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These conference proceedings report the discussions of classroom teachers and university professors relating to the problems of teaching disadvantaged students. Topics treated were the inadequacies of teacher training, need for self-analysis during training, teaching of reading, grouping students for instruction, and the relation of the schools to the broader social revolution. [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of the original document.] (KG)

The paper focuses on the linguistic behavior of Negro children concentrated in communities where a non-standard form of English is the accepted currency. Such children are verbal, possess a language fully developed to serve the needs of their "world," and think effectively enough to survive in a sometimes hostile environment. Certain basic assumptions must be made in order to communicate with such group: for example, that in non-standard English, time, whether critical or not, is only optionally expressed in the verb if expressed elsewhere in the sentence or indicated by the context. Thus, from the linguist's point of view, the language behavior of this population is highly predictable, and what appears to be occasional divergences from the standard are really parts of a pattern, which every teacher must understand if efficient teaching and learning is to take place in the classroom. This can be said for other minority groups as well, with the modifications made necessary by contrastive analyses of the specific groups' native language and English. (EM)

The objective of this project was to increase the quantity and quality of research and available information on the education of disadvantaged youth, through conferences and seminars, consultation services, and the development of the Information Retrieval Center on the Disadvantaged (later ERIC-IRCD). Proceedings of conferences in the following areas have been published: biosocial factors in the development and learning of disadvantaged youth; community and family services (ED 026 436); experimental analysis of behavior (ED 026 435); educational remediation and rehabilitation (ED 026 437); the role of the speech pathologist in the management of language difficulties; social change and the role of the behavioral scientist (ED 021 908); school desegregation and integration (ED 015 989); language development (ED 027 346) and an annotated language bibliography (ED 026 414); and research dissemination and training (ED 026 440). (NH)

These conference proceedings contain two major papers. The paper by Susan S. Stodolsky and Gerald S. Lesser, "Learning Patterns in the Disadvantaged," reports a study of effects of social class and ethnic group influences on levels and patterns of mental ability. Scores for verbal ability, reasoning, number facility, and space conceptualization of middle- and lower-class Chinese, Jewish, Negro, and Puerto Rican first graders showed striking effects of ethnicity. Also noted was the fact that social class was a more influential factor in the level of ability of Negroes than among any other group. The presentation by Herbert G. Birch, "Health and the Education of Socially Disadvantaged Children," points out that the poor health of these children is a primary variable in their educational failure. Health factors which are specifically related to intellectual and educational deficits are prematurity, obstetrical and perinatal complications, birth weight, maternal physical characteristics and nutrition, and prenatal care. For an abstract of Stodolsky and Lesser, see ED 012 291; for Birch, see ED 013 283. (NH)

This IRCD Bulletin issue contains two papers. One, by Harold L. Cohen, summarizes two of his previously prepared papers in which he discusses his approach to learning behaviors. He describes the use of reinforcements as motivators for academic and social learning at a Federal correctional institution. Cohen states that "The design and use of new schedules of reinforcement in a contingency oriented environment, the use of programed instruction, and a design of a new curriculum produce academically competent youngsters who now recognize that they are becoming successful in an area which for them was previously failure. This is no longer a laboratory theory but a proven fact." The second paper, by Joan D. Gussow, reviews the theory of operant conditioning and relates it to education. Discussed are some applications and techniques of contingency management. In rebuttal to those who raise a moral issue about the application of conditioning theory to education, she notes that it can be viewed as "a technology, a tactic, capable of helping us reach our strategic educational goals." A selected bibliography on the experimental analysis of behavior is included. (NH)

The IRCD Bulletin contains a statement about the origins and development of this ERIC clearinghouse in the system and its focus, services and staff. Also included is a response to Daniel P. Moynihan's criticism of a previous Bulletin issue which was devoted entirely to the "Moynihan Report". A bibliography (mostly annotated) of recent books on the education of the disadvantaged completes the issue. (NH)

This is a report of a pilot study completed in the Corlears Hook section (a predominantly non-white, low income area) of New York City in order to identify the major issues underlying the educational beliefs of community people and educators. A questionnaire administered to parents, teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals of four public schools in the community and to the district office staff revealed four major types (and four counter types) of belief systems: (1) "community involvement in the schools is the only thing that is important"; (2) "community involvement is important but is part of a number of educational reforms needed"; (3) "Strict discipline is what is required in schools and not new or modern programs"; and, (4) "strictness is needed, but, simultaneously, educators should take a practical approach to education of children." Large groups of teachers opposed beliefs (1) and (3)--to which, on the contrary, large groups of parents subscribed; black parents supported belief (1) and Puerto Rican parents, belief (3). Parent leaders tended toward belief (2), but very few of them toward (3). District staff supported beliefs (1) and (2), and paraprofessionals, beliefs (2) and (4). The study thus indicated some striking and conflicting belief structures among the different groups involved. (RJ)

A Science Skills Center was designed and operated as part of an NDEA Summer Institute for Teachers in Grades 6-9, in which 40 teachers participated. These teachers were provided with the opportunity to participate in demonstration centers working with some 90 children, whose reading scores ranged from 3.0 to 8.5, and who ranged in age from 11 to 14. Thirty of the children worked in the Science Skills Center. These children also worked in Reading Skill Centers, which were designed as learning laboratories where children work individually, or in small groups, interacting with self-directing materials which were matched to diagnosed needs. The Science Skills Centers provided learning experiences which integrated reading with highly motivating science experiences. The science experiments provided the children with a concrete meaning for words, and provided the opportunity to learn science concepts and processes. The children responded enthusiastically to the various tasks in which they were involved. Reading gains of approximately one-half of a grade were obtained. [Not available in hardcopy due to marginal legibility of original document.] (BR)

A report of a conference on the educational aspects of remediation and rehabilitation of disadvantaged children consists of two papers, a critical discussion of major presentation, and comments on it by participants. The paper by William M. Cruickshank, "Models from Special Education for Educational Research in Children with Learning Disabilities of Social and Economic Origin," reviews the research literature on exceptional children. The paper by Lee Meyerson, "Behavioral Modification Procedures," discusses three behavioral research strategies and their application to education. (NH)

This conference report consists of two presented papers and a selected bibliography. The paper by Joan Gussow, "Behavioral Management and Educational Goals," is concerned with operant conditioning as a theory of learning and an instructional method. Basing their methods on the work of B.F. Skinner, educators who are proponents of this theory emphasize "positive reinforcement and its use in shaping and maintaining new and desired behaviors." Gussow discusses some applications of operant conditioning--behavior management techniques, and a contingency management system. Also noted are some of the philosophical issues raised by this learning theory. Harold L. Cohen's paper, "The Educational Model," summarizes two previous articles. He discusses his involvement with a special education project which is studying the factors "that can change and maintain learning behavior." (NH)

This volume contains the proceedings of two conferences. One conference was concerned primarily with research on racial desegregation and integration in public education, and was highlighted by a paper by Irwin Katz, "Problems and Directions for Research in Public School Desegregation." The second conference focused on social change and the role of behavioral scientists. There were papers by (1) Martin Luther King, Jr., "The Social Activist and Social Change," (2) Lee S. Shulman, "Reconstruction in Educational Research," and (3) S.M. Miller, "Economic and Political Prospects of the Poor." Included are summaries of the discussions which followed the various presentations. Additionally, syntheses of group discussions are included in the proceedings of the conference on social change. The proceedings of the research conference were held on September 30, and October 1, 1965, at West Point Farms, Central Valley, New York. The proceedings of the invitational conference were held May 4-6, 1966, at the Dinkler Motor Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia. (NH)

As both American and European studies suggest, large-city schools are increasingly responsible for the rising rate of delinquency and social maladjustment among youth. Too often urban schools encourage pupils to renounce their individual differences and submit to external controls and group pressures. Many pupils feel frustrated and agressive and may participate in delinquent gangs to maintain a nearly destroyed ego. Instrumental to the role of the school as an ego-supporting institution is the relationship between teachers and students, which can be especially constructive if the teacher himself has an adequate self-concept, is responsive, and has a positive understanding of his role despite the bureaucracy within which he must work. The school should also provide students with immediate rewards for their efforts. Success experiences might be generated by offering the student a variety of educational tasks appropriate to his needs and interests. The urban pupils' need for success might also be met through small, programed units of instruction. (LB)

An equitable system of income distribution is needed for the many indigent persons unable to benefit from skill enrichment programs, full employment, or job upgrading. Such persons include the aged, mothers with dependent children, and physically or mentally ill individuals. Present public welfare departments, which offer a form of income distribution, are inadequate because they do not try to reach the many people eligible for their services. Also, those people who do receive welfare are demoralized by inadequate budgets and by such administrative practices as the post-midnight investigations of clients' homes. The lives of these poor are virtually controlled by a 'professional elite' who run the welfare department and other bureaucratic public agencies like the housing authority and the schools. It is particularly important for educators to realize that welfare children, burdened by both psychological degradation and material deprivation, are not likely to learn in school. (LB)

This conference paper stresses that children's behavior disorders can be modified in the classroom if they are considered as a constellation of specific behaviors rather than as deviant personality traits or disease entities. To do so, however, the children must be approached within the framework of an empirically-based classification system. A behavior checklist filled out by teachers and parents can be used as a basic diagnostic tool to identify syndromes of problem behavior (conduct or personality disorders, or the disorders of the subcultural delinquent or the immature child). Classroom remediation methods should be based on the application of the principles of learning theory. The child should be taught to substitute acceptable alternatives for his inappropriate behaviors. To do so, it is necessary to experiment in the classroom with types of reinformcement, agents of reinforcement, and methods or presentation of reinforcement. Although most methods of behavioral remediation are designed for individual instruction, it is important for economic reasons to extend them to group situations. The goal of this remediation must be to help the child reenter the regular classroom cycle. Examples of empirical attempts to deal with specific problems in a special class setting are included. (DK)

Cognitive development is a sequential process in which experience is structured, organized, and assimilated into an internalized scheme of reality. The quantity and quality of verbal and nonverbal communication transmitted to the child determines how well this scheme is adaptable to differing life situations. If there are interruptions in this process, the child will find meaning only in the immediate stimulation, he will have no basis for guiding his behavior, and he will have limited communication skills. Also, he will seek a high level of stimuli at all times, and maintain a level of self-stimulus by engaging in constant action. Such persons become isolated from the mainstream of the larger society. Because poverty programs designed to reach them are successful with only a small number, to help these youth educators must assume the responsibility of developing curriculums and teaching techniques which will prevent improper cognitive development. (DK)

These proceedings contain four papers and commentaries by scholars on the problems of the socially disadvantaged child in the urban school. The papers discuss (1) cognitive development and psychopathology in the urban environment, (2) an experimental approach to the remediation of the conduct disorders of children, (3) juvenile delinquency in the urban schools, and (4) the effect of poverty on the education of the urban child. The proceedings also contain lists of proceedings of conferences on urban education held at Yeshiva University and reports published by the Ferkauf Graduate School of the University. (LB)

THESE PROCEEDINGS REPORT 19 DISCUSSION DEBATES, EACH REPRESENTED BY A NUMBER OF PAPERS IN FOUR MAJOR AREAS--(1) CONCERN FOR ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR (ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITMENT, COOPERATIVE COLLEGE-SCHOOL SYSTEM EFFORTS, CULTURE SHOCK, STAFF AND STUDENT ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR, AND SENSITIVITY TRAINING), (2) CONCERN FOR PEOPLE (TEACHING ETHNIC GROUPS, SELECTING STUDENTS, HUMAN RESOURCES, INVOLVING COMMUNITY AND PARENTS, AND LEARNING FROM SPECIAL PROGRAMS), (3) CONCERN FOR TECHNIQUES (PRESERVICE STUDENT TEACHING, FIELD WORK, INSERVICE EDUCATION, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT, AND INNNOVATIVE METHODS), AND (4) CONCERN FOR SPECIAL CURRICULUM ASPECTS (PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BASES, ROLE OF THE HUMANITIES, READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS, AND BILINGUALISM). THE FORMAL PAPERS ARE FOLLOWED BY REACTION PAPERS, OVERALL EVALUATION OF THE CONFERENCE, A CONFERENCE SUMMARY OF "IMPERATIVES FOR CHANGE," AND A DIRECTORY OF CURRENT NEW YORK STATE COLLEGIATE PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS OF THE DISADVANTAGED. THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED AS ED 012 271. (AF)

Language development in disadvantaged children and the research related to this area are the subjects of this issue of the IRCD Bulletin. The first part discusses the functions of the various components of language and the effects of language deprivation on disadvantaged youngsters. The educational approaches to teaching language fundamentals which is proposed here implies that correction of pronunciation and grammar should be de-emphasized at the primary grade level. The second part notes the various research approaches to the study of language development--cross-sectional comparisons of social class differences, studies of fundamental processes of language acquisition, and the monitoring of language. Other research orientations include studies of language as a class of metiational behavior, as a social class communication pattern, as interpersonal communication, and as a social dialect. An extensive selected bibliography is included. (NH)

This proposal for continued federal support of the sixth year of Project Beacon, an experimental demonstration program designed to develop new approaches to the preparation of effective beginning teachers of disadvantaged children in inner city elementary schools, includes listing and discussion of the behavioral objectives and a description of the project's organization, content, and schedule of seminars, T-Group sensitivity training, and field experiences. Proposed new components of the program, which is administered by Yeshiva University with the cooperation of the state, city schools, and community agencies, are listed: purchase of modern instructional materials for use in a series of experimental student teaching projects and employment of (1) a full-time clinical professor of education who would demonstrate effective instructional techniques in the classrooms of trainees and first-year graduates, (2) a Puerto Rican educator in residence to serve as a consultant on the history, culture, and special problems of Puerto Ricans, and (3) a research specialist available for frequent interaction with program staff for purposes of evaluation. The proposal also contains information on publicity, on staff personnel and other resources, and on selection of participants. (JS)

IN RECENT YEARS YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS HAVE PROLIFERATED, MAINLY AS A RESULT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S EXPANDED ROLE IN THIS AREA. THE PROGRAMS ARE OF TWO BASIC TYPES--(1) VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS WHICH PREPARE THE YOUTH FOR EMPLOYMENT BY EQUIPPING HIM WITH A PARTICULAR SKILL AND PROPER WORK HABITS AND (2) UPWARD MOBILITY PROGRAMS WHICH CONCENTRATE ON JOB AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND TRY TO UPGRADE THE DISADVANTAGED YOUTH BY OFFERING HIM VARIOUS SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES. THE JOB CORPS EMPHASIZES PLACEMENT RATHER THAN THE CREATION OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WHILE THE NEIGHBORHOOD YOUTH CORPS IS NOW MOVING AWAY FROM A PRIMARY CONCERN WITH SHORT-TERM EMPLOYMENT TO AN INTEREST IN TRAINING AND REMEDIATION FOR THE YOUTH. EVALUATIONS OF THE OUTCOMES OF YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS ARE UNSATISFACTORY BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY IN COLLECTING DATA, BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS WHETHER THESE PROGRAMS, EVEN PROPERLY IMPLEMENTED, CAN ALLEVIATE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT. IN FAILING TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IS A FUNCTION OF THE AVAILABILITY OF JOBS, AND IN CONCENTRATING ON JOB TRAINING, THESE PROGRAMS DEAL WITH THE SYMPTOMS OF JOBLESSNESS RATHER THAN ITS CAUSES. TO RELIEVE THE CAUSES THESE YOUTH SHOULD BE OFFERED GREATER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH NEW JOBS OR THE RESTRUCTURING OF EXISTING ONES. A BIBLIOGRAPHY ON YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FOLLOWS THE DISCUSSION. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE "IRCD BULLETIN," VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 1966. (EF)

RESEARCH ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IS NOT AS IMPORTANT FOR SCHOOL PEOPLE AS IS SCHOOL-BASED RESEARCH. SUCH STUDIES FOCUS ON A TASK ANALYSIS APPROACH WHICH WOULD MATCH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A STUDENTS BEHAVIOR WITH INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES. ONE SPECIFIC PIECE OF RESEARCH STUDIED THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL CLASS AND ETHNIC GROUP INFLUENCES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEVELS AND PATTERNS OF MENTAL ABILITY BY OBTAINING THE SCORES FOR VERBAL ABILITY, REASONING, NUMBER FACILITY, AND SPACE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF MIDDLE- AND LOWER-CLASS CHINESE, JEWISH, NEGRO, AND PUERTO RICAN FIRST GRADERS. THE EFFECTS OF ETHNICITY UPON THE MENTAL PATTERNS WERE THE MOST STRIKING FINDINGS, FOR THE PATTERNS WERE CLEARLY DIFFERENT AMONG ETHNIC GROUPS. WITHIN ETHNIC GROUPS SOCIAL CLASS DIFFERENCES AFFECTED ONLY LEVEL AND LEFT PATTERN UNCHANGED. SOCIAL CLASS WAS A MORE INFLUENTIAL FACTOR IN THE LEVEL OF ABILITY OF NEGROES THAN AMONG ANY OTHER GROUP. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST FURTHER STUDIES OF (1) DIFFERENTIAL ETHNIC GROUP PATTERNS AS PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT, (2) THE STABILITY OF THESE PATTERNS, (3) THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL ANTECEDENTS, AND (4) APPROPRIATE TEACHING STRATEGIES. IN CONTRAST TO THE COLEMAN REPORT'S STRESS ON EQUAL EDUCATION TO PRODUCE EQUAL ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS AMONG ALL GROUPS, THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT EMPHASIS ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR EQUAL AND MAXIMUM DEVELOPMENT OF GROUPS WOULD BE MORE SUCCESSFUL POLICY. (NH)

THE POOR HEALTH OF THE DISADVANTAGED CHILD IS A PRIMARY VARIABLE IN HIS EDUCATIONAL FAILURE. AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF HEALTH STUDIES SHOWS THAT NEGROES, PUERTO RICANS, AND INDIANS SUFFER FROM THE GREATEST HEALTH PROBLEMS. THE HEALTH FACTORS WHICH THESE STUDIES FOUND TO RELATE SPECIFICALLY TO INTELLECTUAL AND EDUCATIONAL DEFICITS ARE PREMATURITY, OBSTETRICAL AND PERINATAL COMPLICATIONS, BIRTH WEIGHT, MATERNAL PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND NUTRITION, AND PRENATAL CARE. THEY ALSO SHOW THAT, A SYSTEMATIC RELATIONSHIP EXISTS AFTER BIRTH BETWEEN A CHILD'S NUTRITIONAL INADEQUACY AND BOTH NEUROLOGICAL MATURATION AND LEARNING COMPETENCY. ALTHOUGH SEVERE MALNUTRITION IN THE UNITED STATES IS RARE, SUBCLINICAL MALNUTRITION AMONG LOW-INCOME GROUPS (PARTICULARLY IRON DEFICIENCY) MAY BE A FACTOR IN THEIR HIGHER CHILDHOOD MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES, AS WELL AS IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NEGROES AND WHITES. MALNUTRITION AND MALDEVELOPMENT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE DISADVANTAGED CHILD'S NERVOUS SYSTEM AND, THEREFORE, HIS LEARNING POTENTIAL. SUCH IMPAIRMENT IS A PRIMARY HANDICAP WHICH CAN BE ONLY PARTLY REMEDIATED BECAUSE THE EFFECTS OF A BIOSOCIAL PATHOLOGY CAUSE DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN TO SUFFER FROM LOST LEARNING TIME, NUTRITIONAL DEFICIT DURING CRITICAL LEARNING PERIODS, AND ADVERSE MOTIVATION AND PERSONALITY CHANGES. IN INTERVENING TO PROVIDE THE BEST LEARNING CONDITIONS FOR THE DISADVANTAGED CHILD, EDUCATORS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHILD'S HEALTH TO HIS LEARNING EFFECTIVELY. (NH)

DEVELOPING NEW CAREERS FOR THE DISADVANTAGED AS NONPROFESSIONAL AIDES PERFORMING THE LESS TECHNICAL AND SPECIALIZED TASKS IN HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS SERVES THREE PURPOSES--(1) IT FREES THE PROFESSIONAL WORKER FROM LESS CRITICAL DUTIES. (2) IT INCREASES DECENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE HAVING THE GREATEST JOB PROBLEMS. (3) IT PROVIDES INTERMEDIARIES BETWEEN THE PROFESSIONAL AND HIS "CLIENTS," THUS IMPROVING RAPPORT. HOWEVER, IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT THE NONPROFESSIONAL ACCENTUATES HIS NEW-FOUND STATUS AND ALIENATES HIMSELF FROM THE DISADVANTAGED GROUP OF WHICH HE WAS FORMERLY A MEMBER. IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT 30 PERCENT OF THE PROJECTED BUDGETS FOR NEW TEACHERS THROUGH 1970 BE SPENT ON JOBS FOR NEW PROFESSIONALS AND 70 PERCENT, FOR HIRING NONPROFESSIONALS. NONPROFESSIONALS WOULD PERFORM THE TECHNICAL BUT LESS COMPLICATED ASPECTS OF CLASSROOM WORK AND TEACHERS WOULD BE FREED TO DO MORE TEACHING AND OTHER THOROUGHLY PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING TRAINING AND SUPERVISING THE NONPROFESSIONALS. THIS MODIFICATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT STRUCTURE IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION WOULD CREATE A HALF MILLION NEW JOBS WITH NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE TAXPAYERS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH A POLICY WOULD ENHANCE INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING. (LC)

KINDERGARTENS IN FOUR PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (ONE NEGRO, TWO PUERTO RICAN, AND ONE MIXED) IN NEW YORK CITY WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE WHETHER A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECT HAD RESULTED FROM A SUMMER HEAD START PROGRAM. THE PERFORMANCE OF 179 FORMER HEAD START CHILDREN WAS MEASURED AGAINST 388 OF THEIR NON-HEAD START CLASSMATES. SEVEN INSTRUMENTS, INCLUDING SIX DEVELOPED FOR THIS STUDY (RANKING ARRAY, COOPERATIVE RATING SCHEDULES, CALDWELL PRE-SCHOOL INVENTORY, TEACHER INTERVIEWS, CLASS OBSERVATIONS, PARENT INTERVIEWS, AND CHILD INTERVIEWS), MEASURED THE EFFECT OF HEAD START ON READINESS TO ENTER FIRST GRADE, ON OVERALL READINESS, ON SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT TO KINDERGARTEN ROUTINES, AND ON EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT. IMPACT OF THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER WAS STUDIED, AS WAS THE IMPACT OF HEAD START ON THE KINDERGARTEN CLASS AND ON THE HOME. TEACHER AND PARENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEAD START IMPROVEMENT WERE RECORDED. RESULTS INDICATED THAT ALTHOUGH NO EDUCATIONAL GAINS HAD BEEN MADE, HEAD START CHILDREN SHOW GREATER LEARNING READINESS AND EAGERNESS TO LEARN THAN NON-HEAD START CHILDREN SIX MONTHS LATER. (SEE ALSO PS 000 282, PS 000 293, PS 000 284, PS 000 285, AND PS 000 286.) (LG)

This IRCD Bulletin issue contains two brief papers. One, on contingency management, describes the application of this aspect of operant conditioning theory to the manipulation of behavior through reinforcement methods. Examples of the technique of managing high and low probability behaviors are offered as it is used with preschool children, disadvantaged youngsters, adolescents, American Indian preschool children, a nontalking retardate, and a 16-year old inmate of a mental hospital. The second article discusses the use of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with shy and nonverbal children in a nursery school - day care center. Three cases illustrate the need for preparing these children for test-taking through such methods of over-coming shyness as contingency management. (NH)

AS NOTED IN THE PREFACE TO THE BIBLIOGRAPHY WHICH MAKES UP THE BULK OF THIS BULLETIN, NEGROES RECEIVE THE GREATEST SHARE OF ATTENTION IN THE EXTENSIVE LITERATURE ON DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS. THE LITERATURE IS PRIMARILY DESCRIPTIVE AND POLEMICAL AND LACKS INTENSIVE ANALYSIS AND ATTENTION TO SPECIFIC SUBGROUPS. DISADVANTAGED GROUPS ARE SEEN AS AN UNDIFFERENTIATED MASS, A VIEWPOINT WHICH NEGLECTS THE VARIETY, CONDITIONS, PROBLEMS, AND POTENTIAL ASSETS OF LOW-STATUS PEOPLE. THE "SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED" ARE PEOPLE HANDICAPPED BY LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AS WELL AS, IN SOME GROUPS, BY ETHNIC AND CULTURAL CASTE STATUS. COMING FROM BACKGROUNDS WHICH ARE CULTURALLY DIFFERENT, DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN LACK THE EXPERIENCES NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT. CONCENTRATION OF SUCH GROUPS IN THE INNER-CITY HAS CREATED PARTICULAR PRESSURES ON URBAN SCHOOLS TO DEVELOP BETTER WAYS TO EDUCATE THEM. AS WELL AS CONSIDERING THE INFLUENCE OF A CHILD'S ENVIRONMENT ON HIS LEARNING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS MUST "OPTIMIZE AND MAXIMIZE" ACHIEVEMENT IN BASIC SKILLS. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS IN THREE SECTIONS--(1) BOOK-LENGTH TREATMENTS OF THE PROBLEM OF THE DISADVANTAGED, (2) DEMOGRAPHIC AND STATUS STUDIES, AND (3) LITERATURE ON CULTURAL AND SOCIAL PATTERNS. ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS BULLETIN ARE SHORT BOOK REVIEWS BY DOXEY WILKERSON OF KENNETH CLARK'S "DARK GHETTO" AND BY CLARENCE SENIOR OF "IMPERATIVES FOR CHANGE," EDITED BY ADELAIDE JABLONSKY.

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF STORIES AND STORY BOOKS ON 142 PRESCHOOL CHILDREN INCLUDING 46 NEGROES (N.Y. AND CALIF.), 22 PUERTO RICANS (N.Y.), 10 MEXICANS (CALIF.), 16 SIOUX (S. DAKOTA) AND 48 NAVAJO (ARIZ. - N. MEXICO) BY MEANS OF STANDARDIZED RETELLING OF STORIES. A FURTHER AIM WAS TO DISCOVER PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE AMONG THE FIVE DIFFERING ETHNIC GROUPS. THE INVESTIGATORS RECRUITED AND TRAINED TWELVE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS OR LIBRARIANS WHO WERE COLLEGE STUDENTS. EACH LIBRARIAN WAS PROVIDED WITH A STANDARD KIT OF TEN BOOKS OF THREE TYPES (1) BOOKS OF ETHNIC IDENTIFICATION, (2) NON-VERBAL BOOKS, AND (3) CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS. DURING THE LAST PART OF THE PROGRAM, THE LIBRARIANS READ ABBREVIATED VERSIONS OF TWO SELECTED STORIES TO THE CHILDREN AND HAD EACH CHILD RETELL BOTH STORIES. IT SEEMED THAT THE INCLUSION OF ETHNIC BOOKS IS USEFUL IN A PROGRAM AIMED AT NON-WHITE CHILDREN. (COD)

Although it is widely accepted that early childhood is the optimal, time to begin educational intervention, there does not seem to be an agreement on the specific kinds of interventions. For the disadvantaged child, however, it seems that intervention in infancy and very early childhood is especially indicated. This summary and literature review notes the problems concerned with the long-range goals of early childhood education, the stability of early learning, and the problems of timing the educational interventions. (NH)

Proposed is a model for basic preconditions for "the design of effective programs in developmental learning." Such a program should include (1) a continuous psychocognitive diagnosis and assessment of each child; (2) a structured, coherent, sequential approach to content area; (3) a focus on symbolic manipulation and the essentials of a concept; and (4) active, physical manipulation of materials. For disadvantaged children in particular, the social psychological setting within the classroom is important, i.e., small group learning situations which also enable interaction with the peer reference group. (NH)

This conference report contains a summary of the proceedings and the text of two papers. The paper by Gertrude S. Goldberg, "Research Issues Evoked by the Moynihan Report," presents the critical response to that report and notes the issues raised by it. She discusses the alleged pathology of the Negro family, the relationship between family patterns and educational achievement, and the "case for national action." The address by James A. Jones, "Cultural Deprivation: Some Second Thoughts," describes some findings of a HARYOU study of the central Harlem community. The major focus of his paper was the motivation for education among poor families. A preliminary analysis (1967) of the HARYOU data shows that poor families in central Harlem and the middle class in general share similar values about education. (NH)

THESE PROCEEDINGS REPORT 19 DISCUSSION DEBATES, EACH REPRESENTED BY A NUMBER OF PAPERS IN FOUR MAJOR AREAS--(1) CONCERN FOR ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR (ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITMENT, COOPERATIVE COLLEGE-SCHOOL SYSTEM EFFORTS, CULTURE SHOCK, STAFF AND STUDENT ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR, AND SENSITIVITY TRAINING), (2) CONCERN FOR PEOPLE (TEACHING ETHNIC GROUPS, SELECTING STUDENTS, HUMAN RESOURCES, INVOLVING COMMUNITY AND PARENTS, AND LEARNING FROM SPECIAL PROGRAMS), (3) CONCERN FOR TECHNIQUES (PRESERVICE STUDENT TEACHING, FIELD WORK, INSERVICE EDUCATION, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT, AND INNOVATIVE METHODS), AND (4) CONCERN FOR SPECIAL CURRICULUM ASPECTS (PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BASES, ROLE OF THE HUMANITIES, READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS, AND BILINGUALISM). THE FORMAL PAPERS ARE FOLLOWED BY REACTION PAPERS, OVERALL EVALUATION OF THE CONFERENCE, A CONFERENCE SUMMARY OF "IMPERATIVES FOR CHANGE," AND A DIRECTORY OF CURRENT NEW YORK STATE COLLEGIATE PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS OF THE DISADVANTAGED. THIS DOCUMENT WAS PUBLISED BY YESHIVA UNIVERSITY, FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL, 55 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10003, 122 PAGES. (AF)

SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR II, NATIONAL JEWISH MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN GIVING INCREASING ATTENTION TO ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN FOUR GENERAL CULTURAL-SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS--B'NAI B'RITH, THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN, THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE, AND THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS--IS RECONSTRUCTED AND ANALYZED IN THIS STUDY. THE HISTORICAL TRADITIONS OF ADULT STUDY IN JEWISH LIFE BEGINNING WITH BIBLICAL PRECEPTS AND PRACTICES, AND THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF GENERAL ADULT EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES ARE DISCUSSED. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE IN ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION, IN THE HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY OF AMERICAN JEWRY, IN JEWISH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, AND IN GENERAL ADULT EDUCATION IS INCLUDED. HISTORICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC FACTORS HAVE INFLUENCED THE INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION. (APPENDIXES ARE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS STUDIED AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY.) THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, ANN ARBOR, MICH., ORDER NO. 67-14567. (AJ)