This report on the public perception of higher education is based on a review of 30 recent public opinion polls. The review found: (1) higher education enjoys a reservoir of goodwill; (2) a college degree is seen as an essential credential for success; (3) the public is broadly committed to equity, but as an income issue and not gender- or…

Public concern about the quality of education is increasing dramatically. This report presents findings of a national survey conducted by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) following the November 1996 general election. Data were gathered through a telephone survey of 1,200 registered voters, 40 percent of whom were Republicans, 40…

This handbook/guidebook/manual details marketing and fund-raising strategies that might benefit art organizations. Drawing on sources from the arts community, including orchestras, opera, dance and theater companies, galleries, museums, arts councils, performing arts centers, and a zoo, ideas are presented which have proven successful in actual…

This combination handbook, guidebook, and how-to-do-it manual presents useful marketing and fund-raising strategies for those involved in promoting and funding the arts. Case histories of funding programs and promotions are presented along with advice and guidance on: tapping the corporate treasury; unusual direct-mail techniques; and the use of…

As school districts increasingly encounter financial constraints and public demands for improved performance, some turn to private management. This paper summarizes the outcomes of private management in four school districts across the United States. Each case was unique. In Dade County (Florida), Education Alternatives, Inc. (EAI), was…

School districts often find themselves in a double bind when dealing with the public: they seek public input, but also are vulnerable to manipulation by organized interest groups that are not representative of the entire community. The dilemma is how to procure the overall community's public judgment of a topic and allow widespread participation.…

The Educational Think Tank for Northern Pinal County was established in order to discover the educational needs of the people in the community, improve links between educational entities, and improve the public perception of educational systems in Pinal County at all levels. The group's role was to create ideas for others to execute, which was…

A random telephone survey of 562 residents of the Pacific Northwest was designed and conducted to determine public sentiment toward the teaching of values within the public schools. The respondents were asked either the open-ended question of whether it was appropriate to teach values within the public school curriculum, or one of two…

Efforts to foster mental health care in society have always been hampered by the stigma attached to mental illness. To identify differential patterns of attitude hierarchies among people who live in or provide mental health services in a typical urban area, 54 adults participated in a Q methodology study of their attitudes toward mental illness.…

Citizens' attitudes and opinions toward higher education are discussed, based on the results of several public opinion surveys. Before the mid-1970s little research on public opinions and attitudes toward postsecondary education was conducted in the United States. Since 1975 several states have conducted such surveys, and in 1982 the first…

A study of work programs for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients in 38 states showed that these programs serve a minority of the recipients. They are providing mainly low cost services minority of the recipients. They are providing low cost services such as job search assistance to those people who need the least help in…

The National Endowment for the Arts has supported the Local Arts Agency Development Program since 1984 through a test program funded for $8 million with funds from one-time federal grants and matching state and local funding sources. In many communities the amount of local government financial support exceeded the matching requirements, indicating…

This publication lists information about Illinois state agencies and organizations that participate in feeding programs and/or have nutrition programs and nutrition services available to the public. This nutrition services sourcebook lists where one can go for help and available information and services. Statewide organizations which support…

The paper summarizes the results of an analysis of recently issued Census data. Examining the anti-poverty effectiveness of cash and non-cash benefit programs from 1979 to 1986, the analysis focuses on the impacts of those programs on families with children, the group whose poverty rate has risen most rapidly since 1979. The data reveal that…

In 1982, Brookdale Community College (BCC) conducted a community survey to determine whether there were any differences in knowledge, use, or support of BCC within Monmouth County (NJ) by residential areas, household income, or demographic indicators such as age, sex, or ethnicity; and to identify any unmet educational needs in the county. Surveys…