This document identifies steps in organizing and conducting a community survey and provides materials for assembling a well-focused survey form. Planning and conducting a successful survey involves the organization of a planning group, selection of relevant topics and information to be collected on each topic, preparation of a survey form,…

This paper reviews the literature and findings of a prior study (Dixon 1997) that described and categorized contrasting elements of different conceptions of democracy: liberal democracy, participatory democracy, and community democracy. A table in the appendix also presents this comparison. These contrasting conceptions of democracy were then used…

The rationale for conducting a community survey to obtain information on a specific problem or issue for local school board policy formation is illustrated in this case study. A survey mailed to 10 percent of all district households in a small midwestern city yielded a 31 percent response rate. Survey analysis was utilized by the school board to…

Findings from a study that examined leadership responses to the conflict and change associated with desegregation in the Denver Public Schools from 1959-77 are presented in this paper. The theoretical framework is based on conflict theory, the dissatisfaction theory of democracy, and a classification system for communities based on…

For the past 25 years, the Gallup Organization and Phi Delta Kappa (PDK), a national fraternity of educators, have conducted an annual poll of opinion on education and educational issues in the United States. This report presents findings of the poll, which was adapted for and conducted in North Carolina in 1993. Data were collected through…

A sample of 214 rural citizens in Iowa's Crawford and Ida Counties were surveyed to gather information on community attitudes towards the care of children and other family members. The sampled group closely paralleled the area's 1980 census norms, except in the proportion of males to females. Respondents perceived community problems with…

The Drug Impact Index provides a set of indicators designed to determine the extent of the local drug problem in a community. Each indicator includes a technical note on the data sources, a graph showing comparative statistics on that indicator for the Portland area and for the State of Oregon, and brief remarks on the implications of the data.…

This guide is intended to assist states and service delivery areas (SDAs) in addressing the new oversight responsibilities and opportunities stipulated by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with respect to process evaluation. The first chapter provides an overview of the JTPA organizational system. Discussed next is the relationship among…

This monograph is designed to provide materials, ideas, and strategies for school districts and teachers to broaden and expand the standards and requirements of Ohio studies. Section 1, "Introduction" provides an overview of the monograph. Section 2, "Organizing for Instruction" gives several alternative approaches to designing…

This study discusses whether two tax programs instituted by local communities in Michigan to generate local economic activity have adversely affected local public elementary and secondary school financing. Analysis of the effects on school funding of The Plant Rehabilitation and Industrial Development Law of 1974 and its expansion in Act 255 of…

Appropriate for high school students, four units focus on the role, problems, and functions of city government. Designed to be covered in 5 to 6 weeks, the units involve students in interviewing city council members, listing community needs, inviting local officials as guest speakers, and examining problems resulting from the structure, limited…

In describing the implications for public schools of P.L. 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The booklet cites reactions of local and state administrators, supervisors, and classroom teachers. The first chapter details the content of P.L. 94-142, provides comments from lawmakers and educators, and lists questions and answers…

This paper represents the final report of a regional seminar (Asian countries) on educational alternatives held under the auspices of UNESCO in December 1976. The seminar focused on educational services for children from 5 to 14 years of age and emphasized the needs of children in poverty areas. Limitations and inequities in the current…

Since 1976, a special training program in educational administration for persons with a professional background in vocational education has been conducted at Northern Illinois University. This program is known as the New Opportunities in Vocational Education Project and has an affirmative action emphasis. This supplemental report of the project…

Purposes of this guide for change agents are to (1) present four methods for identifying community power actors (community leaders), (2) provide a description of how change agents might use each of the four methods, (3) compare the four methods, (4) suggest ways to use a combination of methods or combine elements from various methods, and (5)…