The nationwide lack of jobs for young people is America’s worst problem, George Gallup Jr. told a local hospital group in St. Louis last month.
The fact that 20 percent of all youths and 50 percent of black teen-agers are out of work, the Gallup Poll’s president said, has resulted in major social problems such as teen-age crime, drug abuse, and alcoholism.
“Where people don’t have work,” Mr. Gallup said, “they get desperate and do desperate things.”
He suggested one solution might be to follow the practical approach of European schools, which combine vocational training with liberal education. He also suggested mandatory national service--military or another type--as a solution.
Robert L. Thorndike, an emeritus professor of psychology and education at the Teachers College at Columbia University, this month was honored with the Phi Delta Kappa award for meritorious contributions to education through evaluation, research, and development.
The winner of the $1,000 prize, which is awarded every two years by the education fraternity, is selected by a committee appointed by the board of directors. Local chapters make nominations for the award.
Mr. Thorndike, who addressed the biennial meeting of Phi Delta Kappa last month in Dallas, is noted for his work in the development of tests of intelligence and aptitude. He also developed the Thorndike Dimensions of Temperament, a test that assesses the way people react to various situations.
Mr. Thorndike said he was working on a monograph about the way people learn to reason and what computers can teach about the learning process.
