The provision of network access, resources, and services to members of the academic community is becoming an area of utmost interest and importance to academic administrators, faculty, and students. As the demand from network users grows rapidly, many network administrators are asking for resources to meet that demand; their requests are being met…

The Literacy Task Force of the San Diego City Schools sought to develop a set of criteria for a balanced literacy program by using a process that involved all stakeholders--parents, teachers, businesses, higher education, and other community members. The balanced program, by its nature, would address the needs of all the city's students, with the…

Huddersfield University Library (England) has undertaken a wide range of evaluative studies of its services and systems, using various data collection techniques such as: user surveys; exit interviews; online and CD-ROM analysis; benchmarking; user groups; staffing and staff development evaluation; suggestion sheets; student project work; group…

In the fifth and sixth weeks of a faculty strike at York University (Ontario), a survey was undertaken to assess student perceptions of the strike, its benefits, and its costs. Respondents were 502 randomly selected full-time undergraduate students in several disciplines. Survey questions were developed in student focus groups. The report…

In 2002, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law investigated the impact of expanding child mental health services in Medicaid on the actual availability of services to children. To assess family satisfaction, focus groups were held in two states: Oregon and New York. Both states have a comprehensive Medicaid mental health benefit for children…

In 2002, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law investigated the impact of expanding child mental health services in Medicaid on the actual availability of services to children. To assess family satisfaction, focus groups were held in two states: Oregon and New York. Both states have a comprehensive Medicaid mental health benefit for children…

This study examined how existing literacy practices in native language and English affect the ways parents manage their own lives and support emergent literacy in their children. Participating in the study were non-English speaking parents of successive cohorts of children attending a preschool in Arlington, Virginia. Data collection methods…

The present study, "Mapping Rural Adolescent Girl's Participation in Residential Non- Formal Education Program--A Study in Lunkaransar Block, Rajasthan", was an attempt to understand the dimensions of rural adolescent girls' participation in the "Balika Shivir" Program. It is a six month residential non-formal education program…

During a faculty strike at York University (Ontario), two telephone surveys were undertaken to assess student perceptions of the strike. The first survey was taken during the fifth and sixth weeks of the strike, with the objective of documenting the experiences of students while the strike was on. The questionnaire for this survey was developed…

In this study 10 first-year African American students (five men and five women) took photographs that illustrated their perceptions of the predominantly white research university they attended and discussed their pictures in subsequent individual and focus group interviews. Two theoretical frameworks provided the structure for the analysis:…

This study analyzed the goals statements on Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) or Individual Education Programs (IEPs) of 72 families in nine communities. The sample was drawn from communities of varying sizes in three states (Colorado, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania). Families were chosen to include children in 1-year age groupings and…

This paper described the preliminary results from the first phase of an exploratory study that seeks to define and understand sense of community on high school campuses. Three teacher focus groups, one administrator focus group, and one student focus group were held, ranging in size from five to nine participants. Participants were diverse in…

To initiate a primary prevention program in a Midwestern urban community consisting primarily of Chicanos, needs were assessed by conducting focus group meetings with school administrators, teachers, parents, and children in a public school setting. In each student focus group, 8-10 children were selected from a seventh-grade classroom, an…

This formative study is based on focus group interviews with nearly 200 teachers at 30 Iowa high schools during the spring of 1998. During the one-day site visits at each school, data was also collected from students, the principal, the technology coordinator (where available), and the district's technology plan. Teachers were asked about how they…

Boys are especially active users of media, and researchers have suggested that the cumulative impact of media, such as television, movies, and music videos, may make them some of the most influential forces in boys' lives. This report presents the findings of a national poll of 1,200 young people (ages 10 to 17) and focus groups in which boys…