A task force sought to determine the information needs of the Tulsa Public Schools (Oklahoma) by studying goals of the school district, identifying all processes necessary for operation of the school system, and conducting interviews with 48 key members. A detailed information systems matrix was constructed to show the interrelationships between…

This paper discusses how educational program developers can design useful systems for gathering ongoing information about program outcomes to aid in the decision-making process. An introductory section offers basic definitions and a rationale for collecting outcomes information. Next, roadblocks to using information for decision making are…

The author describes her experiences as linking agent in aiding four local Massachusetts schools to examine, choose, and implement innovative reading programs. A process rather than content expert, her task was to organize existing, widespread support for change within the schools and to work with both the principals and a multiconstituent…

This two-part article outlines the provisions and limitations of the positivist and phenomenologist views of information science and describes the United Kingdom (UK) Education Management Information Exchange (EMIE), a 4-year experimental project aimed at developing and testing a range of information services for education officers and advisors in…

To collect data on program descriptions in the field of serious emotional disturbance/behavioral disorders, an instrument was developed and field tested with 145 school districts. Findings indicated that few comprehensive program descriptions (outlining student identification procedures, instructional methods, community involvement, evaluation,…

This booklet contains forms, strategies, and philosophies that have been successfully used at the TRIAD Teacher Center (West Lafayette, Indiana). TRIAD provides resources and services for 1600 elementary and secondary teachers and administrators in three counties. The center is staffed by three professional educators and is governed by a policy…

This report describes the 3 years of operation of the Special Education Software Center (Menlo Park, California), implemented with federal funding by SRI International, LINC Resources Inc., and the Council for Exceptional Children. The report describes activities of the Center and portrays, from the patterns of information requests received by the…

Needs assessment is presented as a scanning process to identify if and where interventions are required in the educational setting and also to build and support successful implementation of those processes. Themes or perspectives, which provide a general framework for the work of a needs assessment team, are outlined. Within this framework, needs…

This paper outlines the need for a more substantial and publicly available base of information and analysis of initial teacher education in Australia, so that the school teaching profession, school authorities, and the Commonwealth can join with teacher educators in developing optimal programs, policies, and strategy. The paper then describes a…

The key dimensions of issues related to the integration of successive waves of immigrants are outlined. It is argued that a federal immigrant policy is needed, in which the Federal Government would assume some of the cost burden of public services to immigrants that states and localities now shoulder by themselves. Requiring the Federal Government…

Designed to aid local districts in implementing local school improvement plans, this three-part curriculum guide begins by addressing the long-range planning of library media programs. The first part suggests a 10-step process for planning and provides an example of a 5-year improvement plan for library media programs, a checklist for evaluating a…

This report reviews the collaborative and evaluative efforts of an Arkansas education renewal consortium comprised of two universities and nine school districts. The reform originated from a smaller project that aimed to establish a broad communication base and systematic planning for meeting student needs. The current project, begun in 1985-86,…

The guide, one in a series of committee reports relating to school band performance, organization, and equipment needs, is intended to aid band directors as they develop public relations programs. The materials were developed in response to widespread need expressed by ASBDA members in a 1969 survey for assistance in drawing up press releases,…

This report outlines the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' plan to address the educational needs of homeless children and youth, as required by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The major purpose of the plan is to guide local education agencies and supply them with resources as they attempt to meet the educational needs of homeless…

Materials contained in the 16 volumes that make up the Rural America Series suggest practices through which rural schools can meet local community needs and realize their potential for career program delivery. This handbook, one of five in the subset of program development process documents for the series, outlines procedures on how to conduct a…