Noting that accurate procedures for predicting reading ability in school settings are necessary for a variety of purposes, this paper reviews methods for predicting reading ability and presents a new, more precise model for use at the second grade level. First, the paper defines reading expectancy as an informed estimate of the level of reading…

One of the most appropriate quasiexperimental approaches to compensatory education is the regression-discontinuity design. However, it remains underutilized, in part because of the need to clarify the link between the mathematical model and administrative decision-making. This paper explains the derivation of a program efficiency index congruent…

This guidebook was developed to provide assistance to persons wishing to begin, expand, or promote programs of youth community service. It features examples of what young people already are doing and practical, down-to-earth ideas for designing, organizing, running, promoting, and supporting youth service programs. Special attention is given to…

This report examines how the curricular offerings of large secondary schools compare with the curricular offerings of small secondary schools. The study is motivated by theories of production which hold that economies are available in large compared to small schools; it is pointed out, however, that larger schools may not take advantage of…

To understand how to best motivate the Mexican American student, one must look not only to the factors considered relevant to achievement in mainstream Anglo American society, but also to specific problems faced by this minority group. Language barriers, cultural differences, economic background, and family attitudes combine to affect the…

This State model for teacher evaluation meets the requirements of Tennessee's Comprehensive Education Reform Act of 1984 (CERA). Special guidelines, approved by the State Board of Education for the beginning year of CERA (1984-85), are incorporated into the State model for local evaluation. Groups who must be evaluated during the 1984-85 school…

This document is the third of three related volumes. They present the rationale, background, and framework for a comprehensive monitoring system being developed for the National Science Foundation. The system is being designed to gather information about the effects of national, state, and local policy actions designed to change the teaching and…

Single- and double-loop organizational learning are discussed in the context of higher education retrenchment. A model of the research university illuminates impediments to internal resource reallocation, program elimination, and integrative leadership, and suggests the need for alternatives to usual efforts to increase efficiency while retaining…

Strategies for dissemination of international education materials on an international level are discussed in this paper. The analysis focuses on dissemination frameworks applicable to member countries of the Pacific Circle Consortium. These countries are Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. Section one of the report…

A model of attrition for specially admitted black students (low high school achievement and low assessed college aptitude) at the University of Pittsburgh was tested. The majority fell into the lower end of a socioeconomic range and often had inadequate precollege preparation. The attrition model was examined using a linear structural equation…

Teachers who have been trained to work with normal young children (early childhood certification) or with older handicapped children (special education certification) are often unprepared to assume the multiple responsibilities of the teacher of preschool handicapped children. The purpose of this project was to address this need by implementing…

The relationship between the costs of central administration and academic teaching and research production was studied, based on a large sample of British universities and a separate analysis of the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. To determine variables important to central administration costs, a cross-sectional and intertemporal regression…

Issues and problems associated with university involvement in public sector activities and the knowledge transfer process are examined. After a brief statement of the state-of-the-art in knowledge transfer, attention is directed to one of the basic issues presented in the literature: the appropriateness and inappropriateness of university…

The importance of myth and ritual in understanding the use of computer simulators in higher education is considered. Myths are commonly held beliefs that maintain social solidarity and reduce ambiguity; rituals serve a similar function, but they involve actions in addition to words. Examples of common myths and rituals are used to illustrate the…

An institutional self-study undertaken by Appalachian State University as part of the accreditation process is presented. This 13-stage analysis forecast societal trends and value shifts and established institutional goals for the 1980s. The study was based on a 10-stage "Futures Creating Paradigm" developed by the American Association…