In recent years, policymakers have begun to emphasize the goal that all students graduate from high school college- and career-ready (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of State Boards of Education, & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2008). Research…

This paper considers noncredit instruction in the California Community College System. It identifies three related concepts: a state need for increased levels of education that noncredit instruction is well placed to supply, several changes that begin to facilitate that response, and additional changes that are needed to ensure success. The…

Four-stage model is presented as a way of achieving diversity in the means and ends of education primarily through more educational planning at the local level. (HD)

Outlines similarities and differences in the nature, structure, operation, perspectives, and problems of six graduate programs in applied sociology: Wright State University, Kent State University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland/Baltimore County, Drake University, and Washington State University. (DB)

A discussion of the emerging international need for training for department heads focuses on why such training is now a critical issue, what current management problems imply for training needs, the nature and variety of the training available, and some general avenues for future development. (MSE)

There is currently a renewed emphasis on planning stemming largely from the accountability movement in education. The accountability factor suggests that current and future educational planning could perhaps differ from past planning. These differences could possibly manifest themselves in a wider inclusion of lay persons and groups in the…

Reports findings and recommendations from the Tadlock Report, a study designed to gather and analyze information on career education programs and activities supported since 1970 by the Illinois Division of Vocational and Technical Education. Also discusses activities of the Illinois Career Education Steering Committee and the development of a…

This report is a result of a study of available opportunities offered by post secondary institutions to help older persons remain active and involved in their communities. Through interviews of relevant literature, detailed questionnaires sent to over 400 institutions, visits to over 33 institutions, and interviews with personnel, older students,…

Intended particularly to help educators meet the requirements of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, this handbook on long-range planning was also designed to be used by anyone needing to relate student needs to information gathered through planning and needs assessment activities. The first chapter describes the intent of…

This report describes a needs survey administered at the first National Bilingual Education Management Institute. The purpose of the survey was to discover the major needs for evaluation training in bilingual programs. The survey dealt with the following areas of concern: identification of evaluation topics that would be useful and of interest to…

Intended to assist practitioners in vocational education in improving program planning and evaluation, this paper provides an overview of needs assessment, which is a method of acquiring evaluative data required by the Vocational Education Amendments of 1978 (P.L. 94-482). The first two sections discuss various definitions of educational needs…

A comprehensive, four-phase study was undertaken of cooperative education for the Mid-Plains Nebraska Technical Community College area. Specific procedures and methodology utilized, and presentation and interpretation of data, are included in the chapters describing each phase of the study. Phase one included (1) a comprehensive review of the…

In the wealth of documentation produced as a result of increasing pressures on local school districts to be accountable, two terms--"needs assessment" and "planning"--are bandied about most frequently. These terms are often used interchangeably and, even when this is not the case, they often represent varying shades of meaning. Such confusion in…

This booklet is the last in a series of five published in connection with the Guam Assessment of Educational Needs. Collectively, the series represents an effort to identify and validate the most critical education needs for the Guam schools so that improved educational opportunities can be developed for Guam students. This document summarizes the…

A project was conducted in Illinois to determine what basic skills were needed in vocational education and how they should be taught. A multiple methods approach incorporating interviews, observations, surveys, and document analysis was employed to obtain data from the literature, and from practitioners, administrators, and experts in the fields…