This handbook reports on the use of consortia-appointed curriculum directors for meeting small, rural school districts' curriculum renewal needs. It is based on interviews with individuals involved with consortia in five Western U.S. case-study sites. Limited resources in rural schools often hinder curriculum-renewal efforts. If several districts…

This technical report describes the methodology, results, and conclusions of a 1991 survey, which was conducted to determine state efforts to develop systems to assess educational outcomes, states' needs for solutions to technical/implementation problems, existing databases, and efforts of states to design a comprehensive system of indicators in…

The principalship was studied from the perspective of newly appointed principals in the highly bureaucratized urban context of New York City. Their attitudes, goals, and role and leadership behaviors and the effects of the school-system context were studied. Interviews were conducted with 12 principals from one Pre-K-1, seven elementary and three…

Twenty professors who teach courses required for elementary certification at two state universities in southwestern United States were interviewed regarding the preparation of preservice teachers for diversity in classrooms, using a semistructured interview protocol. Transcripts of the interviews were reviewed, looking for definitions of…

This publication contains three articles written by students from Gary High School (Texas). The first article, "Baptistry Paintings" (Arthur Head and others), provides pictures, histories, and descriptions of eight paintings in Baptist churches located in East Texas. The second article, "Estelle Thomas Webb" (Debra Dubois;…

This paper reports on the use of qualitative methods to determine first-year student perceptions of the Orientation program delivered by North Carolina State University. One hundred thirty freshmen were interviewed, in groups of 6 to 10, to learn about their orientation experiences, and why they felt some sessions were helpful, and where sessions…

This book is designed for women who want to react to the empty nest syndrome with a new career. The first chapter contains an introduction and activities to help with self-awareness and career exploration. The second chapter discusses the importance of a positive plan. Strategies for setting long and short term goals, a sense of responsibility for…

In spring 1991, a survey was conducted by Northern Nevada Community College (NNCC) to determine the vocational education needs of local employers. Ninety-one employers were interviewed at their worksites using a modified open-ended question approach. Survey findings included the following: (1) employers most frequently used newspapers to obtain…

Descriptive statements of evaluation practices by principals were studied concerning normative expectations and J. Dewey's general logic of experience. Focus was on describing what principals think and do in terms of evaluation as a step toward bringing evaluation specialists and educational practitioners into a closer working relationship. Four…

The purpose of preemployment activities in a public school district is to obtain the person best qualified. This monograph discusses legal considerations in the preemployment process, with a focus on avoiding impermissible inquiries and the effect of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The key question to be asked when examining an application…

High-performance computing refers to the use of advanced computing technologies to solve highly complex problems in the shortest possible time. The federal High Performance Computing and Communications Initiative of the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) attempts to accelerate availability and use of high performance computers and networks.…

This study examines the perceptions of teachers in one school as they implemented shared decision making (SDM) over a period of over 2 years. Data from 100 interviews with 54 respondents including teachers, administrators, and other staff are analyzed. The changes the teachers experienced are examined at varying levels of SDM involvement from a…

This paper reports on findings of a multi-faceted preliminary study designed to identify the technical information needs of academic department chairpersons at a public urban university. Study methodology involved: (1) two 2-hour focus group sessions in which a total of 10 department chairpersons participated; (2) short written reports from the…

The substantial interest exhibited in the last decade in the identification of students' misconceptions of a wide range of scientific concepts has not extended to identification of students' misconceptions of the nature of science itself. This study examined the attitudes of 32 secondary school students, each from Canada, the United States, and…

Two newly developed instruments being used in a number of studies examining the influences of intrafamily and extrafamily resources and supports on parent, family, and child functioning are described. The instruments are the Personal Assessment of Life Events (PALE) Scale, developed by C. M. Trivette and others (1988), and the Personal Assessment…