Results of a survey to determine the needs of reentry students at Ohio State University are presented. Reentry students are defined as being 4 or more years older than their class-level peers. Questionnaire responses from 210 students are analyzed. Information is provided on the following student characteristics: sex and age, family background,…

The advantages and disadvantages of changing class lengths at Montclair State College to a standardized 75-minute period were studied by a faculty senate task force. The task force assessment involved: a faculty survey of the proposal for changing class periods; consideration of comments submitted by faculty, staff, and others; an open discussion…

This report describes a diagnostic instrument designed for school districts to use in assessing the training needs of bilingual staff. The construction and trial administration of the instrument involved several stages. Among these were the development of a pool of subscaled questions, questionnaire forms, and a pool of instrument questions. The…

This report presents an analysis and synthesis of student performance data collected through state-mandated testing programs. The common performance areas assessed were basic skills achievement. The unique performance areas assessed were content skills within a particular state. Achievement data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress…

This report summarizes the results of a statewide survey (excluding New York City) on the objectives, procedures, and problems of school closing; it emphasizes school districts' planning processes. The report begins with information on the geographic distribution of closings; the years districts closed schools; and the types, sizes, and ages of…

The value of strategic planning for educational, business, governmental, and family institutions to make them more responsive to society and to insure their viability is addressed. The transition from an agricultural to an industrial society and then to a technological one can be described in terms of its impact on individuals, institutions, and…

This report describes the development of a needs assessment instrument designed to identify competencies necessary for vocational educators to successfully teach and work with disadvantaged students. The first part of the report summarizes a review of literature. Eleven studies are presented and referenced for further study. The second part of the…

The 1981 White House Conference on Aging, particularly the 50 State Conferences on Aging, generated over 1,500 pages of data on aging, addressing over 3,000 issues. To summarize the information from the 16 Technical Committee reports, a conceptual framework was used which focused on the well being of older people in three dimensions - health,…

This report describes two studies completed by the Child Advocacy Commission of Durham, North Carolina. The Durham school system has one of the lowest retention rates of any system in the state. The studies were used to advocate for and help implement new and better dropout prevention strategies in their schools. The report also outlines the need…

This handbook for administrators of school district mathematics programs outlines a set of procedures for implementing the Pennsylvania Comprehensive Mathematics Plan (PCMP) and provides a degree of standardization and a planning framework to encourage the communication of related ideas and successes. The procedural steps, instruments, checklists,…

The first of a two-part series, this volume addresses the broad scope of questions and issues that confront local governments when formulating or reevaluating cable policy. In 11 chapters, 14 authors present an historical perspective and discuss cable technology and state-of-the-art options: (1) "Overview of Cable TV Services and…

A long-range school improvement program, under the direction of the Pennsylvania State Department of Education, was developed to coordinate and articulate the curriculum, as well as to structure school management and other district operations. Featured in the plan are: (1) a statewide testing program called "Educational Quality…

A study evaluated language needs, preparation, and screening among non-native-English-speaking U.S. Army officers and enlisted personnel, focusing primarily on the needs of officers. The purpose was to help determine the minimum competency levels needed on two measures of English proficiency. Evaluation questions guiding the study were: (1) What…

This report is the third of a series on cultivating excellence in education for the purpose of training and retraining school leaders of the 1990s. The superintendent's role in the supervision of the administrative staff is discussed in four parts. A review of the literature in section 1 addresses several of the difficulties faced by…

This paper discusses the adequacy of research for informing practice and areas of research that will extend the knowledge base about schooling. The first topic also includes the extent to which existing knowledge has been disseminated. The second topic involves the identification of research topics that merit funding so that knowledge that can…