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Attempts to spell out some ingredients essential to creating a stage of problem-solving readiness and capability in rural areas. This readiness includes adjustment to educational and social changes. (RK)

The booklet describes jobs in the construction industry under the classifications of public and private building. Separate chapters discuss the process of building a city hospital, a model home, and a State highway. Chapters outline miscellaneous jobs in the industry such as elevator constructors, lathers, plasterers, roofers, and sheet metal workers. The final chapter focuses on the future of construction. For each occupation duties are outlined and working conditions discussed. Techniques used to complete the illustrations include brief case histories of individuals in various positions, anecdotes to demonstrate the kinds of interactions involved in some jobs, and descriptions of a typical day on other jobs. Suggestions for training are offered and opportunities are explored. A fact chart is included showing occupations with their educational and specialized training requirements and salary ranges. Among those described are architect, civil engineer, draftsman, landscape architect, and soil scientist. (KH)

"The crises of suburban development, inner-city industrial movement, shopping centers, suburban executive offices, decline of mass transit, New Towns and 'no growth' policy all received a good deal of their impetus from the interstate highway system. The decline of the urban school system can be dated to the start of the interstate highway system." (Author/JM)

On July 28, 1976, New York State and the Seneca Indians signed an agreement which makes it possible to select a short route across Indian lands for one segment of an Appalachian highway. (Author/NQ)

Reported are the results of informal interviews conducted with state highway planners in 1974. Officials from nine states discussed the consequences of action plan implementation, the range of social impacts currently addressed in highway planning, and various problems encountered in the assessment of social effects. (BT)

This report presents methodologies for measuring the anticipated environmental impact of proposed highways at the conceptual, location, and design planning stages. An interdisciplinary team approach is recommended. The research emphasizes the systematic collection and evaluation of data on various types of impacts, including those related to community facilities (churches, hospitals, and parks), relocation of people and business, employment, noise, air pollution and historic sites. Worksheets, utilizing monetary values and other suggested weights, are presented for evaluating the anticipated impact. The results of the weighting scheme are summarized for each type of impact in an environmental ratio worksheet. The report also provides a suggested list of key individuals and agencies (such as pastors, school principals, planning directors, and employment commissions) which should be interviewed and with whom possible impact results may be discussed. (Author/BL)

This report examines the urban transportation planning process and its labor market impact, including projections of opportunities for minority participation in construction, operation, and maintenance of a transportation system and forecasts of training needed in critical occupations. It was found that transportation-related construction may be independent of trends in other types of construction. Data for labor usage factors and occupational patterns are difficult to determine on a metropolitan area basis and may be most adequately developed from representative construction project payrolls. The report presents a review of literature on manpower projections, discusses labor requirements in transportation planning for federal-aid highway construction and for urban mass transit construction and airport improvement in the Washington metropolitan area, and outlines plans for developing projection methods. Appended are data on population projections, construction employment, and occupational classification and patterns. (MF)

A model curriculum is reported for training personnel who are responsible for managing highway maintenance field operations. The training is organized and sequenced by five broad areas--management problems, management by objective, work planning, work control and management systems. In each area, one or more training units are provided for each of three general management levels. One level is designed specifically for foremen or crew leaders; another for intermediate supervisors; and the third for field engineers. The curriculum also includes a guide and several manuals for instructors. The Training Guide and Catalog describes the content of each training unit and training approach used. (Author)

The main objective of the training research phase of the maintenance management study was to develop and test training methods suitable for highway maintenance supervisors. Supervisors were trained by one of five different methods (lecture, group discussion, programed instruction, programed workshops, audiovisual instruction). The report documents the training procedure, including training materials, procedures, and tests used. Results are analyzed and evaluated. The research conclusions, and recommendations on developing a total training program for maintenance personnel, are set forth, along with the current status of training in connection with the maintenance management study. (Author/LY)

The book traces the development of training schemes in India for community development workers. It is divided into four parts which deal with: origin and growth of the Community Development Training Programme; problems encountered and the process of solutions through trial and error; major reorganization of the initial program and the research facilities; and evaluation of what has been achieved. Launched in 1952, the program was intended as a means to raise farm production and income, to change the attitudes and outlook of the rural people, and to build a concept of social cohesion which went beyond family and caste. The program touched every aspect of life (literacy classes, sanitation, farming practices, improved roads, etc.). The basic unit on which the program hinges is the community development block, comprising about 100 villages. Emphasis is placed on more training for new and old staff personnel through refresher training and ad hoc courses for certain categories of personnel so as to improve their professional competence on a larger scale. (PT)

Two anti-poverty programs--investment in education and in highways and other public facilities--should increase earnings and employment through an increase in production possibilities and a fuller utilization of existing resources. In evaluating training programs, there is considerable evidence that training expenditures have a return at least equal to that on other forms of capital investment; the return has both private and social components, and there are direct and opportunity costs to consider. In a Massachusetts retraining program from 1958-61 the "net benefits accruing to society" were evaluated as about $3300 per worker; a similar study in West Virginia showed net returns of about $4000 per worker. The Job Corps and the Neighborhood Youth Corps cannot be judged properly by studying returns to other training programs, since these two programs differ significantly from others. New highways have benefits in real output and employment, new industry, and an increase in land values. There are many questions relating to cost analysis in highway construction which cannot be answered adequately at present. Until programs can be evaluated effectively, large scale financial commitments should not be made; programs should be adequately diversified and steps for evaluation should be set up. (jf)

Discusses research approaches to evaluating traffic flow, distinguishing between good and bad drivers and evaluating highway design. Includes reports of several studies. (EB)

Discussing whether or not the long-range effects of 2 highway construction projects in Appalachia will produce the expected results, the article concludes that highway expenditures are oriented toward aiding depressed people rather than the depressed geographic area. (KM)

An activity of a high school drafting program using civil drafting (road construction) as part of the instructional program is described. (BP)

Describes a heavy construction equipment operation and maintenance program conducted in the Appalachia region of eastern Kentucky. (GB)

There is land in every community that can be used for parks if recreation officials look hard enough for it. (MM)

Demonstrates that the number of kilometers of highway in the U.S. tends to grow exponentially and discusses what can be done to modify this growth. (MLH)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a report prepared by the Thai Ministry of Education in response to an IBE questionnaire. Two sets of obstacles are blamed for Thai children's remote success in school--those preventing regular school attendance and those preventing efficient learning. The country's essentially agricultural economy and the low per capita income requires the assistance of children on the farm, cutting down their attendance, resulting in underachievement, and eventually dropping out. Learning ability is also impaired by health problems caused by poor sanitation and malnutrition. Also, Thailand is a multilingual country and added language barriers exist in schools in the Cambodian and Malay speaking regions. Early marriage is another obstacle to school. Low motivation exists because few rural areas have secondary schools, which may be attended by competitive examinations, so that the reason for elementary school attendance is not made clear. The Thai Government has started many projects to upgrade rural conditions by incentive to farmers and expanding rural education by supplying textbooks, meals, medical services to schoolchildren in need, and constructing roads in remote areas. The full report is available in microfiche (SIRE/036) from the International Bureau of Education, Palais Wilson, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland. (Author/GDB)

The first in a series of 4 articles on American Indian history. (AH)

A sophisticated modeling technique which predicts pollutant movement accurately and may aid in the design of new freeways is reported. EXPLOR (Examination of Pollution Levels of Roadways) was developed specifically to predict pollutant concentrations in a milewide corridor traversed by a roadway. (BL)