The role of state education agencies (SEAs) has shifted significantly from low-profile, compliance activities like managing federal grants to engaging in more complex and politically charged tasks like setting curriculum standards, developing accountability systems, and creating new teacher evaluation systems. The move from compliance-monitoring…

The purpose of this study was to analyze opinions of selected school district stakeholders regarding potentially critical factors in school bond referendum success and failure in Kansas during the years 2004-2007. Of the 72 eligible school districts, one district was randomly selected from each of six groups formed through a stratified random…

Describes litigation public relations (LPR) as use of public relations techniques by attorneys to advance clients' interests. Surveys Kansas litigators about LPR; suggests that LPR is more accepted in theory than in practice and seems not to be in widespread use. Finds LPR use among litigators in organizations employing large numbers of attorneys,…

Presents a small Kansas school district's five-step approach to public relations. Success hinges on coordinating school activities on a master calendar, publishing a monthly newsletter, writing weekly progress reports to board members, telephoning parents, and acknowledging staff and student contributions. An inset furnishes advice about effective…

Describes how public relations (PR) students' Internet self-efficacy (e-mail, bulletin board system, real-time chat, and Web research) was measured before, immediately after, and 7 weeks after they worked in either geographically dispersed (Kansas and Hawaii) or local (Kansas only) teams to develop a PR issue statement. Finds Internet efficacy…

An informal survey of 27 Kansas public and private 4-year institutions of higher education revealed most did not have aid information packets designed for marketing; the quality of materials and response time was unrelated to institution size; many did not respond satisfactorily; and financial aid offices did not take a team approach in…

Describes the $17-million sports complex being constructed in Topeka, Kansas to serve the city's 3 high schools and 125,000 residents. Describes how the school district successfully "pitched" a major sports project by assuaging the concerns of special-interest groups and garnering the support of skeptical taxpayers. (EV)

Described are objectives and services of the 3-year Kansas Special Vocational Program (SVP) for handicapped youth and adults. The SVP primary objective is to provide pre-employment educational services to 150 high school handicapped individuals, with job placement for 50 individuals. The report covers the following SVP aspects: community advisory…

This collection of conference papers covers various aspects of rural education in changing times. The conference focused on changes and innovations in rural education and on reasons why rural educators can be optimistic. The proceedings report includes brief papers and workshop summaries on topics ranging from rural public relations to…

Effective administration of rural school districts is a challenge. Rural administrators must develop, execute, and supervise the total school program. Because administrators must do whatever is necessary to operate the program and support staff frequently are not available, administrative roles and responsibilities are many and varied. Most…

This guide is aimed at persons concerned about quality postsecondary distributive education programs, specifically in Kansas. It provides guidelines for program organization and administration in community colleges and area vocational-technical schools. Section I presents general introductory information about postsecondary distributive education,…

Twenty-four local projects which are intended to serve as sources of ideas for professional group action are described in this pamphlet. The projects are reported within the framework of four areas of improving teaching. Under "professional development" projects are portrayed concerning the use of student tutors and the improvement of…

This collection of 5 major papers and 32 abstracts covers a range of issues surrounding rural education. In the first paper, Glen Shaw, a rural Minnesota schools administrator, contends economic and technological changes have threatened rural jobs and the rural way of life. Anecdotes and statistics are employed to define rural problems and to urge…

A guide for Kansas foreign language teachers contains general information about language teaching techniques, materials, and needs, and specific proficiency-based objectives for three instructional levels (novice, intermediate, and advanced). It is not language-specific and does not advocate a particular methodology, but is designed to answer…