The School Planning, Evaluation, and Communication System (SPECS) is an overall design for districtwide program assessment and development. It is both a way of interrelating planning and evaluation of individual programs and a way of comparing the outcomes of all district programs with the district's community-defined educational goals. Component…

The School Planning, Evaluation, and Communication System (SPECS) is an overall design for districtwide program assessment and development. It is both a way of interrelating planning and evaluation of individual programs and a way of comparing the outcomes of all district programs with the district's community-defined educational goals. This…

This paper discusses an attempt to improve student discipline in the public schools of Springfield, Illinois. First, it discusses briefly a needs assessment study of staff, citizens, and students. A more extensive discussion is then offered of the objectives of the project and how they were accomplished. Finally, the paper offers a midyear report…

One way that a school system can systematically assess its needs and assure that plans for improvement reflect the participation of all concerned groups is through use of the School Community Climate Survey (SCCS). The SCCS is a process for gathering information on people's attitudes, analyzing these attitudes in terms of perceived needs,…

The paper summarizes the first year (1983-84) of a 3-year rural education project entailing collaboration between the College of Saint Rose (Albany, New York) and rural chief school officers (CSOs) to improve service to handicapped students. Project objectives are listed: to improve education of mainstreamed handicapped students by helping CSOs…