Two studies comprise this report. The first paper, "Child Care Arrangements of Mothers in the Work Incentive Program," places particular emphasis on the mothers' patterns of utilization of various types of child care arrangements, the apparent adequacy of these arrangements, the degree of the mothers' satisfaction with them, and the…

Manpower training and upgrading programs have negative secondary effects upon regular employees. A review of the literature and empirical research on these negative effects indicated that no model has yet been devised and tested to measure these negative effects. This paper suggests a preliminary model for the evaluation of the disruptive effects…

In the first of these papers, the author discusses how and why he and his colleagues established a set of professional standards for trainers or group leaders in the human relations program for undergraduates at Pennsylvania State, as well as a procedure for enforcing trainer qualifications and performance. The need for standards is viewed in…

This paper presents the idea of formal neighborhood government as a beginning to discussion and debate. Only by clearing away the confusion over what changes are being asked for by the proponents of decentralization can the neighborhood government movement be placed in historical perspective. The justification for neighborhood government,…

This paper attempts to provide a broad theoretical framework for understanding planning in organizations and other social systems; and it identifies the key conditions, processes, and structures of social systems in the planning concept. While other frameworks exist that detail singular aspects of planning as it actually occurs and describe…

One of the most frequently-voiced concerns in the growing debate over education finance reform involves the issue of autonomy of local school groups. Academics, school district superintendents, legislators, parents' groups, and teachers have all expressed the view that increased State aid to education inevitably will bring Statewide regulations…

This paper deals with school system size from the standpoint of costs and community involvement. The first section describes findings of recent studies in Oregon, British Columbia, and Manitoba, regarding the relationship between administrative component size and that of the school system, and the relationship between school system size and unit…

Eighty-eight of the State's school districts were surveyed to discover (1) the reasons that prompted district school boards to organize a middle school, and (2) the characteristics of middle schools implemented in the Pennsylvania middle schools. The response to the study revealed that the reasons for initiating a middle school are…

The Delphi technique is a questionnaire method for organizing and shaping opinion through feedback. Although Delphi was originally intended as a tool for scientific and technological forecasting, its more promising educational application appears to be as (1) a method for studying the process of thinking about the future, (2) a pedagogical or…

As a solution to the problem of disseminating information from research and development projects into the field, this project examined a number of diffusion models, developed the Omnibus Model, and tested it. The Omnibus Model consists of eight different action blocks. First, information is acquired both selectively and non-selectively, and then…

Defining rural youth as the 14-25 age group (literate or illiterate and employed or unemployed) and as residents of localities with less than 5,000 people, this paper addresses Ghanaian rural youth and its relationship to: the total population; youth policy and organizations; rural-urban differences; and societal improvements. Major points of…

This report summarizes, and gives a full report, of a feasibility study involving a discussion of problems and issues related to occupational and professional regulation that took place during four regional conferences attended by nearly 100 officials from 30 states. Participants included state legislators, licensing administrators, attorneys…

This handbook is concerned with one specialized form of participation: participatory planning. It is based on several years of experience in participatory planning and is infused with the bias that sees a great deal of potential good in expanded participation in general and in participatory planning in particular. It is also recognized that…

One aspect of the role and responsibilities of education councils in Australia is addressed in this paper: that of the council and its accountability to the community. Three major sections are presented. Part One discusses the two difficult concepts of accountability and community. The second part presents some data on how council members appear…

In producing programs and establishing policy criteria for the institutional church in rural Canada, planners must deal with community groups or types in order to maximize the transferability of programs and policies. This paper discusses a two-dimensional typology (social context and social position) based on the belief that there is a real…