This report highlights the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas for use in developing rural policies and programs. The economic expansion of the 1990s greatly benefited rural economies. Rural areas attracted both urban residents and immigrants. Hispanics accounted for over 25 percent of nonmetropolitan population…

This report discusses the findings of a project that conducted a series of six focus groups to gather information from different employee groups about their perceptions of issues pertaining to the employment of individuals with disabilities. Focus groups were convened with human resource managers, supervisors, and coworkers of employees with…

School leaders are finding that business as usual is no longer an option. This fastback provides a framework for thinking about the multiple demands of school leadership, suggesting that the different models of leadership can be reconciled by considering them to be complementary strategies. The fastback describes the hierarchical,…

A study examined Chiat/Day inc. Advertising's team-based virtual office in which work could occur at any location inside or outside the office at any time. Three sites used three workplace strategies: full virtual (FV), modified virtual (MV), and conventional (C). Interviews, observations, and archival data were used to assess project teams doing…

In January 1995, Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC), in Virginia, surveyed faculty and staff regarding their perceptions related to job satisfaction, organizational communication, management, and work environment. Questionnaires were sent to 128 full-time faculty, administrative faculty, classified staff, and part-time employees with 30 hours…

The 2001 Environmental Scan for the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario is designed to assist colleges in their strategic planning processes. It provides information about economy and labor, various trends in education and training, postsecondary enrollment and demographics, transfer payments and operating grants, Ontario's…

Within the last couple of decades, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased significantly due to human activities. Today climate change is an important issue for humankind. This book provides a starting point for educators to teach about climate change, although there are obstacles caused by the industrialized…

The research documented in this report builds on earlier work in the 1980s in the area of on-the-job experiences in developing effective leaders. The current study was designed to answer the following: (1) What are the significant events from which African American managers learn and develop? (2) Are the key events and lessons learned different…

This report describes a research project designed to investigate the relationship between perceived organizational culture and the current general level of Internet self-efficacy as well as with two sub-categories of expertise: use of course management shell software and Web authoring software. The perceived organizational dimension of "employee…

Networks among people and businesses facilitate the capture and diffusion of technical and organizational knowledge and can be classified by type of knowledge being exchanged. Types include buyer-supplier information, technical problem-solving information, and informal community information. A survey of 141 small and medium-sized enterprises…

This article approaches the Aral Sea's demise as an extreme example of how human development has the potential to destroy the environment. The discussion focuses on two lessons provided by the Aral Sea story: (1) the interdependence between humanity and nature, and the consequences of disregarding the environment in pursuit of progress; and (2)…

This paper draws on the Western Australian School Effectiveness Study (WASES) to examine school-level factors associated with improved teacher morale as one measure of effective high schools. The 1997 WASES teacher sample included 212 teachers from 28 rural and urban high schools in Western Australia. Data analysis using the Multilevel Linear…

This report examines the relationship between each dimension of organizational climate (supportive principal behavior, directive principal behavior, engaged teacher behavior, frustrated teacher behavior) and the organizational commitment of teachers in Turkish public schools. Data were collected from 900 educators in 40 public high schools.…

A school construction guide offers key personnel in school development projects information on the complex task of master planning and construction of schools in Australia. This chapter of the guide provides advice on school building design issues, such as the fundamentals of good design and designs that accommodate change, issues affecting…

Both existing and new English school premises are required by law to comply with minimum construction standards published by the Department for Education and Employment. This building bulletin provides practical guidance on meeting these standards covering acoustics, lighting, heating and thermal performance, ventilation, water supplies, and…