Sociologist Willard Waller, writing more than 50 years ago, framed many of the key ideas found in contemporary literature on school organization. This paper is both an appreciation and criticism of Waller's seminal case studies of social interaction in schools. The paper is divided into four sections. The first two explore Waller's thought and its…

The problems of Knowville, a small school district (K-12 enrollment: 408) in the central farming region of New York State were examined by a research team from Cornell University. Interviews were conducted with residents of the community, school board members, teachers, administrators, and students in the school. This Knowville case study report…

This case study examines a small school district (called Hamlet) in New York State which appears to be a perfect candidate for school reorganization because of low (and decreasing) enrollment (187 pupils in grades K-12), very high per pupil expenditures, two larger (520-610 pupils) neighboring districts to which pupils could be transported with…

The results of centralization of one of the larger "small-rural" school districts in New York State are examined in this case study. The demographics of Yorkville and the feelings and opinions that residents have about their communities and schools are discussed first. Next, the history of the school system since 1950, when the district…

The effect of race on faculty pay, controlling for length of service and academic rank, was studied at the School of Management at a medium-sized, southwest university. The objective was to determine whether racial bias or discrimination affect faculty salaries. All of the 22 full-time faculty in the study were male and held Ph.D. degrees. Seven…

Third in a series of reports on Minnesota's Technology Demonstration Program, this document provides a synthesis of previous findings, presents a critique of the technology program, and evaluates 15 demonstration sites which were chosen to serve as models for the uses of technology in instruction and management. The report is divided into three…

This report and compilation of papers summarizes information collected by an Assessment Development and Use Project, initiated by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) to assist test development efforts by state and local agencies. Specific item banking applications are reported in two case studies, selected because they represent…

The National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) was consulted to improve the formative evaluation design for the Principles of Technology (PT) curriculum materials developed by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) and the Agency for Instructional Technology (AIT). Because the NCRVE entered the formative…

The use of explicit, written criteria to evaluate college and university faculty is examined. Four major issues concerning faculty evaluation are as follows: the desired outcomes of faculty evaluation; the functions of faculty activity that are to be evaluated; the criteria that should be used for each area evaluated; and the procedures for…

One partial solution to problems caused by declining enrollment and decreasing revenues, particularly in small districts, is the sharing of personnel, facilities, materials, and even students among neighboring districts. The first section of this report summarizes results from a survey sent to all public and nonpublic school administrators in and…

Higher education's past, current, and future responses to occupational training and employment programs and services are considered as part of the Council on Education's Higher Education/Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program, which was supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. In addition, demographic…

Provided in this document are case studies of representative and exemplary innovative environmental education programs from various regions of the world (North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia/Oceania). The case studies provide information on the environment and environmental problems and concerns…

The assessment of professional programs at the undergraduate level is discussed (i.e., engineering, business, education, nursing, and other career-oriented fields). Presently, assessment in professional education relies almost exclusively on written or oral testing of a predetermined set of cognitive and analytical skills. This is followed by…

This bulletin highlights elements of the music programs in two Oregon school districts--David Douglas School District 40 and Salem School District 24J--that have kept these programs viable in spite of financial constraints. Ingredients for success of the overall music program at David Douglas are first described. Important elements include hiring…

A guide to the family contribution (FC) for federal student financial aid programs is presented. Information is provided on the steps of the U.S. Department of Education's version of the Uniform Methodology (UM), the system most frequently used by need analysis services and financial aid administrators to determine the family's ability to…