Diplomacy and political sophistication are as important as sound data and thorough review in the faculty layoff process. Distinguishing characteristics of institutions and departments affected by retrenchment and reasons for retrenchment are discussed, along with institutional research policies needed regarding release of data. (Author/LB)

Software design is still a craft; techniques are based on the way things have been done, not on basic theorems or design principles. Suggests that academic software design needs to be more like a science or technology and that a taxonomy of design solutions or classification method is required. Describes two case studies. (MLW)

Describes how data from an employee attitude survey were used by the city of Phoenix, Arizona, as part of its city organizational development effort, to generate over 400 organizational changes and to increase personnel development of over 200 management employees. Includes a summary of survey results identifying training needs. (MF)

Highlights of a survey of community health nursing agencies and faculty suggest the need for better planning and collaboration between service and education in preparing students for this field. Survey data tables are included. (CT)

A meta-analytic methodology is applied to integrate findings from 22 comparisons of the effectiveness of student- rating feedback at the college level. Feedback had a modest but significant effect on improving instruction. The effects of student-rating feedback were accentuated when augmentation or consultation accompanied the ratings. (Author/MLW)

A study testing four hypotheses that investigated various relationships existing between satisfaction obtained from interpersonal relationships, disposition toward superordinate/subordinate interpersonal participation and opinion about literature defined participative processes of management by objectives (MBO) is discussed. Subjects were 85 deans…

A method is described for measuring differences in grading that is free from the effects of individual student abilities and teaching quality. The analysis locates teachers on a continuum scale from "hard" to "easy" and enables the identification of possible extremes in grading that might manifest themselves in unfair treatment of students. (JMD)

The theoretical perspective and naturalistic methods of ecological psychology developed by Roger Barker are described. Ecological assessment implies examining (1) naturally occurring behavior; (2) environment immediately surrounding behavior; and (3) the individual-environment link. The specimen record, chronolog, and behavior-setting survey are…

This article describes a study in Pennsylvania which examined three political attitudes of public school teachers: alienation, political cynicism, and commitment to democratic values. Data analysis shows that teachers hold political beliefs supportive of the established political order. (Author/AV)

Examines the educational consequences of government efforts to restructure the ethnic stratification system in West Malaysia. (Author)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a national census-like survey of the knowledge, skills, understanding, and attitudes of certain groups of young Americans. Evaluates the NAEP's contribution to educational progress and its areas in need of improvement. (Author/RK) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this…

Describes a collaborative model as operationalized in a teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages teacher training course across two stages of course implementation, i.e., the piloted and the revised course. Presents qualitative and quantitative data analyses of student reactions through both stages of course implementation and identifies…

Demonstrates how recent methodological developments in the analysis of individual growth can inform important problems in education policy, focusing on growth mixture modeling and applying growth mixture modeling to data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten class of 1998-99 to investigate the effects of full- and part-day…

Describes an activity which allows students with a range of abilities to become involved in data analysis and informal inference while working in self-selected small group environments. Enables students to explore their own resources for asking questions. (DDR)

Describes an activity in which students use data analysis and mathematical modeling to obtain insight into a geometrical question. Explores a simple case of the isoperimetric inequalities. (KHR)