This feasibility study of the computer system of the Department of Education's Office of Impact Aid (OIA) was conducted to (1) assess the capabilities, as well as the drawbacks, of the current system and the other components of OIA's data processing activities; and (2) explore alternative computer systems, based on available technology and current…

The argument is made that without proper staffing and support (a condition that occurs as financial pressures on higher education institutions increase) institutional research will not be able to prepare analyses of enough depth and sophistication to constitute a meaningful contribution to policy-making. An outline is provided as to how to…

Effective leaders operate with three different styles: manager-as-technician, manager-as-conductor, and manager-as-developer. The first two work well if the manager remains a hero, but this heroic style diminishes the subordinates' own capabilities and confidence and is counterproductive to change. The post-heroic manager, or manager-as-developer,…

Technology is growing in exponential leaps as capabilities increase and prices decrease. In some cases, advancement occurs so rapidly that, just as one technology becomes known, a succeeding one emerges. Such rapid change introduces a need for frequent reevaluation of equipment and application strategies and of the organizational learning process;…

The School Crime and Misbehavior Project, conducted under the auspices of the National Alliance for Safe schools and the National Institute of Justice, was aimed at providing school districts with a system to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the schools. The Duval County (Florida) Public Schools implemented the 2-year program as a pilot…

Trident Technical College developed a process using microcomputers to produce certificates for competency-based curricula. At the beginning of the process, criteria were set for the program. A software program was needed that used available computers, was easy to use, and produced a competency statement that was easy to read and interpret. A…

This report describes and evaluates efforts to enhance school districts' capacity to implement and institutionalize the monitoring and management system for an instructional leadership program called Achievement Directed Leadership (ADL). Chapter one introduces the report's methodology, limitations, and structure. Chapter two first states the…

This U.S. General Accounting Office report discusses the Medicaid management controls needed to assure that mentally retarded residents of nursing homes receive the services they need to help them function independently. Medicaid's involvement with the retarded in institutions and nursing homes includes financing active treatment services, such as…

This volume is the fourth module, "Enforcement," of the evaluation report documenting how States met the requirements of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended in 1978, and identifying exemplary State management practices and documents. The module begins with a history of enforcement under Title I up to…

A study investigated the effects of using the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) model in distance education. The PSI version of the course (PSI-P) was compared to a version of the course that was found to be instructionally weak (C), a revised version of the course that had an improved instructional design (IB), and a version of the course…

The purpose and direction of the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) quality improvement program are described. The background and context for the Pell Grant quality control (QC) design study and the meaning of QC are reviewed. The general approach to quality improvement consists of the following elements: a strategic approach that enables OSFA…

In order to investigate characteristics of the implementation of objective-based approaches to reading instruction and to isolate problems in such implementations, a questionnaire was sent to over 100 schools that were implementing the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development. Responses from 61 school districts were used to obtain…

In 1975, Delta College began a project to prepare a set of institutional goals and a mission statement for consideration and adoption by the college Senate and Board of Trustees, and to identify those goals that should take priority over the following five years. All areas of the college were represented on the goal development committee, and to…

This guide is one of twelve documents describing the Career Planning Support System (CPSS) and its use. (CPSS is a comprehensive guidance program management system designed to provide information for local high schools to design, implement, and evaluate an upgraded career guidance program. CPSS describes how existing activities can be brought into…

The management strategy of calling attention to problems and labeling them as crises is discussed as a method of coping with prolonged periods of shrinking resources. Part I, "Entering the Realm of Crisis," discusses the importance of defining a crisis, the crisis as an organizational good, and when to declare a crisis. Two types of…