Increasing diversity in the student population intensifies the need for and the difficulties of establishing culturally sensitive and meaningful communication between teachers and parents. This study examined the practices of early childhood and elementary teachers concerning culturally sensitive home-school communication. As a second phase of a…

Parent participation is considered to be a vital component in the education of students with disabilities. Parents' roles in pivotal changes in special education--specifically, inclusion--are acknowledged, and their rights are protected in special education law. However, their perspectives are not always understood or considered in the…

While most existing online learning environments cater for needs identified during the 1990s, a new generation of digital students has emerged in the developed world. Digital students are young adults who have grown up with digital technologies integrated as an everyday feature of their lives. Digital students use technology differently, fluidly…

This CLIP (College Library Information Packet) offers a compilation of surveys and other methods of inquiry into user satisfaction submitted by college libraries around the United States developed to obtain feedback from the clientele they serve. In April 1995, surveys were mailed to 265 college and small university library directors, and the…

This qualitative study examined the perspectives of people with significant disabilities (N=23) and their family members about their overall employment experiences, outcomes, and expectations. Four focus groups were convened, two groups of people with significant disabilities and two groups of family members. Disabilities represented included…

The College Assessment and Planning Process (CAPP) at New Mexico State University-Grants(NMSU-G) combines in a 2-year cycle the processes of assessment of student academic achievement, review of program effectiveness, strategic planning, and institutional development. Virtually all faculty and staff are involved in the process, which features…

This document reports on a 1998 conference on technical assistance and dissemination attended by representatives from the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) projects, and regional resource centers. The conference was intended to increase knowledge concerning…

This book describes a structure for understanding and managing the process and options for gathering and analyzing data on needs. The three-phase model that forms the basis for the structure grew from both theory and practical experience in many settings. The focus is on assessing the needs of organizations rather than individuals. It is stressed…

The growth of educational teams in collaborative reform initiatives spurs a need for team assessments to assist in promoting functional team environments, productive team work, and member satisfaction. This study applied a multitrait-multimethod framework (D. Campbell and D. Fiske, 1959) to assess team functioning and team leadership. Four case…

The question of how agricultural education students and faculty define and hope to foster student success was studied at a large southeastern land-grant university with a college of agriculture that included 1,497 students and 193 faculty. The study questions were explored in 2 focus groups containing a total of 7 faculty members and 8 focus…

An assessment identifying the leadership education needs of three groups of leadership program alumni was developed through focus group interviews. Respondents (386 of 1,063 or 36%) were most interested in training on: engaging others in a common vision, inspiring others, attracting the right people for the task, and influencing others. They…

This study explored how preservice teachers perceived and utilized the Online Learning Support System designed and developed to provide a platform for presenting utilities like content, news, and course assignments, and facilitating communication among students and instructor. In this research, a qualitative method was used. The data was obtained…

This report contains summary information and conclusions from the pilot workshops, focus groups, and the NEI (NASA Explorer Institutes) Planning and Evaluation Conference which united representatives of the workshops, focus groups, and NASA education. The culmination of these NEI pilot initiatives resulted in the identification of strategies that…

The decision to conduct a "Needs Assessment of the Haitian-American Community in Hillsborough County" was made to provide a quasi-scientific or a research foundation to our future intervention in this community. More specifically, the needs assessment aimed to: (1) Identify the priorities in the needs of the Haitian-American community,…

In the fall of 2003, PACER Center's Parent Partnership Project for Children's Mental Health conducted a survey to better understand what parents and families need from the children's mental health system in Minnesota. The research team developed a survey questionnaire, a telephone interview, and a focus group session directed at learning what was…