Early childhood special education (ECSE) program leaders in Minnesota were surveyed to contrast perceptions of programs for children age birth to 3 with those for children 3 to 6. Of the 8,550 children served in such programs, survey responses reflected 64 percent. Survey results are presented for: (1) settings--home, community, and ECSE…

In 1990, a survey was conducted of Texas community colleges to determine what, if any, effects they experienced after the first full semester of the implementation of the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) implementation. The questionnaire solicited information on the impact of TASP on enrollment and on interactive television and…

A study was conducted to collect information related to Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisors, chapters, and school characteristics. Specific objectives were to determine FFA activities influenced by the advisor's experience, and to identify factors perceived as contributing to the preparation of teachers for the role of advisor and to the…

A study addressed the issue of overpayments and other quality problems in the unemployment compensation (UC) program and was current as of June 1987. Principal findings are as follows: (1) overpayments constituted a major problem for the UC system as a whole; (2) high overpayment rates were symptomatic of fundamental problems including…

Begun in June 1984, the national study utilized questionnaires from 461 rural education researchers and practitioners to provide the first empirical data for prioritization of rural education research needs. Since conducting and supporting rural education research are clearly federal functions, the study was prepared for dissemination to federal…

The efforts of a large urban school district to apply research findings on effective elementary schools to improve the reading achievement of its low-income junior high school students were studied. The research objective was to create an ethnographic account of change. At the school district studied, the Comprehensive Reading/Language Arts…

A 3-year study of the processes used to implement Bill 82 (an amendment to the Education Act that provides more effective education for special needs students in Ontario) was reported. Structured interviews were conducted yearly with 59 regular and special education teachers and 26 principals from 26 elementary and secondary schools under the…

The San Diego (California) Saturation Work Initiative Model (SWIM) was part of the Social Security Administration's two-site demonstration of saturation work programs in an urban area. The multicomponent program operated from July 1985 until late 1987, when it was replaced by a new statewide initiative called the Greater Avenues for Independence…

Established in 1956, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) was charged to acquire and preserve books, periodicals, prints, films, recordings, and other library materials pertinent to medicine. Since the establishment of the NLM, significant effort has been devoted to carrying out preservation responsibilities. In 1983, the Library Operations (LO)…

The results of a follow-up study on local school district development and implementation of minimal competency testing (MCT) programs are reported. Critical questions regarding: (1) motivation and purposes; (2) selection of tests, procedures, and standards; and (3) impact, follow-up, and change are examined. The follow-up study investigated…

Through a study, strategies were investigated to increase the role of in-school youth in creating job opportunities. Drawing upon qualitative data provided by the Youthwork National Policy Study, researchers examined four youth-operated employment projects in order to isolate those factors that either hinder or facilitate the implementation of a…

Social programs are often based on unclearly articulated theoretical rationales. The evaluations of these programs are also often relatively theory free, and therefore make limited contributions to theory. A Program Development Evaluation (PDE) approach, intended to integrate theory testing with the development and evaluation of action programs,…

The Change Facilitator Stages of Concern Questionnaire (CFSoCQ) as a procedure for studying the concerns of change facilitators is presented. It is based on the work of Francis Fuller, the concept of Stages of Concern, and the Concerns Based Adoption Model which deal with change facilitators' concerns regarding implementation of an innovative…

When different individuals operating in different contexts implement similar innovations, they approach the various parts of the innovation in different ways. When assessed according to the research procedures used to study innovation implementation at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin,…

The purpose of this investigation (special field project) was to seek out theoretical and research-proven foundations pertaining to needs assessment activities and their potential impact upon the development and implementation of a Division of Student Affairs Professional Development Program. It was discovered that the activity is highly…