A study examined existing perceptions of the effectiveness of vocational education in Michigan. Researchers sought the opinions of 1,879 educators (including teachers, administrators, counselors, admissions representatives, and public relations professionals) connected with vocational education; 1,099 nonvocational educators; 745 parents; 1,030…

A survey of colleagues in the communication discipline sought to assess the future of rhetoric and public address as an integral part of curriculum and degree programs. A trend that appeared in the remarks was that scholars in the field of rhetoric have too long eschewed the broadening of the concept of rhetorical criticism. Rhetoric should be…

Conditions in Ontario higher education in the early 1980s and related governmental activities are discussed. Despite limitations placed on enrollment by the universities and constraints from underfunding, overall enrollment has continued to increase during 1982-1986. Additional developments include: the university research enterprise did well; the…

The Center for Academic Excellence of the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas was created in 1984 to help improve education in Arkansas by cooperating with the state's public school districts and sharing the college's resources with them. The center's staff helps public school administrators assess local needs, devise plans…

This discussion of ways to solve the problem of overdue library materials reviews three pertinent articles from the library literature, several studies of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library system, and a 1985 study at a southwestern public library. Attempted solutions are cited, including fines, overdue notices, retrieval methods such as the…

Focusing on the concepts of scanning (gathering information about segments of the public, their reactions to the organization, and their opinions about issues important to the organization), decision making, and roles, a study examined the relationship between environmental scanning and the participation of public relations practitioners in…

Many strategy options are open to state education agencies interested in developing statewide programs to support and guide local school improvement efforts. Agencies can focus on instructional improvement, more general school improvement, improvement of the curricular program, or changes in educational structures. Factors influencing which of…

Communication is crucial to a good school-community relationship. In Middle Tennessee, parents in 52 schools and 20 school systems were surveyed to determine how they received school information and how they would prefer to receive the information. Previous research suggests that schools can develop a reputation of candor and dependability through…

Positive school-media relations are essential if schools are to expect an "understanding press" during crucial periods. Recommendations for developing and maintaining such relations fall into 10 areas, including school boards' establishing a firm media relations policy, appointing a board spokesman, creating a "game plan" for media dealings, and…

Intended for use by public relations instructors, this paper examines computer assisted feedback systems for student homework and subjective examination questions. Specifically, it explores commercially available computer software and hardware programs that permit instructors to interact with student ideas and with their own past entries in an…

This booklet provides a practical guide for schools to use to help involve parents and citizens in the educational system. It is provided as a resource for Michigan school districts. Schools play a key role in the involvement of parents and citizens in three major areas: (1) communicating with all parties to ensure support and understanding; (2)…

Comprehensive guidance is offered on the organization, procedures, and responsibilities of public library boards. Individual chapters address the following topics: the legal context for public libraries, organizing the library board, the board and the library staff, the public library and its communities, budgeting for service, public relations,…

Teachers of public relations and other communication areas, with endorsement from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), should request the data processing industry to develop assisted instruction programs in journalistic writing. Such action would provide a clearly defined need for a significant market and…

Each year one week is designated by the Governor of New York as Adult Learning Week because of the growing importance of adult education to society and the economy of New York State. The major purpose of Adult Learning Week is to promote greater public awareness of the availability and variety of learning opportunities for adults. In practical…

Developed by a team of strategists to help local school districts in Michigan win school millage elections, this manual details the factors that go into a successful election campaign. The campaign is broken into five phases: building a coalition, surveying and gathering information, developing a campaign theme and campaign plan, identifying and…