A program of research on the effects of institutional experience on retarded persons was described and the importance of such research for theory construction, use by clinicians, and construction of social policy was discussed, as was the value of both longitudinal and cross-institutional studies. (Author)

Hypothesizes that, because education is a multivariant process, research attempting to test hypotheses about univariant data will find "nonsignificant" results; several nonsignificant variables may cumulatively or in combination have a significant effect; and many "nonsignificant" findings result from inadequate research design and data analysis.…

Reviews conceptual models used for analyzing the implementation of public policies. Stresses the need of citizen involvement in developing policy strategies aimed at social change. (JDH)

Organizational analysts argue that formal environmental assessments should be integrated into strategic planning. Guidelines for establishing formal environmental assessment in educational institutions are presented, evaluated, and refined based on the experimental effort of the University of Minnesota. (Author/MLW)

Departments are the basic organizational units of academic institutions, and their power contributes to growing pressure for accountability. Their role in resource allocation determinations is examined. (Editor/LBH)

Why would mental health clients sign release-of-information forms unless they thought a refusal to do so would jeopardize their access to service? The author believes that the practice of not advising clients of their rights to privacy has ethical implications that can compromise the value of the treatment. (Author)

Conducting institutional research on a complex issue such as retention provides the opportunity to use the method of comparative analysis through which numerous independent comparisons can provide the institution with a more complete picture of an issue. Researchers have done different types of comparative analysis at one university over the last…

While institutional researchers commonly evaluate the programs and services provided by their colleges, they rarely evaluate their own effectiveness with as much gusto. If Institutional Research (IR) is to serve as the bedrock of an institution's effectiveness, it must be effective in itself and continually improving. It must make certain that the…

Premise of this article is that one of the major roles of university centers and institutes is to bring to graduate education, through both research and instruction, a degree of flexibility which presently cannot be achieved through classic departmental approaches. (Author)

The accuracy and effectiveness of institutional research can be hampered by struggles within the university's interest groups. (HS)

Explains a new technique designed not only to pinpoint the home location of its student body for recruiting purposes, but also enables a college or university to study academic, social and economic factors of its student body. (HS)

Procedures used at the University of Maryland for providing statistics on racial composition. (HS)

Results suggest that the major university force in publication in this Journal was found in the Midwest, although no one institution or related set of institutions dominated the clinical research. Implications about the role and nature of Midwestern clinical programs and APA-approved programs in general in this pattern were discussed. (Author)

Federal educational statistical activities and federal support of research about higher education and institutional operations are activities that assist institutional research. Institutional research is defined to include studies, policy analyses, and information collection that help college administrators understand the internal operations and…