The annual Gallup Poll reveals what the public thinks about national education issues, Should these results be used to set local policy? A North Dakota school district did its own local survey in 1986 and describes how it was done. Includes seven references. (Author/MD)

This package has been developed as a resource guide and training aid to assist school administrators who want to improve school-community relations, to involve people meaningfully in decision-making, and to create learning experiences of quality in the community's lifelong educational process. The guidebook lists steps for identifying formal and…

This report provides an introduction to the use of opinion surveys in gaining information about a school system in order to make decisions. The topics addressed are reasons for surveying, selecting the respondents, survey methods, selecting the survey sample, structuring the survey, writing the questions, training interviewers, pretesting the…

These guidebooks were designed to help central office personnel, principals, teachers, and members of the community to plan and conduct a community survey. The main volume--the staff handbook--describes seven tasks involved in planning and conducting the survey and offers guidelines for the survey staff to follow. The project director's guidebook…

This report presents the results of a collaborative study undertaken by five rural, unit school districts in Illinois to provide data to be used in planning for school improvement. Information was gathered from on-site visits by teams of constituents from other districts and through a survey of perceptions of local community persons regarding…

In November 1983, a questionnaire was mailed to 1,761 addresses in the J. A. Garfield school district to ascertain citizens' awareness of computers in schools and their support for school computer purchases and provision of instruction in computer programming. A total of 125 questionnaires were returned (a 7.09% response rate). Findings showed…

This book is intended to aid school officials in conducting effective community surveys for the purpose of improving citizen involvement and influence in educational decision-making. Although the book is of considerable value when used alone, it is designed for use as part of a set of related publications collectively entitled, "Factual Politics."…

This study was designed to determine differences in the goal orientation of school administrators and parents regarding school reorganization and differences in administrators' and parents' perceptions of the progress being made on reorganizational goals. A research instrument was developed and pilot-tested on a group of parents and then…

The purpose of this survey was to determine future needs of the Houston Independent School District based on parents' expectations of schools and aspirations for their children's education. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of parents of 982 secondary students and 1,058 elementary students. The sample reflected the sex and ethnic…

A survey instrument is an efficient means of assessing public support for local gifted education programs. A questionnaire, developed for a survey of 133 individuals at post offices in rural northwest Arkansas, revealed positive attitudes toward gifted education but lack of awareness of specialized programming. (JDD)

These tips on surveying public opinion are based on the contention that community surveys can be useful to educators who want to know what the community is thinking about education, are ready to respond, and have no qualms about making survey results public. The author first discusses the importance of determination of the community survey's…

A secondary analysis of eight years' cumulative results from the annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward public schools is presented. These eight polls reveal a public that has confidence in its schools and its teachers and supports specific innovations, particularly career education, moral education, and various types of alternative…

In June 1975, a rural Massachusetts school board developed a comprehensive six-page questionnaire and mailed it to all community residents 17 years of age and older. The questionnaire solicited demographic data, as well as respondents' opinions on a wide range of school-related topics. Besides being administered to the community, the questionnaire…

While national debates focus on rising immigration and its impact, current data on immigrants and how they affect the national life are limited. To determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey of immigrants, a pilot project surveyed Salvadorans and Filipinos in Los Angeles in 1991. This report addresses key methodological issues in…

The current success and acceptability of the Design for School Excellence (DSE) in the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools is due largely to the seriousness in which the Board of Education and the Superintendent communicated with school employees and the entire community in planning the final outcome of this program. From the original suggestion of a…