw their college freshmen in the year 2000. The impact of this increase in cultural and ethnic diversity will be pervasive, especially with respect to broadening European-oriented…

Guided by a vision of an ideal educational system that is dedicated to the cultivation of a democratic citizenry, this monograph explores a number of questions about the growth and recent transformation of American junior colleges from liberal arts transfer institutions to providers of terminal vocational training. Chapter 1 examines the role of…

An edited transcript of a discussion on innovative ways to improve teacher education is presented. The moderator was W. Robert Houston, and the "resource persons" were Fred Wood of Pennsylvania State University and Dwight Allen of Old Dominion University. Wood and Allen are introduced, and their suggestions for improving staff…

Presents the National Council for the Social Studies' position paper on character education. Calls for a renewed effort by social studies educators, schools, and communities to teach character and civic virtue. Argues that students must be offered a combination of instruction and guidance on civic virtue to counter increasing indifference. (MJP)

Black educators must act to counter the national trend toward eliminating Afro-American study programs and to preserve these programs as a permanent part of the English literature curriculum. Administrators in predominantly white institutions must be led to understand the importance of black literature to the American experience. To accomplish…

Major problems and issues of ethics in elementary, secondary, and higher education are examined. The function and present status of professional ethics are considered, along with specific codes of ethics, including those of the National Education Association, American Association of University Professors, and the American Association of School…

The comprehensiveness and specificity of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and the detailed regulations that accompany them, might seem to foreclose any opportunity for states to develop and follow their own policies. However, reports from chief state school…

The aging of New York State's population poses both a challenge and an opportunity for the major institutions of society. The challenge facing educators is to develop a comprehensive strategy to mobilize the capacity of the educational system to address the multiple needs of an aging population in the context of existing social and economic…

The purpose of this policy report is to bring coherence to discussions about school reform and to encourage policymakers to use a consistent metric when judging whether reform proposals are serving the needs of children and the nation. The current confusion and policy debates over what is a public school--brought about by recent educational…

This discussion paper examines major issues that institutions of higher education must face in their long-range planning light of such factors as changes in economic conditions, major demographic shifts, emergence of multimedia/distance education, increased acknowledgement of diversity, and the transition to information age. The key to dealing…

The main purposes of vocational education are to provide individuals with the skills they need to attain economic freedom and to enhance the productivity of local, state, and national economies. Vocational education programs exist to serve all peoples and to aid in providing all skills needed for the individual to attain and keep a job related to…