The notion of optimal population is recast as a problem of optimal scale (population times per capita resource use). Considers bioeconomic limits to scale. Discusses the choice between many people at low resource use per capita versus fewer people at higher resource per capita and suggests a policy that serves both efficiency and sufficiency.…

It is argued that the geographic concentration of the poor often serves to concentrate other negative social and physical conditions. From this ecological perspective, the growth of concentrated poverty is examined in Cleveland (Ohio). The investigation uses a database developed for Cleveland and its suburbs with information on social, economic,…

The Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ) was created in September 1987 and is involved in a collective effort to find ways to promote the Amazonian region's nonpredatory development, recognizing its limitations and taking into account its potential. With deforestation taking place at ever-increasing speed, it has become necessary to…

An ecological model derived from family systems theory and strategies borrowed from family therapy are effective substitutes for the medical model and clinical methods traditionally used by school pyschologists to help children with academic or behavior problems. Behavior is an outgrowth of interpersonal processes in a particular system rather…

This paper addresses the conditions of families in Ankara, Turkey, who live in gecekondus (hastily built homes of the poor). The socioeconomic and educational disadvantages of these families result in continuous academic underachievement for their children. Ecological and educational interventions for breaking the poverty cycle are proposed.…

The community-based approach to global education has the greatest potential for involving students in experiential learning that will involve the total nature of the child--cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. This approach also has the greatest potential to help students achieve the educational objectives based on the Tyler-Taba rationale of…

The Finnish family and day care, the child behavior and growth environment, and the development of day care are discussed in this paper. The Finnish family and day care is discussed in relation to policies regarding the Finnish family, the Finnish day care system, the basis of Finnish day care education, and ecological views in day care education.…

This review provides an overview of research relating the physical environment of the early childhood educational setting to children's behavior. Findings on space in relation to fixed and semi-fixed features (partitions, playground equipment, furnishings); spatial density; the arrangement of equipment and the division of space; the amount,…

This paper describes a model for assessing English speaking students with possible learning disabilities at a Spanish language immersion magnet school in St. Paul, Minnesota. The assessment process is based on established procedures for screening and assessment of Limited English Proficient/English Language Learners. Emphasis is on: (1) attention…

The ecological perspective suggests that distal socioeconomic status (SES) actually affects young children via the more proximate influences of parental beliefs and the quality of their home environments. A diverse sample of 189 kindergarten children, their families, and their schools provided data on SES indices, parental beliefs, the quality of…

This paper describes the development process of multimedia software designed to educate and provide awareness of ecotourism in Costa Rica. Ecotourism is a form of nature-based travel and recreational experience combining a respect for nature and local cultures with economic development incentives. The software intends to pursue the goals of…

A detailed ecological model is used to develop a framework for assessing the incidence of child abuse among American Indians. Macro, exo, and micro levels of analysis are extended by the inclusion of mediating and potentiating factors that may either contribute to or ameliorate maltreatment or abuse. Abuse and its consequences are considered in…

In outlining a national strategy for environmental education in India, this document describes some current and future efforts of the Center for Environmental Education at Ahmedabad. It provides an historical account of India's environmental problems and its recent efforts at addressing those problems in light of rapid developmental efforts and…

This study investigated the ecological factors that affect structural school reform implementation in Israel. The sample used was the whole student population that appeared in the 1972 census. By raising educational achievement levels, restructuring the learning sequence, and rezoning ethnically and economically segregated areas to promote…

A review of ecological problems facing human society is presented and the relationship of education to social change is considered. Basic environmental limitations which are discussed include population; basic materials such as food, fuels, and water; and environmental tolerance. Ecological hazards which combine with these limitations to result in…