School improvements have been implemented in 27 schools in Columbus, Ohio, emphasizing the characteristics of effective schools. These characteristics include: (1) a sense of mission; (2) strong instructional leadership; (3) high expectations for students as well as school staff; (4) frequent monitoring of student progress; (5) a positive learning…

This workbook was written to help students, parents, and support staff prepare "transition plans" to help students with disabilities get ready for living in the adult world. (Such transition planning should start four to five years before students leave school.) Written in simple language and short sentences, the workbook contains seven sections.…

Two methods of conducting a needs assessment for inservice teacher education programs were tested to determine: (1) the level of consistency of information between the two methods; and (2) the comparative validity of the two types of needs assessments. Eighty-eight teachers were divided into four groups. An informal assessment technique,…

This report evaluates the Promotional Gates Program for kindergarten through ninth qrade implemented in thirty-two community school districts in New York City. The report is designed to provide policy makers with: (1) an assessment of student achievement on the California Achievement Test (CAT) and the Criterion Referenced English Syntax Test…

A statewide needs assessment in vocational education focused on the needs of displaced homemakers and other special groups in Florida. Specifically, the survey provided (1) a demographic profile of adults in Florida, particularly those described as displaced homemakers, single heads of households, part-time workers, and people desiring work in…

The handbook, intended for rural citizens seeking to improve health care in their communities, concentrates on assessment of community health care. Sections cover four steps of the community assessment process, i.e., self preparation, organization, community identification of problems and goals, and community action plan development. "Step One:…

Using examples from the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.), the authors investigate the use of special or expert commissions in government policy-making in education. They analyze such commissions' impacts, the criticisms made of them, their role in political legitimation, and some alternative instruments for policy formation.…

A pilot study was conducted to determine the practices and perceived needs for inservice education of reading teachers in Georgia. A questionnaire was sent to individuals responsible for overseeing the reading programs for grades one through eight in 52 Georgia school systems; 37 returned it. Analysis of their responses indicated a need for…

In order to facilitate planning within the Division of Counseling and other areas of the Forest Park Campus of St. Louis Community College, surveys were conducted in 1981 and 1982 to determine students' career, academic, and personal needs. The survey instrument was administered during freshman orientation to 980 students in 1981 and to 844…

This report will be of greatest interest for persons involved in adult high school completion programs, especially those teachers, counselors and administrators who are interested in making the students' educations relevant to their daily living. Through Project PLANE, a comprehensive assessment system and a coordinated referral system was…

Based on interviews with seven counselors at 2-year colleges in New York, survey responses from six 2-year-college counselors throughout the country, and a review of literature, a plan was created for a career planning and development program for 2-year colleges. Counselors recognized the following needs: career planning for part-time students;…

A project was conducted to establish the validity of a procedure and set of instruments to facilitate a more systematic approach for the continued staff development of inservice secondary and postsecondary vocational instructors in three states (Kentucky, Virginia, and Wisconsin) with different delivery systems. The population consisted of a…

The data presented on microcomputer usage in the Oklahoma public schools are based on a 37.5 percent response to a survey mailed to the 1,785 school building principals in the state. The results are reported separately for elementary, middle, and secondary schools, including numbers of microcomputers with brand name and model, peripheral devices,…

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is seeking better ways to deliver appropriate services to small districts, since many ADE services tend to be of most benefit to larger districts. Small school districts in Arizona often have great distances between schools, personnel filling multiple roles, special budgetary constraints, limited range of…

Regulations pertaining to project design of Title IV Indian Education Act projects are described in this guide. In addition to being helpful and giving each project a standard format to follow, the guide also includes examples of required and suggested forms. Each of the seven components of program design (needs, goals, objectives, activities,…