Ohio is both very large and very urban. Like other midwestern states, it has been undergoing a number of major changes simultaneously, including: (1) a white population decline and an increase in minorities; (2) severe economic disruption and increased unemployment due to the downturn in manufacturing; (3) a lack of "high end" service…

Michigan's "rust bowl" days are over. Although the work force is still too dependent on auto manufacturing, the economy is diversifying into trade, distribution, and financial and business services. The new jobs created are mostly in small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. The state's population is very stable with few migrations…

Arkansas has a small, rural, undereducated population; few people move either in or out. Youth poverty is a major state problem, affecting the white and black and the rural and urban residents alike. The state's economy needs more diversification as there is little activity in the well-paying end of the service sector at the present; however,…

A university-public school partnership analysis reveals how the cultural context associated with existing institutions can both facilitate and impede the emergence of a new culture that those institutions attempt to create and often involves entire cultural reforms and organizational conversion. Brigham Young University and five surrounding school…

This paper discusses the goals, planning, methodology, problems, and outcomes of an interdisciplinary course on the future of Europe that was offered for the first time in the summer quarter 1989 as part of the Center for Western European Studies at Kalamazoo College (Michigan). Intended particularly for students who had completed foreign study in…

A rich description of the ways in which an effective principal utilizes symbolic leadership to develop shared school meanings and purposes is presented in this paper. Methodology involved the following: (1) individual and group interviews with 42 teachers, several other staff members, and the principal of an effective urban elementary school…

Designed for student use in "Energy Conservation and Passive Design Concepts," one of 11 courses in a 2-year associate degree program in solar technology, this manual provides readings, bibliographies, and illustrations for seven course modules. The manual, which corresponds to an instructor guide for the same course, covers the…

A study of turnover among high school superintendents and principals in small Kansas school districts found differences in demographic and organizational characteristics, performance measures, and administrators' perceptions in districts with high and low turnover rates. Data obtained from 72 administrator interviews and educational directories…

Information concerning characteristics of California and its educational system are presented, with attention to population trends, the proportion of ethnic residents, the age distribution, median family income, the economy, school enrollments and completion rates, and college attendance and graduation. Notable findings/conclusions include: 15% of…

The Science in Action series is designed to teach practical science concepts to special-needs students. It is intended to develop students' problem-solving skills by teaching them to observe, record, analyze, conclude, and predict. This document contains a student workbook which deals with basic principles of earth science. Seven separate units…

Background materials are presented on demographic trends, economic changes, financing patterns and governance decisions affecting community colleges in the western United States. Following an executive summary, chapter I provides an overview of the characteristics of public community colleges and the particular challenges they face. Chapter II…

The relationship between intensive English programs (IEPs) for international students and the American colleges and universities that design, structure, staff, and administer the programs in diverse ways is adversely affected by an absence of policy and the inability of the faculty who teach these programs to participate in the policy-making…

The literature concerning the corporate culture of the United States is a starting point for comparing the institutions of different cultures. However, teaching about the cultural context of business is not simply a matter of describing non-American companies in American terms, and American-born language teachers usually have little experience…

This planning report describes social, demographic, and economic trends that have implications for Washington's community colleges and sets forth goals for responding to the educational needs of students and the state. Following a summary of college goals, anticipated program changes, enrollment projections, and needs in student services, the…

In 1980-1981, extended funding from the Kellogg Foundation and a total budget of $561,316 allowed the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) to add to its program while continuing to emphasize project development, organizational development, interorganizational coordination, and training and education. PRI began to use task forces as a method of…