The document contains a collection of 13 articles on the problems and challenges facing social studies educators in the 1980s. The objective is to offer the classroom teacher direction for evaluating the rationale and content of social studies education. Chapter one defines the purpose and nature of social studies. Chapter two discusses the importance of citizenship education as a role of social studies, while social studies' contribution to the humanistic experience is examined in Chapter three. Chapters four through eight consider the range of knowledge and understanding in the social studies, including history, geography, cultural pluralism, urbanization, and a global perspective, as well as law-related education and career education. Chapters nine and ten focus on basic and societal skills such as reading, writing, and decision making, while chapter eleven discusses values education as a major objective of the social studies. Chapter twelve examines the roles societal forces play in social education and the importance of educators' recognizing and understanding these forces. The final chapter discusses social studies teachers in relation to an unpredictable future and emphasizes the need for ongoing teacher education. (CK)

Complementing existing regulations, this policy statement for South Australian schools presents educational goals and priorities for the decade and general implications for classroom, curriculum, and resource allocation. Background discussion covers factors influencing recent developments in South Australian education, a summary of the role of schools in society, and some considerations for educational planning in the 1980's. Basic aims for schools involve promoting the balanced development of students' cognitive, creative, physical, social, and vocational skills, as well as healthy psychological qualities. A framework of eight curriculum areas is given for school planning: environmental education, health and personal development, human society, language studies, mathematical studies, science and technology, the arts, and transition education. Schools are encouraged to adapt curricula to local needs, but four priorities are set for planning and teaching: basic numeracy and literacy, communication skills, skills for social living, and problem-solving skills. These priorities mark a shift in emphasis away from college preparatory education and toward students' social development. Community expectations to be observed by schools and important factors in curriculum planning are reviewed. Responsibilities of teachers, the Education Department, and parents in facilitating the best possible education are listed. A final summary underscores major policy issues. (MJL)

The essays in this collection are designed to provide an overview of the most pressing issues and ideas with which English teachers contend today and will contend in the near future. The contributors, 22 English teachers and educators, have attempted to view change in a sufficiently broad perspective to enable them to make responsible predictions about the 1980s, taking into account the social and economic variables that will necessarily affect the United States during this time. Titles of the essays reflect concerns for the following topics: (1) writing and the English curriculum; (2) literature study in the 1980s; (3) language and the English curriculum; (4) holonomic knowing (a very generalized model of holistic learning); (5) oral English and the literacy imperative; (6) reading and the teaching of English; (7) the basics in the 1980s; (8) English in the elementary and middle schools; (9) the training of English teachers in the 1980s; (10) the media, media literacy, and the English curriculum; (11) computer-assisted English instruction; (12) English as a second language in the 1980s; (13) English and vocational education; (14) dealing with sexual stereotypes; (15) English for minority groups, for the gifted and talented, and for the handicapped; and (16) needed research in the teaching of English. (RL)

Contemporary problems in urban education are explored in this collection of papers. The leading article discusses the implications of urban decay and demographic change for school finance and educational accountability. The second paper stresses the need for a basic skills curriculum, well-trained teachers, and the inclusion of parents in curriculum decision making and planning. Subsequent articles focus on the objectives of school improvement programs; government responsibility in urban school reform; the "crisis of confidence" in urban schools; school public relations policies; the importance of community support in improving urban schools; the responsibilities of office and support staff; strategies for motivating students in urban schools; and the effects of negative school environments on urban youth. Other topics discussed include the leadership role of the urban school principal, the political responsibilities of school administrators, and a voluntary desegregation plan for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania public schools. Contributing authors include Scott D. Thomson, Santee Ruffin, Bernard C. Watson, Bernard G. Kelner, Ronald H. Lewis, Mark R. Shedd, Thomas J. Burns, Vincent E. Reed, Larry Ascough, John C. Fareira, Robert L. Schain, Sydney Weiss, Andrew Robinson, Emeral A. Crosby, Robert W. Evans, James E. Hagerty, Barbara J. Love, Byrd L. Jones, Atron A. Gentry, Frank B. Pesci, Sr., and Richard D. Hanusey. (GC)

Designed to serve as a resource for science teachers, kindergarten through college, this publication contains 10 chapters, each focused on a topic of interest to science teachers working in the 1980's. Chapter titles and their authors are: (1) Understanding Science as a Cultural Phenomenon - Mission for the 80's, Drew Christianson; (2) What Research Says about Student-Student Interaction in Science Classrooms, Roger T. Johnson and David W. Johnson; (3) Linking Teacher Behaviors and Student Behaviors in Science, James R. Okey and David P. Butts; (4) Learning Science in Informal Settings Outside the Classroom, John J. Koran, Jr., and Lynn D. Shafer; (5) The Effects of Activity-Based Science in Elementary Schools, Ted Bredderman; (6) Attitudes and Science Education, Carl F. Berger; (7) The Role of Laboratory Work in Science Courses: Implications for College and High School Levels, Elizabeth H. Hegarty; (8) Problems in Understanding Physics (Kinematics) Among Beginning College Students - With Implications for High School Courses, Lillian C. McDermott; (9) Conceptual Development Research in the Natural Setting of a Secondary School Science Classroom, James Minstrell; and (10) The Computer and the Teacher, Joseph I. Lipson and Laurette F. Lipson. A brief biographical sketch of each of the contributors is also included. (PEB)

This book exhibits a collection of proposals for how school curriculum may be conceived, designed, and realized.