This report discusses the outcomes of a study that reviewed various teacher supply and demand studies to investigate the impact of survey designs on special education personnel preparation and to formulate an agenda of advocacy for the future design of surveys. Results from the study of two national surveys, three state surveys, two association…

AEL's contract with the U.S. Department of Education includes work partnering with faith-based organizations in Kanawha County, West Virginia, to (1) build their capacity to better serve at-risk youth and (2) document what best helps such organizations to successfully impact youth and their families. One of the first faith-based organizations with…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit presents the results of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries designed to document how ARL member libraries are collecting, using, and modifying their data on reference service transactions. A total of 74 of 124 ARL member libraries responded to the survey. A…

The impact of inservice generated staff knowledge changes on the behavior of 42 mentally retarded adults was assessed. Findings demonstrated an effective time-efficient means of collecting client behavior change data, as well as a 51 percent growth in measured staff knowledge, anD a decrease in each of nine targeted maladaptive behaviors.…

A limited national sample of 49 school psychologists and 30 regular education teachers provided information on assessment procedures for the purpose of instructional planning. Results showed some indications of agreement between school psychologists and teachers, but also several inconsistencies in the views of the two groups. (Author/RC)

Describes the use of scattergrams which aid counselors in identifying consistent patterns in the admissions process and provide students and parents with "visual" advice in choosing a college. (Author)

Presents the state-of-the-art of information systems monitoring, addressing historical and current approaches and manual and automated techniques; develops the concept of automated monitoring into a well-defined methodology; formulates methodologies/techniques/theoretical foundations for analyzing monitored data; and discusses computer based…

The study investigated the structural corroboration of instructional evaluation information collected from one source (students) by three different methods: responses to objective questionnaire items, written comments to open-ended questions, and group interview results. The three types of information presented a similar general impression of…

Describes the ethnographic component of a multidisciplinary evaluation, conducted by the RMC Research Corporation, of the Career Intern Program for dropouts. Includes discussion of participant observations, interviewing techniques, triangulation, unobtrusive measures, data recording, and equipment. (Part of a theme issue entitled…

The Judicial Evaluation Method (JEM) is useful for aiding decision-making bodies to formulate policies. Broad public participation in complex issues is provided by JEM. (The conceptualization, policy formulation stages, and participant roles are identified; and the model is applied in two case studies). (MH)

The "Ages and Stages Questionnaires," a parent-completed developmental monitoring system, is described, and various strategies for using the system to identify young children with developmental delays are compared. Strategies include mail-out, home visit, on-site (completed by either parent with assistance from service provider),…

Describes the practice of benchmarking and its use in staffing. Examines benchmarking's roots in quality control and how businesses can establish reference points in pursuing their goals. Includes suggestions on planning benchmarking efforts, strategies for data collection, data analysis, and taking action. Provides a benchmarking code of conduct…

Summarizes the literature explaining focus group interview techniques and provides ideas on how they can be used for needs assessment and program evaluation in libraries and information centers. Discussion includes focus group session objectives, the level of moderator involvement, various methodologies, data analysis, and reporting in qualitative…

This article explains how educators can use the ecological congruence assessment process for identifying functional goals for young children with disabilities. Process steps include: teacher collects information about functioning in usual classroom activities, routines, and transitions; summarizes the collected information; and shares the…

A study analyzed attribution statements of six community workers who provide risk management for men with mental retardation who sexually offend. Results highlight the effort participants made to obtain sufficient information. They focused on external factors for most effective risk management, but other staff undermined their confidence.…