About one in five Minnesota children under age 8 has a parent who speaks a language other than English at home. These Dual Language Learners (DLLs), who numbered 136,000 in 2011-15, come from a wide array of national, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds--a reflection of Minnesota's sizeable refugee communities from East Africa and Southeast Asia…

To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

Today's undergraduates approach research with needs and expectations that challenge traditional library services. The foundation for leading an effective response is the ability to assess undergraduate needs and translate these needs into tangible strategic initiatives that contribute to student academic success. This paper describes the…

We explain in this article the need for board training in rural America irrespective of industry or government sector. We discuss how an assessment of training needs has led to the launch of a new project called the National Board Basics Curriculum (NBBC) project. In this project, we have identified four key core competencies that every board…

It is essential that the traditional emergency management structure be used as a framework for higher education emergency planning. The four phases of emergency management should be reflected in the architecture of all planning efforts. These include "preparedness," "response," "mitigation," and "recovery."…

This document reports responses to a questionnaire investigating the needs of junior and senior high school mathematics teachers in Minnesota for continued inservice education programs. The questionnaire, administered to two hundred and seventy-eight teachers in both rural and urban public schools, posed seventy-two questions on the usefulness to…

Intended for state legislators seeking recommendations for improving arts education in Minnesota elementary and secondary schools, this executive summary presents (1) an historical perspective of comprehensive arts planning grants authorized by Minnesota statutes between 1973 and 1984; (2) needs assessment results, including findings of the…

An analysis of higher education marketing examines a case study of a college's market research program, a series of market research projects, and a major study of students and parents in six metropolitan areas (the Six-Market Study). After introducing marketing concepts and strategies, the nature of higher education marketing is considered. The…

Two evaluation projects conducted for the Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service are examined from a user-focused perspective: (1) a needs assessment of large scale commercial farmers for program development by the Office of Special Programs; and (2) a review of the extension programs in Nicollet County. Each incorporated the focus group method…

A statewide needs assessment project was designed to identify the continuing education needs of Minnesota peace officers. Phase one measured perceptions of law enforcement administrators or training officers. The needs assessment committee conducted a literature review to identify items for the survey instrument and weighting formulas. A survey…

During the 1976-77 school year, the program's priorities were (1) to hire a Home School Coordinator to provide counseling services for the child and to be a liaison between the school and the home; (2) to hire Instructional Aides to work closely with the teacher providing any type of assistance which would make school easier and more enjoyable for…

Noting that Minnesota has developed many innovative services for parents and infants, but does not yet have an organized way to attend to infants' emotional development and mental health needs, this report details a study to ascertain the need for infant mental health services and examined the current level and types of services available. Data…

This monograph was developed as a product of two Minnesota state conferences (held on June 2, 1994 and on May 19, 1995) on transition issues facing adolescents with chronic illness and disabilities. Participants included health professionals, educators, parents, policymakers, human service providers, and young adults. Introductory remarks by…

Materials contained in this career education implementation guide (one in a series of seven) provide concrete examples of how to evaluate a comprehensive career education program using the approach of applying logic and objectivity to the process of judging the merits of career education activities. Major topics discussed include the following:…

This document proposes an Area Vocational-Technical Institute (AVTI) based model for service delivery to dislocated workers in Minnesota. The need for such a model arises from the consistent duplication of problem-solving measures and service delivery statewide in attempting to solve the problems of various groups of dislocated workers. The model…