This report presents preliminary data on public elementary and secondary school membership, graduates, and staff for the 1987-88 school year. It includes student counts, graduates, instructional and support staff (reported in full-time equivalents), and student-teacher ratios. Data from 42 states and the survey form are included. (SI)

The number of staff in full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States is reported in two categories: instructional staff (teachers and instructional aides); and support services staff (local education officials and administrators, school administrators, guidance counselors, librarians, and all…

This study traces the 5-year effects of California's Proposition 13 on the state's "Big Eight" school districts' secondary curriculum. Personnel and parent representatives agree on influences behind curriculum change patterns. First, teacher reductions have led to larger and fewer sections of classes, decreasing students' scheduling…

This six-part pamphlet examines 87 Finnish principals' personalities in terms of leadership and cognitive styles. The study's purpose is noted in section 1. Section 2 analyzes pedagogical roles and behaviors from a normative dimension perspective. Section 3 shifts to the personal dimension in discussing styles, values, and vocational preferences.…

The objectives and accomplishments of the State-Level Information Base project are reviewed, and documents available to state-agency and other staff are summarized. The overall purpose of the project is to assist state-level planners and postsecondary education staff with their information needs, and to effectively match agency responsibilities…

Analysis of the employment patterns of State colleges and universities in Kentucky shows that small increases in the number of women working in the State university tenure system raised the percentage of female faculty from 25.7 percent in 1975 to 27 percent in 1981. The percentage of minority female faculty members, however, dropped between 1979…

Current approaches to the research paper rarely emphasize more than secondary research in library collections and data bases. Instructors can help students expand their range of possible information sources by posing three questions: Who is likely to know about this? From where does information on this subject come? and, Who pays for this…

Female researchers conducting field research in educational politics encounter special problems of access, entry, reciprocity, and ethics. Accordingly, this study focuses first on field research methods in policy settings as a general topic, then on problems specific to women in this area. A researcher must be aware of informal coalitions or…

This quarterly issue focuses on the role of New York state agency libraries in meeting the information needs of state officials and residents. The first four papers include "State Library Agencies: An Overview," based on a 1982 survey with 19 respondents (Lucille C. Whalen); "Extending the State Library's Information Services to…

Steps that should be followed in choosing and implementing an administrative computer system are discussed. Three stages are involved: institutional assessment, system selection, and implementation. The first step is to define the current status of the data processing systems and the management information systems at the institutions. Future…

The review process conducted by the Information Processing Task Force at Northern Kentucky University is summarized, and eight recommendations are presented that resulted from data analysis, a literature review, information collected from vendors, and an assessment of related activities of other higher education institutions. The review focused on…

Because of their proximity to local districts and state and local funding, regional educational service agencies (RESA's) and their staffs of linking or change agents are key tools in communicating new knowledge for educational improvement. This paper explores factors promoting knowledge sharing by distinguishing among knowledge bases (research,…

Administrator development programs are multiplying, yet little is known of their effects. If instruction is meant to produce cognitive, affective, and psychomotor changes in participants, inservice programs should duplicate that process--and, by extension, improve schools. Two instruments in each of four areas (cognitive , affective, psychomotor,…

The United States Department of Education (ED), Office of Inspector General (OIG), describes in its semiannual report its provisions for audit, investigation, fraud detection and prevention, as well as other activities. The first section reviews management improvement and preventive activities including recommended changes to legislation and…

The National Longitudinal surveys (NLS) of Labor Market Behavior have been conducted by the Center for Human Resource Research at Ohio State University and supported by the Department of Labor since l966. In this paper, data from the fifth and newest NLS cohort, a national cohort of 12,686 youth who were aged 14-21 in 1979, are discussed.…