The components of a priority-setting system are input (clearly defined items), process (people involved, judgment, criteria), and output (listing the items in rank order). (SK)

A survey of 49 states' services for mentlly retarded offenders indicated that 922 residential beds exist for this population with 150 more expected by the end of 1983. It is concluded that only 5 percent of those needing special services will. (Author/CL)

This article focuses on the problems affecting needs assessment and, in doing so, addresses itself to the inadequate definition of needs, administrators' lack of training, difficulty of obtaining relevant literature, expense, methodological concerns, and political considerations. (Author/SSH)

The model described provides both the supervisor and the employee with a more objective basis for implementing a particular training/development technique and offers the greatest opportunity for performance improvement. (Author/IRT)

This essay identifies a set of research priorities that will enable those most responsible for U.S. higher education to shape the enterprise in more purposeful ways. The present discrepancy between ideals and realities makes it evident that higher education is less than it should be. The essay identifies three broad research priorities: (1)…

The Great Lakes Quality Improvement Center for Disabilities (GLQIC-D) provides training and technical assistance regarding disabilities to Head Start and Early Head Start (EHS) programs. The GLQIC-D conducted a survey of Early Head Start programs in the Department of Health and Human Services Region V, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,…

This "skill packet" is a training document that serves as a guide to performing needs assessment in the educational context. It is anticipated that, at the end of the training, participants will be able to: (1) define needs assessment concepts; (2) identify strategies for conducting a needs assessment; (3) describe the strategies and…

This issue of the serial "Juvenile Justice" is devoted to the theme of female juvenile defenders and contains three articles on this subject. The lead article, "Investing in Girls: A 21st Century Strategy," by Leslie Acoca, stresses that addressing the needs of adolescent girls, who make up the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice…

This report provides an overview of youth violence in Virginia and a look at what some communities are doing about it. Although there is no way to measure all acts of youth violence in Virginia, the extent of the problem can be described through juvenile arrest statistics and school discipline reports. In 1997, Virginia law enforcement officials…

In order to investigate what types of training and technical assistance (TA) are needed by Early Head Start programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin (EHS Waves I & II), particularly with regard to children with special needs, the Great Lakes Quality Improvement Center for Disabilities (GLQIC-D) and the Region V…

Reports on a feasibility study that found both need and support for a new Catholic high school in Atlanta, Georgia, based on the number of interested families/students; strength of support from interested parents; and costs. Suggests research considerations for other dioceses conducting similar studies. (DMM)

Critically reviews some important attempts at needs analysis which have been made in the last 10 years and identifies strengths and weaknesses of needs analysis at the present stage of its development. Suggests that there is currently no objective method of analyzing learner needs. (EKN)

Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to needs assessment is followed by a description of the five phases of the flexible composite needs assessment approach, START (Systematic Technique for Assessing Resources and Training/Development) for developing training programs within various types of organizations. (EAO)

Educational planners must be aware of educational needs to do their jobs successfully. The educational needs of adults must be continually analyzed and clarified. (JOW)

The article presents the Special Education Needs Assessment Priorities model which establishes training priorities for both regular and special educators. The model consists of four stages: identification of competencies, development of discrepancies, setting training priorities, and resource allocation. (SB)