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This article examines Erik Jörgen Hansen's paper concerning Danish educational equalization. He starts by discussing a certain specified goal, social equality in the field of education. He then deals with a number of obstacles which according to him prevent the realization of the desired goal in existing school systems. Finally he proposes certain measures to clear away the obstacles or minimize their importance. The goals discussed by Hansen is social equality in the field of education. What this means to him he discusses at some length and comes out with a number of definitions. One of these, consistent equality, he then tries to operationalize. This means in its general version that equality is reached when the educational system is so constructed, that it for all leads to a result that does not make it possible to find any useful criterion according to which individuals can be singled out in relation to the education obtained. In a more limited way this goal can be said to have been reached if the individuals in various categories, examples are social groups, geographical area, sex and others, on the average, regardless of category, reach a completely identical educational result.

The many new proposals advanced during the past few years for financing higher education have been promoted, almost without exception, by appealing to their important and favorable equity consequences. What is meant by the term "equity"? To what degree will various proposals help achieve greater equity, however equity is defined? What kinds of side effects might these proposals produce in the process of achieving greater equity? Questions like these are difficult to answer because no systematic framework for analyzing equity and equity effects has evolved. Traditionally, equity has been viewed as a normative matter, and consequently, little attention has been given to developing the tools required to analyze it. The need for answers to the questions posed persists, however, and this paper offers a starting point in the search for answers. It might best be viewed as an essay on equity as applied to the provision and finance of higher education. This paper focuses on undergraduate higher education. While there is jointness in the production of undergraduate education and such activities as graduate and professional education, research, public service, and the array of other activities known as higher education, it is also quite apparent that most undergraduate students are enrolled at institutions almost exclusively concerned with undergraduate teaching. It is not inappropriate, therefore, to concentrate only on undergraduate education. The focus is, moreover, on students rather than instiutions of higher education, because public policy presumably seeks to benefit students by producing more or less higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper an attempt is made to estimate the degree of inequality of educational opportunity at the secondary school level. Data from the 1⁄1,000 sample of the 1960 Census are used to estimate the probabilities of falling behind in school or dropping out for children from different family backgrounds. For children whose parents have little education or income, the probabilities are more than 20 times greater than for children from well-to-do families where both parents have graduated from high school. The determinants of the dropout and retardation rates are also investigated, with the discussion focusing on the possible effects of new transfer programs, such as the negative income tax. While the short-run effects are likely to be quite small, the long-run effects may be important, especially for the Negro retardation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents comments of the author on the article "Equity and the Finance of Higher Education," by Lee Hansen. Hansen has dome a through job of laying out a smorgasbord of schemes for finding college education and highlighting some of the main equity considerations. He observes that efficiency arguments based upon external benefits lack empirical footing and than proceeds to the analytically less ambiguous but equally unsustained equity issues. Here the very range of his discussion serves to emphasize the diversity of objectives and the lack of factual knowledge. Frankly, the author finds it hard to criticize the paper for sins of commission to given the state of data, for sins of omission. Alternatives are reported generally without taking sides and the author cannot fault the report. Instead of serving as critic in the traditional sense, let the author summarize a few points and then add to the speculation. Further, the distribution of attendance viewed as attendance probabilities by parental-income class is more equal than it would be in a system of full charge without accompanying loan programs.

The article presents response of the author in reply to criticism by Glen G. Cain and Harold W. Watts of the report entitled "Equality of Educational Opportunity" or "The Coleman Report." First of all, he clarifies that calling it Coleman Report is itself incorrect. He further justifies the analysis in the chapter-3 of the report, which related an achievement output of school to various input factors. He mentions that the source of policy interest in this analysis is obvious: if these relationships can give information about the effect of various resource inputs on achievement, then the results are of some aid to policy. He strengthens his argument by citing that a number of economists with an interest in "production functions" in education have paid special attention to it. He further argues over the objection of Cain and Watts regarding inadequate specification of the theoretical model and statistical inviability of the report and defends his point with the argument that the role of a theoretical model in such research is very ambiguous.

The article discusses special education to visually handicapped children in the U.S. For the partially seeing student, he is expected to function and participate in society as a seeing person. Thus, the partially seeing student must be allowed to take part in the activities and experiences offered to all students. In addition to his special needs for the conservation of sight and special techniques for the most efficient use of what sight he has, the learning of this student must be based upon his developmental needs.

The paper presents comments of the author on the article "Equity and the Finance of Higher Education," by Lee Hansen. Hansen claims that both increased equity and greater efficiency that now exit in financing higher education are compatible up to a certain point, in spite of the different interpretations that reasonably can be assigned to efficiency. The author believes that this contention is correct, although the evidence in support of it is largely casual. However, instead of examining various schemes that might be more equitable and appraising their efficiencies in comparison with the existing arrangements, it seems easier to consider eliminating some obvious inefficiencies that now exist and to see whether outcomes are likely to be more inequitable according to any of the various reasonable definitions of equity. If a subsidy to higher education is to be provided, it should be paid directly to individuals, rather than institutions as is generally the case at present and as has generally been recommended.

The article focuses on the interplay between quality and quantity of literacy programs in the U.S. Unlike the British society who has shown its willingness to pay for the education of the best, Americans are more willing to pay for education for all. Also, the U.S. has been a country of immigrants, which means that the teaching years have had to be a forcing house in U.S. citizenship and an unfailing means of earning money in an occupation. It is a misfortune that the vast achievement of American education in overcoming its handicaps and in creating a nation which possesses unity without uniformity will not be given time to recuperate before being swamped by the numbers demanding higher education.

The article outlines factors that prevent women from having professional and managerial careers, and offers recommendations to further women's participation in the decision-making process in business, industry, government, and the professions. Factors discussed include a poverty of aspirations among women, lack of female models in decision-making outside the schools, the stereotyping of women in textbooks for elementary pupils, and demands on the woman's time, energy, and resourcefulness posed by her role of homemaker. Recommendations include coeducation all through the course of education, legally assured equal access to all forms of education and training, and determination of the extent of female underemployment.

The central theme of this article is: What changes in the educational system might diminish the existing social disparities of opportunity in obtaining an education. The point of departure for the discussion is the fact that there exists a continuing stable distribution of education among and between various social classes. The author suggests that the educational policy instrumented thus far has been inefficient in achieving a redistribution of education among the various social classes. This development has been largely due to the educational policys general insignificance in effecting the chances of success for those seeking an education. In face of this situation he proposes two determining conditions for the diminishment of social inequality in aquiring an education: in part, thorough changes in the educational structure, as shock effects; and in part, through altered student-teacher interaction. In light of the objective of equality the author then evaluates some of the main tendencies in Danish educational policy in recent years and proposes some elements for a new, more equality-oriented educational policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the ideology of the Labour Party which influenced the national policies on comprehensive schools from 1944 to 1970 in Great Britain. It states that the two central moral principles of the party's ideology are fellowship and equality, wherein the emphasis of equality has focused on achieving equality in the educational system. This also explains the increase in the importance of secondary education since the 1950s and onwards.

This article focuses on the study regarding teaching of gifted science students in secondary schools. Segregation has many advantages in dealing with the gifted. It permits enrichment of the course by devices, highly impractical in the average class. With segregation there must be some allowance for a grading system that is comparable in difficulty with the system used in the regular science class. One of the principles of good teaching hammered home in most of the education course. The gifted student should be permitted by curriculum offerings to take advanced courses on the sciences. Gifted students should received equal educational opportunity.

This article addresses the issue of equality in the U.S. education system. Social class segregation within schools and among schools is itself a denial of equal opportunity, regardless of the funds and facilities involved. Students whose home environments do not predispose them toward formal education can yet acquire academic motivation from classmates who have it. The deprivation is mutual, for there are many things of value that the upper class student can learn from the lower class student. The important consideration, therefore is the effect of segregation, not the cause. If segregation is constitutional because it is inherently unequal, then the causes of that segregation in public schools would appear to be beside the point or of secondary importance at best. Generosity, magnanimity and human understanding will allow the dismissal of racial inequality.

The article presents a discussion on equality and inequality. There is much confusion about human equality and inequality. Some of it is simply intellectual confusion and some is the product of emotional attitudes. Equality is an emotive word and thought about it sometimes reflects the feelings about status. The man who is, or thinks he is, of inferior status, praises equality for one kind of reason. He wants to be as good as the next man. The person who is, or thinks he is, of superior status may believe the inequality which recognizes his own individual status to be a good thing. Mixed up with this there are strongly felt but extremely vaguely conceived ideas about the essential equality of human beings. These confusions and emotional attitudes affect the thinking about many things, including education, about equality and inequality of pay, holidays, esteem, opportunity, the existence of privileged public schools and experimental schools, the tripartite division and its alternatives, the importance, even the validity, of intelligence and attainment tests. And more subtly ideas of equality can affect attitudes of teacher to pupil. The teacher is tempted to pay more attention to the bright, attractive and responsive pupils. At times a teacher has to remind himself to be more just, more humane and sympathetic. After all, he may say, the fact that the boy is stupid does not affect his worth as a human being.

In February 1948, upon the request of Ben D. Wood, Director of the College Testing Program of the American Institute of Accountants, its President appointed a Test Advisory Committee of this association. The committee was created to work with the Committee on the Selection of Personnel of the American Institute in the preparation of new tests and to act as adviser upon such matters as the Institute committee might place before it. In the article, the author discusses briefly the effects of any national, regional, or wide-range testing program on accounting education, for the purpose of the present discussion, a mythical program. Certain it is that at present people have neither educational nor instructional equality in several institutions, and certain it is that they should pause to restudy methods. Accounting in theory and in practice has grown by leaps and bounds, but much of the educational method has not kept pace with it and people must look forward to more coordination and less variability in their instruction. A testing program, worthy of the name is one means toward the end people should be seeking.

Examines the ideology of accountability in education in the United States. Argument for accountability; Equal educational opportunity; Possibility of an accountable socio-educational system.

The article provides an assessment of an affirmative action program in Argonne National Laboratory. Argonne National Laboratory, a research institution whose mission is the discovery of new truth and its application to the nation's welfare. This institution is fully committed to do its share in the resolution of the employment opportunity. However, one of the gravest problems in the U.S. is the inequality of economic and career opportunities existing among the races that make up our citizenry. Laws have been passed and promulgated in an effort to ensure that no citizen is treated unfairly.

The article focuses on the importance of securing community acceptance and understanding of exceptional children in the U.S. One way of showing acceptance is by giving exceptional children the chance to develop their potentialities just like average and normal children. Exceptional children should be understood and accepted as a human being blessed with rights to the best possible chance for life, liberty and the quest for happiness. Equality of educational opportunity should provide sufficient varied curricula, varied methods of teaching and school plan and equipment to give these children an equal chance to develop in accordance with their abilities and needs.

The article presents a list of books recently received by the Journal of Social psychology. Some of the books are: The Science Game, Children and Adolescents: A Biocultural Approach to Psychological Development, Equal Educational Opportunity, etc.