In the planning phase of this ESEA Title III Project, a learning unit was developed to serve as an outline for the first draft of the model. The field-lab approach is stressed in the belief that the "real world" offers a unique learning opportunity, since it includes the "how" of living as well as the inquiry process of…

In this study, the status ordering of a four-man group working on a task requiring discussion and decision was predicted on the basis of status characteristic theory. Two of the group members were white; two were black. They were matched as to age, height, and also on a combined index of socioeconomic status and attitude toward school. The…

Based on a review of 500 sources dealing with change, this presentation sets forth the practical applications of change literature for school administrators. The report concludes that change is a term neither commonly used nor commonly understood, and that ther e exist few scientifically developed (i.e., theoretically based and empirically tested…

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) attacks one of the greatest problems of education--how to get sufficient variety in educational materials to teach each individual without requiring a group of trained personnel to prepare all possible variations. CAI permits individualization electronically. CAI can be used to train problem solving, for drill…

This preliminary report discusses a study designed to test whether improved organizational problem solving could be produced in a school faculty by training in interpersonal communication skills. The training intervention, in a junior high school, used exercises designed to increase awareness of interpersonal and organizational processes. Rather…

Designed to serve as a guide for integrating interactive problem-solving or simulating computers into a college-level physics course, this anthology contains nine articles each of which includes an introduction, a student manual, and a teacher's guide. Among areas covered in the articles are the computerized reduction of data to a Gaussian…

This study was designed to determine if the regional educational laboratories funded under Title IV of Public Law 89-10 had accepted the charge to become educational change agents. Thirteen critical variables that describe essential change-agent functions were extracted from pertinent literature to provide the framework for a content analysis of…

Volume I of the Program of Instruction (EA 002 789) contained chapters 1-4. This volume contains chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 5, Group-Functioning, illustrates the flexibility that the Program of Instruction affords the Specialist in Continuing Education in selecting evaluative instruments and training activities. Chapter 6, Operational Design,…

Two projects of individualized instruction are reported in this document. These projects were carried out in small high schools in Colorado and are reported by the instructors involved. Included in the reports are the rationale, objectives, description of student groups, extensive procedural description, and results and recommendations. The…

It is time to reevaluate the myths of the nineteenth century and the structures they created pertaining to education. There is a need to utilize new power relationships to creatively build a pluralistic educational system. It must be recognized that conflict can lead to collaboration if respect is present, whereas collaboration which ignores…

During 1972 Worldwide Education and Research Institute conducted a statewide needs assessment in Alaska. Initially more than 2,000 Alaskans responded to an extensive questionnaire or interview about the State's schools. After gathering the data, 9 groups of representative Alaskans were convened for documenting and validating critical educational…

Performance in concrete and abstract tasks is examined systematically by varying the degree of abstractness of problem-solving and concept formation tasks. Four forms of a problem solving test were constructed. Each form of the test presented problem situations through four different modes: verbal stories, picture-book, color slides,…

In developing programs to foster purposive social change, it is imperative that program planners receive information regarding the perceptions of those in key positions and the general public concerning the major problems or issues facing a county. This report assesses the characteristics of leaders from several North Carolina counties in regard…

This document examines the design and structure of PMIS (Planning and Management Information System), an information system that supports the decisionmaking process of executive management in local school districts. The system is designed around a comprehensive, longitudinal, and interrelated data base. It utilizes a powerful real-time,…

The purposes of this paper are threefold: 1) to explore several ways in which rational policy-making can be approached; 2) to discuss various plausible explanations for the findings and intervention strategies which seem to be consequent with those explanations; and 3) to determine the strengths and weaknesses of various specific intervention…