The problem-solving models described in this paper were selected because they offer nontechnological alternatives to solving school district problems, because they solicit and respect the opinions of involved workers and clients, and because each model has several variant forms that can be applied to many different kinds of problems. The three…

This handbook is a general planning tool for child development groups that want to be more effective than they are. It is designed to help a group determine (1) its reasons for existence; (2) its aspirations for improving child development programs in the community; (3) its limitations; (4) what steps it needs to take to achieve its goals; (5) who…

The current status of student government's role in the school decision making of a New York junior high school is examined in this case study. The student body, faculty, and administration responded to a 37-item questionnaire which examined their attitudes toward student government activities and importance in school decision making. The results…

A strategy for decision making in the design of reading instruction is suggested in this paper. Decision categories, or "junctures," are anticipated, and a set of principles is developed as a guide to selection and sequencing of program tactics. Included in the discussion is an analysis of the problems inherent in decision making, an examination…

The House Judiciary Committee debates over the Articles of Impeachment during the Watergate hearings provided the unique opportunity for citizens to observe the process of congressional decision making. Emphasizing diversity, compromise, and reasoned argument, members defined their role as a combination of judge, juror, and average common-sense…

Undertaken as a situational, cross-cultural study to determine the importance of various mass media in individual problem-solving and decision-making, 2,500 adults in Seattle, Belgrade, and Ljubljana were interviewed and asked to indicate those problems he/she perceived as personally important in the city he/she was living in a and in the world.…

The rational model of classical economic theory assumes that the decision maker has complete information on alternatives and consequences, and that he chooses the alternative that maximizes expected utility. This model does not allow for constraints placed on the decision maker resulting from lack of information, organizational pressures,…

A project formulated a computer simulation game for use as an instructional device to improve financial decision making. The author constructed a hypothetical firm, specifying its environment, variables, and a maximization problem. Students, assisted by a professor and computer consultants and having access to B5500 and B6700 facilities, held 16…

The survey reported on in this document addressed itself to discovering what kinds of quantitative models have been developed and implemented for educational decisionmaking during 1965-72, and what planning questions they are intended to answer; where these models have been implemented and to what extent they are being used; and the cost of such…

Survey feedback and problem solving processes can be applied to increase the effectiveness of task-oriented structural approaches to educational organization development. One such approach involves the superimposition of complementary collective decision structures over the existing authority decision framework of the school. Collective decision…

An attempt to answer questions surrounding the teaching of oral communication to children is presented. In each section, a pattern is followed. First comes the presentation of an example. Second, there is an explanation of the teaching efforts which led up to this oral product. Third, the author adds comments and raises questions to help the…

This paper presents two models, one for organizing institutional research and research data, and the other for applying research findings to the decision-making process. The model for organizing research consists of four subsystems: goal-setting, program development, cost-effectiveness, and program review. Each subsystem has a distinctive…

The first two publications in this series dealt generally with school building problems in developing nations. This third part offers more direct guidance. Described in some detail are organizational fundamentals and tools that depend on universal similarities in building practice and have, therefore, been recommended for use internationally. A…

Ten case studies taken from the business world are presented to help secondary school students develop a realistic understanding of economic problems. Discussion of the cases can be integrated into economics or social studies programs. By studying concrete examples of business reacting to changing economic conditions, students should learn to…

Suggests a three part schema for classifying teachers' attitudes towards problems which normally arise in a school system. Based upon these concepts, the authors developed and tested a technique for assessing teachers' views as a source of data to guide principals and superintendents in deciding whom to involve in dealing with what problems. For…