This final report, in the form of an executive summary presents the findings of the Families in Action project, a 5-year effort to examine the experiences of parents and other members of families of children with emotional disorders as members of policy-related bodies. The project also addressed the development of strategies to enhance parent…

This study examined the views of parents and educators from kindergarten programs in Canada on ideal kindergarten practice. Data sources included focus groups of parents and educators, surveys of educators in three Canadian provinces, surveys of teachers nominated as having exemplary programs, surveys of parents from these programs, and in-depth…

Focus groups are conducted each year to gather information to help Research for Better Schools (RBS) in its planning process. This document reports on the latest round of focus groups held in spring and fall 1992. Eight focus-group sessions composed of parents, teachers, and students were conducted at one elementary and one high school in…

This paper reports on the results of an initiative taken by Paterson Public Schools (New Jersey), an urban school district with approximately 24,000 students, to restructure its Title I elementary program. The effort involves engaging Title I and regular classroom teachers in a collaborative teaching model as an alternative to the traditional…

To better determine the educational and training needs of local employees, Lane Community College (LCC), in Oregon, undertook a project to analyze responses from a statewide survey of employers' perceptions of training needs and conduct focus groups with Lane County employees regarding their perceptions. The statewide study surveyed 6,010…

To gather data on attitudes related to the advisability of proposing a property tax increase to provide additional college support, Glendale Community College (GCC), in California, held four focus group meetings with classified employees. Following letters and electronic mail messages sent to all classified employees inviting them to participate,…

This study examined how the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 have been implemented in one state's vocational rehabilitation (VR) system. Eleven state and local office administrators and counselors participated in three focus groups that were organized so that members with similar positions and experiences in the VR system participated in the…

Parents (N=58) of young children with disabilities and their service providers attended 18 focus group sessions where they discussed what services they would choose if given a million dollars to spend on their own service programs. The focus groups were held in nine geographically and demographically diverse communities in Colorado, North…

This study examined areas of racial tension and racial attitudes among first-year students at York University in Ontario (Canada). A survey of 1,129 first-year students in 1993-94 indicated that the vast majority believed that visible minority students had been treated equally by professors, staff, and other students. However, the first year was…

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and Little Rock's Pulaski Technical College (PTC) have both used the focus group process with key constituents to understand institutional needs and priorities and public expectations of their institutions. The model followed by both institutions consists of the following three phases: forming the…

An exploratory study examined teachers' perceptions of students' motivation to read and the relationship between those perceptions and students' reading achievement. Focus groups of third- and fifth-grade teachers were convened and given an initial questionnaire. A second questionnaire based on those findings was developed and field-tested with…

Health concerns facing adolescents of color in Minnesota were studied through survey responses of 126,000 public schools students in grades 6, 9, and 12 who participated in the 1995 Minnesota Student Survey. These findings were supplemented by focus group discussions held with 90 young people from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Survey results are…

The campus experiences of 24 students of color at a large, predominantly white midwestern university were investigated using four focus groups and grounded theory methods of analysis. Participants were asked about their experiences in four area environments: classrooms, residence halls, student services and programs, and the city where the…

Homeless families with children comprise the fastest growing segment of the United States homeless population. This study evaluated Year 1 of the Arizona Head Start for Homeless Children and Families Project, designed to meet educational and social needs of homeless children and families, and to assist Head Start agencies in developing effective…

Homeless families with children constitute the fastest growing segment of the United States homeless population. This study evaluated Year 2 of the Arizona Head Start for Homeless Children and Families Project, designed to meet educational and social needs of homeless children and families, and to assist Head Start agencies in developing effective…