Describes a study conducted in southeastern Washington to determine public opinion regarding several educational options. Compares study results obtained through structured interviews with adult residents at a randomly selected sample of households with results obtained by mailing questionnaires to all remaining households in the area. (AYC)

The question studied was whether opinions of persons interviewed about educational interests and perceived needs at randomly selected geographic locations in a metropolitan area differed from those of three other persons living in the immediate vicinity. With few significant exceptions, no statistically significant differences were found between…

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…

The fifth of a series of brief reports on the study of mental retardation in a Canadian province covers a period of approximately one year (September, 1969, through November, 1970). The period under review is primarily one of data gathering with the emphasis on the adequacy of the sampling procedure, follow up of incomplete interviews, and tapping…

This book presents hands-on information on how to plan, administer, and analyze opinion polls. Guidance is also offered on how to make this strategy accessible to public interest groups. Several examples, checklists, warnings of possible pitfalls, and lists of material and human resources occur throughout the chapters. Major sections address the…

Guidelines are provided for designing and conducting a telephone opinion poll of the community. Issues discussed in the first part of this guide include determining the proper sample size, drawing a representative sample of the general adult population or of voters, selecting phone numbers, making call-backs, obtaining the proper male-female…

The primary purposes of the survey were to assess community attitudes toward the San Lorenzo Valley (CA) Unified School District's schools and to determine the extent to which both the general public and parents of school-aged children perceived the schools as meeting their needs. Other purposes were to update a similar community survey conducted…

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…

To help improve school public relations programs, this handbook tells how to use survey and feedback techniques and how to interpret survey results. The first chapter gives a brief overview of the usefulness of surveys for getting community feedback. Chapter 2 recommends beginning by deciding what one wants to know from a survey, what human and…

To continue to be an effective local educational leader in curricular change, fiscal policy making, and, above all, in planning for education, the school administrator must have a continuous flow of usable information on public opinion. The purpose of this book is to provide the administrator with practical methods for systematically monitoring…