This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit reports results of a survey attempting to characterize "branch libraries" and "discrete collections" housed in main academic libraries. The results provide a snapshot of current definitions, subject areas, services, and administration of these collections, as well as…

Fifty-three members of an adult education association in Washington State ranked job activities important for appraising the competence of adult education administrators in communications, curriculum, personnel, finance, and community relations. Differences in how administrators and teachers ranked these activities related to role and status…

During fiscal year 1998, 7 of Ohio's 12 school-to-work regions conducted a needs assessment on equity issues within their regions. The survey instruments were completed by 6,173 students in grades 9-12 (3,316 girls and 2,857 boys). The survey focused on the economics of gender and work, nontraditional careers, and gender and career choices. Only…

This document contains the 2003 issues of a quarterly newsletter encouraging collaborative research and informed policy on welfare reform and focusing on use of an on-line database of child welfare research projects, as well as on research and policy issues related to implementation studies, indicators of well-being, and administrative data. Each…

This Kids Count report consists of four issues in a series of fact sheets that examine specific indicators of the well-being of children in South Dakota. Issue one focuses on teens and motor vehicle crashes. The fact sheet notes that teen death rates from car crashes have been higher than the national rate for 4 of the 5 years between 1992-1996.…

A study was done of student perception of academic advising at the University of Nebraska, Omaha (UNO). The study surveyed 638 students who participated in the early registration process for the Fall 1991 semester. Of those students, 269 were men and 369 were women and 8.3 percent were members of a minority group. The study instrument was the…

Findings of three studies that investigated the extent of school restructuring in American schools are presented in this paper. The data are combined from three different sources: (1) a national survey of 268 schools nominated for their successful restructuring programs; (2) a survey of 100 restructuring proposals submitted to a funding…

The Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) within the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) collects printed material on archives, manuscripts, and records management. ALIC compiles a database of these materials, sources of archival services and supplies, and information on significant archival projects. "ALIC Notes" is…

An overview of market research is provided, with advice about conducting market research for the educator. Market research is any kind of research that gives information about the current state of the market and offers guidance in improving one's position in that market. The relative advantages of conducting market research by oneself or by hiring…

Designed as an overview of the progress of middle schools in the last two decades, this document compares results from a 1968 survey that sampled 10 percent of middle schools with at least three, and not more than five grades, and including grades 6 and 7, with those of a similar 1988 survey. Following a brief summary of the origins of the middle…

Information on library networks that was included in a survey conducted by the Center for Education Statistics--the "Survey of Library Networks and Cooperative Library Organizations: 1985-1986"--indicates that there were 760 library networks at that time, with aggregate library membership estimated to be 76,280. Over three-fourths of the networks…

The Chronicle contains two major articles and several smaller articles concerned with education of the gifted. "Special Educational Services for Gifted Students in Arizona: Description of Programs and Analysis of the Short-Term Impact of the State's Legislative Mandate," by S. Cohn and V. Riccardo, reports on a survey of all Arizona…

The problems of access, adequacy, and affordability of health insurance for persons with severe chronic conditions are analyzed. Part 1 defines the target population by considering conceptual and methodological issues, and examines statistics from various national surveys. Part 2 examines the distribution of health insurance throughout the…

This newsletter issue focuses on the subject of mandatory testing of prospective teachers prior to certification. The following questions are discussed: (1) What are the major types of teacher tests? (2) How prevalent are teacher tests? (3) What are the major teacher tests? (4) What problems do teacher testing programs address? (5) What are the…

This fact sheet reports data from a national survey of state mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) agencies. The survey was designed to investigate the distribution of people supported by state MR/DD agencies in integrated versus facility-based day and employment services and the levels of funding. Results indicate that while the…