The study described in this report was undertaken by Cochise College (CC) to assess the postsecondary educational needs of residents of the Willcox area of Cochise County. Part 1 describes the background and methodology of the study, examining the sampling techniques used in surveys of the general population, local businesses, current CC students…

An interactive research and development (IR&D) project brings together teachers, university researchers, and staff development specialists as a team to identify, research, and disseminate findings from questions of interest to teachers. Six major features of an interactive IR&D project are: (1) teams having at least one teacher, one researcher,…

This paper analyzes the reasons behind the success and failure of various entrepreneurs and their small businesses. Presented first is an overview of the increasing role of entrepreneurship as a way of earning a living in the United States today and the different challenges and outcomes new small business generally encounter. In the first three…

Acknowledging that basic skills instructors must deal with the affective characteristics of developmental students, this paper describes factors to consider for creating an environment in which developmental students can improve their learning skills. The first section of the paper discusses ways to meet emotional needs when planning a pretest for…

The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidelines for developing and implementing structured parent/community involvement programs in bilingual education and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in local school districts. Section One concerns the assessment of school, parent, and community needs; this section contains suggestions for…

Recognizing that the proliferation of personal computers and microcomputers has made it possible for individuals to access information and library resources electronically, a user study was undertaken by an academic library to determine if these "invisible" individuals accessed information differently than more traditional library users.…

This report provides documents, categorized under five different sections, to be used as guidelines for curriculum development. The first section, "Model Board Policy for Comprehensive Planning," outlines responsibilities of local education boards in curriculum development and provides examples to consider for policy development. The second…

To assess the need for elementary school counselors, 75 superintendents of school districts thoughout the province as well as 200 elementary school parents, 80 teachers, 4 principals, and 200 students from a small, rural school district in the British Columbia interior were surveyed using self-report questionnaires. The assessment provided…

Recent reports, such as "A Nation at Risk," have reinforced the fact that postsecondary-level vocational educators must not only be experts in their chosen fields but must also be professional presenters of the information of their fields of expertise. In the 1960s and early 1970s, persons preparing to teach in postsecondary-level vocational…

This module, one in a series of competency-based guidance program training packages, focuses on specific professional and paraprofessional competencies of guidance personnel. Modules in Category C suggest how to conduct, accomplish, or carry out selected career guidance program activities. The purpose of this module is to help career guidance…

The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive summary of current information on describing writing and measuring growth in writing, intended to help teachers decide which aspects of the process and the product to examine, how to determine a writer's specific instructional needs, how to measure growth in writing ability, and how to involve…

After an examination of societal currents leading up to the student revolution of the sixties, the author develops a theoretical concept of needs assessment. Assuming that effective needs assessment and program planning depends on the success of simulating the "needing" process of constituents, he divides community college clientele into…

Funded through local resources and an ESEA Title IV-C Federal grant, Project RISE (Regional In-Service Education) is an inservice center serving teachers, administrators and support staff in public and private schools in east-central Connecticut. During the planning year, the professional growth needs of teachers of grades K-8 were assessed. Staff…

The papers presented at three conferences dealing with nontraditional students at community colleges comprise this report. Papers included are: "Aging in America" by Francis Scott; "Aging in Oregon: A Look at Clackamas Community College" by Larry Forsythe; "Community Needs Assessment: Some Reflections" by Alice Kethley; "Education for Aging: A…

The Extended Campus Segment of De Anza College was designed as a brokerage between main campus educational resources and the needs of its service community. To that end, the segment was reorganized to provide a continual system of community needs and interests assessment with emphasis on individual learners as its base; to establish an educational…