Summarizes major opinion differences between the general public and professional educators uncovered in the April 1987 "Phi Delta Kappan" Gallup Poll. Educators differed regarding biggest problems; improvement progress; community school ratings; the voucher system; organized prayer; parental choice of curricular materials; physical…

Using data from the "Gallup Polls of the the Public's Attitude Toward Education," this study examines how certain socioeconomic and demographic characteristics (parent/nonparent, education level, age, gender, city size, religious preference, and geographic region) relate to a community's assessment of public school education. Includes…

The School Planning, Evaluation, and Communication System (SPECS) is an overall design for districtwide program assessment and development. It is both a way of interrelating planning and evaluation of individual programs and a way of comparing the outcomes of all district programs with the district's community-defined educational goals. This…

Describes use of community-survey research by seventh-grade social studies students to teach research techniques and survey methodology in an authentic setting and record community attitudes about the school to establish strategic school goals. Concludes that the project provided multiple positive results for students while providing a basis for…

Iowa legislators responded to the national accountability trend in 1975 by mandating a statewide needs assessment. This paper examines the activities of fifteen selected districts in terms of: (1) a statistical analysis of community, teacher, and student rankings of eighteen cognitive and affective educational goals; (2) statistical analysis of…

Explains how a survey of staff, students, parents, and community members was used to develop an equitable and effective high school dress and behavior code. Describes the sanctions established for violations and a mandatory after-school instructional program for students suspended from regular classes. (Author/PGD)

Assuming that Buy-Indian Contracting will continue to be utilized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and that the Alaskan Village and Native Councils will become developmental centers for health, education,and social services, this report presents recommendations based on information derived from 32 Alaskan Native and BIA administrators, 7…

This narrative about new and old technologies in communicating school election issues to the voting public discusses desktop publishing, word processing, television tapes, and public opinion sampling techniques. Groundwork involves understanding how campaigns are organized to determine appropriate application of technology to strategies and to…

Overwhelmed by conflicting demands from within its own administration, from its local school board, and from the state department of education, the school district of Summit, New Jersey, took action to develop a consensus among those making demands. Administrators and school board members attended a working dinner where each individual identified…

In an effort to establish priorities for long- and short-range planning, Palo Verde College (PVC) administered the Educational Testing Service's Community College Goals Inventory to all PVC faculty and administrators, 20 community residents, five trustees, and approximately 200 students. The inventory asked respondents to rate the importance of…

Developed and implemented through four regional educational laboratories, Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) provides secondary students with an alternative education program combining academic learning, community resource career experiences, and life skill development. Program evaluation of data from sixteen pilot sites indicates that EBCE…