A diverse community, combined with a school division lacking independent taxing authority, led Fairfax County (Maryland) Public Schools to public participation in the budget process. Steps involved developing an objective, identifying the audience, establishing formats (surveys, focus groups, and voice polls), developing a timeline, and reporting…

This article outlines a variety of communication strategies for effective collaboration in school settings, including conducting a needs assessment, providing professional development, producing newsletters, forming study groups, and conducting small-group dialogues. Topics for conversation are discussed and sample needs assessment items are…

Explores criteria for successful adoption of a Web-based collaborative technology in a graduate class. Results of focus groups and surveys demonstrated that classic diffusion of innovation dimensions could be applied to education if implemented correctly, and explains why the implementation of new technology was unsuccessful in this class.…

The closed-interval signed area (CSA) and closed-interval unsigned area (CUA) statistics were studied by Monte Carlo simulation to detect differential item functioning (DIF) when the reference and focal groups had different parameter distributions. Different behaviors of the CSA and CUA as functions of the parameters are discussed. (SLD)

The Ontario Teachers' Federation is hosting forums where community members talk in small groups with teacher facilitators about positive ways to improve education. For many community participants, it is the first time their views have been sought. Given the opportunity to discuss public education in a nonconfrontational way, participants have…

Evaluated the impact of printed promotional materials on the recruitment of college freshmen using focus groups of students attending a large, southern metropolitan university. Students provided detailed suggestions on ways to improve the method of distribution, graphic design, and content of the materials. (Author/DB)

Content analysis of focus groups attended by 86 early intervention specialists revealed six factors affecting professional comfort with consultation: (1) child characteristics, (2) consultee characteristics, (3) program characteristics, (4) consultant characteristics, (5) available resources, and (6) consultant's history with the program. No…

Focus group discussions offer participants time to discuss particular topics. This article discusses some results of several graduate students' attempts to implement focus group research. After a brief review of literature reflecting the use of focus groups and recommendations for their use, the author reports their reactions and their…

AIDS prevention research has demonstrated that theoretically driven HIV prevention programs can be tailored to specific cultures. Further, condom self-efficacy and contraceptive self-efficacy scales have been tested in the U.S. and been shown to predict condom and contraceptive use. Results of condom and contraceptive self-efficacy studies have…

This study investigated changing attitudes toward reading among elementary and secondary teacher candidates participating in in-class book group discussions in an introductory language and literacy course taught by two instructors in a medium-sized state teacher education program. Qualitative methods focused on both students' weekly self-reports…

As public alternative school enrollments are increasing, educators must understand how new students adjust to and make sense of their alternative school experience. This qualitative study, which has also been turned into a video documentary, was designed to provide insight into why the traditional educational paradigm does not work for all, or…

This study gathered information about the match between university honors programs and the academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted university students. A unique aspect of this study rested on the fact that honors students were given the opportunity to share their own perceptions. The researcher chose to focus on honors students' needs, as…

Sweeping changes to the Medicare program embodied in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), including a new prescription drug benefit, changes in payment policies, and reform of the Medicare managed-care program, have major implications for rural health care. The most efficient mechanism for research to…

This study analyzes the transfer of specialized professional activities from health care workers to patients and their family members in the context of the shift to ambulatory care for acute and chronic illnesses requiring hospitalization. Based on 119 semidirective interviews with patients released from hospital after early discharge and/or with…

The purpose of this research project was to identify methods to retain minority teacher education candidates and identify curricular and environmental factors that affect recruitment and retention of minority teacher education candidates and student teachers. Because of the low enrollment of minority students in the department in comparison to the…