The Phoenix Public Library's Special Needs Center (SNC) has provided service to disabled patrons and professionals who serve the disabled community for over 10 years. Determined to stay abreast of changing needs, the SNC initiated a needs assessment project which included staff, professionals, and patrons. The purposes of the needs assessment were…

This paper presents a set of general observations about state-sponsored school improvement initiatives with data from several sources. One major source is the Research for Better Schools, Inc., Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), implementation study, "Facing the Challenge: Selected Programs and Practices of the Urban Initiative's Operation School…

This report, the result of the reflection and study of a panel of 10 distinguished citizens in various fields, highlights key trends shaping the nation and its institutions into the next century. A summary letter to trustees and leaders outlines the panel's sense of urgency about changes that colleges and universities are not prepared to cope…

This report by the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) discusses SUNY's "greatest challenge"--that is, the goal of becoming "a more significant player" in meeting New York State's needs in five crucial areas, namely, economic development, environmental conservation, health, public elementary and secondary…

This report contains the principal materials prepared for the first year of the "Forum on Public/Private Social Concern," which focused on issues of disadvantaged young men in urban areas. The forum is an information exchange for funders and policymakers in government, foundation, and business sectors. Included is a report summarizing…

This plan meets the requirements of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) but is also designed to help identify the needs and problems of libraries in the state of Nevada and to determine the possibilities of meeting those needs. It is intended to provide a broad framework for statewide planning activities. There are currently 24 public…

This long-range plan was developed for the Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College) to strengthen and emphasize the college's strategic orientation and participation in the governance system. The plan is divided into seven major sections. The first section defines long-range planning, discusses its use at Penn College, and explains the…

The administration of Rochester Community Schools (Michigan) initiated a process for long-range strategic planning in 1984, described in this synopsis. Strategic planning is an ongoing, evolutionary process of defining the business one is in or should be in; establishing organizational goals and objectives; and developing and implementing…

The report provides an overview of the findings, analysis, and conclusions of the external evaluation of the effectiveness of Alberta Education Library Services conducted between September 1985 and March 1986 under the guidance of the Library Services Evaluation Steering Committee (Phase 2 of the evaluation and planning process initiated in 1985…

This study used exploratory modeling, a methodology that combines traditional quantitative forecasting techniques with the insights from scenario-planning, to analyze the conditions under which California can preserve access to its system of public higher education. The study identified two trends currently dominating the issue of future…

This paper examines social and economic forces affecting rural areas at the beginning of the 21st century and lists potential strategies to cope with those concerns. Rural development is necessary to place rural and urban areas on a more equal footing, compensate for the youth "brain drain," preserve the retirement-option value, relieve…

Evaluates Temple University (Pennsylvania) dental school's five-year (1992-97) plan for development of academic computing, including promotion of faculty computer literacy, student computer literacy, and computer-assisted instruction. All goals except implementation of computer-aided instruction have been met. Findings have implications for the…

This report examines the lessons emerging from the experiences of 19 residential colleges and universities that received grants as part of the Ford Foundations's Campus Diversity Initiative to implement institutional change with regards to the issue of inequalities and exclusions existing in the nation and on its campuses. After an introductory…

This paper identified factors within the higher education environment that significantly influence student retention rates and the timely graduation of traditional full-time, first-time, degree seeking students in the state of Colorado. The paper uses the research findings of national studies and other studies conducted by Wisconsin and…

The first of two papers compares two models (the market based model and the prevalence model) for analyzing data from annual state surveys to determine future special education personnel needs and discusses critical issues in data collection. These data are required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which asks states to project…