A model procedure, implemented in 1976 at Thomas Nelson Community College (Virginia), for community based and continuous long-range planning is described in this report. The model involves extensive participation by all community segments and presents strategies for review, approval, and research in support of the plan. Planning components include…

This paper describes the use of the ethnographer's perspective in applying research knowledge to the improvement of educational practice. The Documentation and Technical Assistance Project (DTA) uses ethnographic methods to study problem solving in urban public schools. In the complicated culture of the urban school, social, economic and political…

Problems associated with uncoordinated proliferation of data collection procedures will not be alleviated until educational agencies and legislative bodies, at both state and federal levels, view data as a scarce resource which must be managed efficiently. Better linkages must be made between the data transfer requirements generated by the…

One of a series of instructional booklets designed to introduce adult education program planners to the basic concepts integral to and alternative strategies for conducting needs assessments, this instructional booklet deals with determining what information to collect when conducting a needs assessment. Described first is the relationship of the…

Schools and school districts are advised to keep detailed records on incidents of violence and vandalism in order to (1) plan for school safety and security; (2) plan policies and programs for better student control and the improvement of attitudes; (3) evaluate the success of efforts to reduce violence and vandalism; and (4) increase the…

Camps offer a unique opportunity to inform parents of the psychological workings of their child through information based on a large repertoire of situations. Camps can be interpreted to parents as a better way to observe, record, and report how their children: (1) reacted to "on-hand contact"; (2) accepted duties and responsibility; (3)…

A survey covered categories of budget, organization, staff resources, activities, and reporting techniques and policies; the survey revealed Research and Evaluation (R and E) offices received federal or state funding. Therefore, most retain financial independence from programs evaluated. The best placement of R and E offices in the school…

This paper provides a model to assist local program planners, administrators, and other decisionmakers in the assessment of local drug abuse conditions and problems. The model presents data on which to base everyday judgments about drug abuse, to plan for drug abuse services, and to allocate limited resources on local levels. Drug abuse indicators…

This report summarizes the findings and describes the products of a 2-part research project that examined the parameters of Washington's interlibrary loan cooperation statewide, and developed a set of computer models to be used in simulation studies of associated activities and policies. It contains a statement of the problem; an historical…

Perspectives concerning data collection in postsecondary education management and planning are considered. It is suggested that one of the dangers in data collection operations is collecting data without knowing why. It is argued that unless one knows in advance what is being measured and the purposes of measurement, data should not be collected.…

The preparation of a data tape and users guide is reported. The tape contains about 700 cases with nearly two thousand variables collected over a three-year period as part of a curriculum evaluation study. The student group is the eleven- to fourteen-year-old population that participated in the field test of the BSCS Human Sciences Program.…

The overall purpose of the national Head Start evaluation is to assess the impact, on the children and parents being served, of: (1) the educational services component of Head Start, and (2) a new demonstration program within Head Start, Basic Educational Skills. The evaluation deals with a total of 65 Head Start programs and their families. This…

Context effects are defined as being influences on test performance associated with the content of successively presented test items or sections. Four types of context effects are identified: (1) direct context effects (practice effects) which occur when performance on items is affected by the examinee having been exposed to similar types of…

Intended for those who want to reduce disruptive behavior in elementary and secondary schools, this book argues that children must be held responsible for their actions and prefers self-discipline to imposed discipline that evaporates when authority is absent. Schools need to take greater initiative in teaching students responsibility and giving…

This document reports on the activities of state and territory teacher center coordinators in using the ten percent entitlement funds provided by the federal government to provide services to federally funded teacher centers. The major focus of the study was the documentation of the proposal development, technical assistance, and dissemination…