The report describes activities and results of the second year of the Special Education Planning Model (SEPM), designed to help planners and policymakers estimate special education program needs and costs. SEPM uses a computer simulation based on users' assumptions and priorities in such areas as incidence rates, handicapping conditions to be…

This study investigated information needs and use by groups in decision-making processes. Problem contexts were varied by conflict, quality, and time conditions and presented to 89 graduate level education students who simulated school board members making decisions about educational programs. The research hypotheses were: (1) there are no…

By identifying and weighing the effects of an act on each constituency, a matrix based on John Stuart Mill's theories of utilitarianism illuminates and helps resolve complex ethical dilemmas. Application of the approach is illustrated with a simulated case study concerning the issue of reputation in a small private college. (Author/MSE)

Systems dynamics, a computer-based tool for visualizing how parts of an organization work together over time, is a valuable tool in administrative decision making. Feedback loops among elements mimic complicated behavior in real or imagined situations. An experiment using the technique with a simple research funding model validated its utility.…

The article describes the system used to hire new faculty at Atlantic Community College (New Jersey). Critical components are descriptive interviewing, which focuses on how the candidate has behaved in real situations, and a teaching simulation. (DB)

This instructor's packet on collaborative leadership development in special education presents the Principal's Training Simulator in Special Education (PTSSE), designed to provide an orientation to typical situations facing local school district administrators, consideration of major issues in programming for exceptional children, practice in…

This text helps prospective and experienced principals, administrators, and supervisors increase their knowledge and skills through concepts, case-studies, and simulations. This book contains the following two parts and fifteen chapters. Part I presents important theoretical concepts and research findings that can improve educators'…

Policy Analysis and Simulation System (PASS) is an interactive microcomputer model that can be used by educational administrators, policy-makers, and planners to simulate and forecast, under conditions of environmental uncertainty, the impact of strategic policies on the projected trends and goals of educational performance. PASS generates…

This text provides educational administrators with a working knowledge of the problem-solving techniques of PERT (planning, evaluation, and review technique), Linear Programming, Queueing Theory, and Simulation. The text includes an introduction to decision-making and operations research, four chapters consisting of indepth explanations of each…

Preparation programs for principals should have excellent academic and performance based components. In examining the nature of performance based principal preparation this report finds that school administration programs must bridge the gap between conceptual learning in the classroom and the requirements of professional practice. A number of…