Summarizes users' opinions of a networked electronic library at Cornell University's Mann Library as part of the planning process for a major redesign. The system's impact on library collection development, preservation, technical services, information services and delivery, instruction, and computer support are described; and plans for library…

Describes a teachers' focus group devoted to informing parents about their reading programs and emergent literacy practices. Describes development and use of a home-based literacy inventory to raise awareness of emerging literacy in routine activities. Discusses demonstration of the educational philosophy and instructional practice of emergent…

Four focus groups (n=21) were conducted to gather information about coping issues and teacher attitudes related to the education of children with a neuromuscular disease. Results indicate a need for better home/school communication, a need to establish children's sense of competence, and a need for improved peer relationships. (Author/CR)

A survey of 37 system-of-care sites constituting 31 programs for children with serious mental health challenges found high family participation in such activities as modification of questionnaires, collecting data, and reviewing results. Low family participation was reported in the hiring of staff and data processing. Most families were…

Use of student focus groups to help shape college and university student recruitment efforts is examined, illustrated with the experiences of a variety of institutions. Benefits and limitations of the approach are noted, specific techniques for maximizing the groups' effectiveness are suggested, and uses of the resulting information are discussed.…

Six technology-based strategies for colleges and universities to use to address market pressures are described: behavioral research to help the institution build relationships; blind consumer surveys concerning perceptions of the institution; secret shopper research, in which unknown "shoppers" go through the enrollment process, keeping…

Draws on a project undertaken for the United Kingdom Government Department for Education and Employment, focusing on the role of ethnic monitoring in identifying low attainment and the investigation of ways to raise attainment. Offers suggestions for the use of ethnic monitoring of school processes. (CMK)

Examined the way in which some "awkward" cross cultural incidents between Southeast Asian students and staff at universities in Australia could be interpreted in terms of cultural and individual differences in social rules. Explores the cultural nature of socially acceptable behavior through focus group interviews with 36 students and 28…

Used focus group interviews to explore parents' perceptions of school efforts at parental involvement in elementary school. Found that parents described many positive interactions with their children's schools. Positive interactions were related to attitudes of classroom teachers, communication practices of the school and teacher, and the format…

This paper examines an information literacy collaborative research project at the University of Otago between a sociology lecturer and a subject specialist librarian, The research project was undertaken to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of embedding information literacy skills into academic assessment requirements in a first and a third…

Although rising student debt levels are frequently studied, very little attention has been paid to the lack of student financial literacy and its negative effects. The absence of financial management skills and accompanying low credit scores can increase debt, cause inadvertent defaults, and be harmful for both students and their institutions. For…

Although collaborative partnership between parents and professionals is a cornerstone of the special education and service systems, this relationship exists more as an ideal, especially when low-income, culturally diverse families are involved. Through three focus groups, we examined the beliefs of 16 low-income Latina mothers of young adults with…

This research article summarises a study that set out to collect information about the actions that three primary schools have taken to develop a more positive school culture. The aim was to identify in what ways a change in culture could contribute to an improvement in school relationships and a reduction in bullying. The research questions…

In addition to challenges of adolescence itself, teens with asthma face demands of asthma management and risks of asthma sequelae, including fatalities. Few asthma educational programs specifically address their needs. In response to school nurse concern, this pilot study evaluated an adolescent asthma education program, the "Power Breathing[TM]…

This article describes a design for a teacher preparation program that is successfully preparing teacher candidates to teach in the complex, diverse classrooms in urban schools. The program provides intensive, authentic, field-based experiences and effective mentoring support for teacher candidates as they gain the knowledge, skills, and…