Statewide support for gifted education was assessed through a public opinion telephone survey with 400 respondents in one state. Results indicated general support for specialized programs, except residential schools, for gifted children. Appropriate public relations strategies utilizing such survey results are suggested. (DB)

Analysis of statewide (Oklahoma) survey data revealed that 22.5% of individuals with mental retardation who were served by the Oklahoma mental retardation system were receiving antipsychotic medication. Higher levels of medication use were found in institutional settings and Intermediate Care Facility settings. (Author/DB)

Describes a study that examined the extent to which failed Indiana principals showed deficiencies in meeting six standards developed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium. The superintendents surveyed agreed that, generally, principals who failed did not demonstrate attainment of the ISLLC standards. The most troublesome area was…

Describes interviews conducted with administrators in Texas community colleges to determine how and why retrenchment policies are developed and their effects on the college. Suggests that policies are developed by committees of faculty and administrators to protect faculty and the college in times of financial crisis. (15 citations) (AJL)

Arizona physicians (N=393) were surveyed regarding child abuse and neglect cases. Females estimated higher rates of childhood sexual abuse and lower incidence of false allegations in custody disputes; older physicians were more likely to refer cases to a specialist, more concerned about false reports, and more optimistic toward the rehabilitation…

Examined whether higher education degree production in a particular state actually affects its stock of college-educated workers. Found that the effect of degree-granting (which varies across states) on the relative concentration of a given state's university-educated workers is modest. (EV)

A survey of 84 city clerks in Iowa cities of 2,500 to 10,000 found that revenue scarcity was a general problem but much more severe in rural areas and that public services had not deteriorated, possibly because surpluses were acting as a short term buffer. (SV)

Conducted state-wide survey of aging and blindness agencies in Pennsylvania. Found that large percentage of aging agencies were not addressing needs of aging blind population. Lack of interaction between two systems represented major service delivery barrier. Findings suggest need for improvement in understanding needs, resources, and areas of…

Discusses the California Society of Librarians recruitment campaign and the results of a survey distributed to California public, academic, and special libraries on librarian specializations, bilingual and minority librarians, openings filled and expected, and salaries. (two references) (MES)

Comparison of 2 studies of employers' attitudes toward the employability of persons with severe disabilities (one of Fortune 500 corporations and one of New York State employers) found that both groups were favorable toward employability. Executives from large companies and individuals with prior positive experience with the disabled were the most…

Of the 50 states, 37 do not mandate education in prisons, although 8 are considering a policy change. Many programs include incentives and sanctions, and various evaluation criteria, such as General Educational Development achievement, test scores, and retention in the program are used. (SK)

A survey of 394 Ontario (Canada) community college faculty found that 34% were involved in paid consulting arrangements in at least one project during a specified one-year period. Variation occurred by academic division and gender. Basic questions about this phenomenon are raised, and further research is recommended. (Author/MSE)

Testing and accountability programs can lead to some positive changes towards student performance. Here, Jones and Egley explore on whether Florida administrators thought that there was anything that could be done to improve the country's testing program in order to reduce or eliminate the types of concerns raised in George's study by conducting a…

As part of its work in developing an accountability framework for higher education, the Commission conducted an analysis of college-going rates in California. This analysis showed that: (1) California has serious inequities in access to higher education. College-going rates vary greatly depending on students' ethnicity, gender, and the type of…

Guided by the social network perspective, this study examined the structural properties of the state reading policy domain using network visualization tools: sociograms and multidimensional scaling scattergrams. The authors' graphic exploration of eight state reading policy networks produced rich insights about the density and the overall…