This study identified the existence, types, related procedures, and use of faculty productivity reporting systems currently used by institutions of higher education involved in externally-funded research. Institutional research officers at 200 institutions of higher education were surveyed in an effort to characterize the existing productivity…

A preliminary review of early responses to a questionnaire sent to secondary school principals across the United States revealed that most administrators felt more rigorous due process procedures should be followed in discipline cases than those required by federal regulations and school policies. The principals also tended to believe that…

Six causal-influence diagrams introduce a model showing the difficulties of implementing school improvement policies in such areas as teacher expectations and student behavior. The first diagram deals with basic dynamics of improvement. Cybernetics of activities to correct student achievement are revealed in a second diagram, which portrays…

Using Chester Barnard's acceptance theory of authority, this study of 125 secondary teachers and coaches explored relationships involving their "zones of indifference" or extent of response to orders by authority. Specific questions addressed were: (1) whether significant relationships existed between zones of indifference to…

This pilot study explored the efficacy of a concept of multicultural organization and of a survey self-study guide designed for colleges of education in research institutions. The survey study guide was distributed to Holmes group board members who are generally deans of colleges of education at the 27 institutions targeted. Sixteen surveys were…

In seeking ways to address racial problems on college campuses this study applied a hermeneutical approach to social relations which acknowledges the centrality of actors' perspectives in the creation of social reality. In this model, based on the hermeneutical theory of Hans-George Gadamer, conflict has neither a negative or positive influence on…

Change processes at the school building level are considered in order to formulate a number of locally based strategies, derived from research, for significantly improving schools and classrooms. Part I of the three-part analysis examines, through illustration, what is known about successful change processes at the school and classroom levels.…

Educational policy research has yet to account for the movement and manifestations of federal and state policies in local school districts. In an effort to describe and explain major consequences of policy, this study examines the policy ingression process (the movement of policy in the form of statute and regulation from the district…

This study sought to identify a norm for teaching development at five different higher education institutions. Identifying institutional norms is important because much of individual behavior in an institution is governed by such norms. Faculty (N=145) at five institutions (a community college district, two liberal arts colleges, a comprehensive…

This paper examines the grading policies and practices of about 300 teachers from seven high schools in the San Francisco Bay area. Three questions are addressed: (1) Who or what determines grading policies? (2) How do teachers actually calculate grades, that is, what kinds of performances factors are taken into account by teachers? (3) How do…

The Renewed Primary School project in Belgium is analyzed in this paper in terms of organizational response to a large-scale innovation, which is characterized by its multidimensionality, by the large number of participating schools, and by a complex support structure. Section 2 of the report presents an elaborated description of these…

This study investigates factors contributing to dropping out and returning to school among urban high school students. The analysis is a preliminary attempt to determine whether state or local responses are more viable in preventing high-risk students from leaving school early, and the extent to which school practices and policies may influence…

In recent years, there has been an unmistakable trend toward private education. Private school enrollments in almost all affiliations (with the exception of Catholic schools) have increased dramatically since 1965. What is it that private schools are offering that attracts families of all races, ethnic backgrounds, and religious denominations?…

In an effort to describe parent-teacher conferences and assess their influence on the curriculum, three researchers interviewed children, parents, teachers, and the principal of a midwestern elementary school and observed various school and Parent Teacher Association functions. High school and elementary school parents were mailed a survey.…

This paper reviews eight major problem areas concerning testing practices of interest to professionals practicing psychology in the schools. These areas, identified by the Task Force on Psychology in the Schools of the American Psychological Association, include: (1) test use; (2) diagnostic versus placement tests; (3) informed parental consent…