This guide describes a systematic way of identifying the resources and needs of community residents by gathering data, soliciting the perspectives of residents and leaders, and surveying service providers and other community resources. Part 1 of the guide differentiates community assessment from traditional needs assessments and details the 5-step…

This report describes the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System's process of planning for a long-term literacy program for the metropolitan Oklahoma City/County area. The collection of data on community needs through interviews with local organizations and individuals and an extensive search of print and/or computerized information sources is…

In 1984, the San Bernardino Communty College District (SBCCD) conducted a survey of community leaders to assess the impact the colleges in the district had on these people and to determine their opinions on college mission and performance. Prominent individuals in business, communications, government, education, and political offices were asked to…

This paper describes a survey conducted in 1982 by the Rosemount, Minnesota, school district as a model for other districts wishing to obtain reliable information about their communities at low cost. The paper outlines the following information: (1) the objectives of the survey; (2) the district's constraints and resources; (3) preliminary…

Conducted an inexpensive mental health needs assessment of 520 households in a rural community using volunteer university students as telephone interviewers. Respondents considered situational stressors such as unemployment, financial strain, and alcohol and drug abuse to be community's most pressing mental health problems and believed that…

Examination of dynamics of families with a handicapped child should include consideration of: quality of professional support; parents' reactions to transitions in the handicapped child's life; parents' individual differences in resisting stress; extent and nature of the child's disability; and community attitudes toward the particular disability.…

This paper describes the systematic approach utilized in the development of a survey instrument for use in a community assessment survey. The purpose behind the development of the survey instrument was to enable the Office of Research and Development at Central Florida Community College (CFCC) to determine by means of telephone interviews the…

The product of a needs assessment (via 4,627 mailed questionnaires) in Iowa's rural Region V, this report exemplifies need assessment techniques designed to assist local residents, their leaders, area change agents, and regional groups in making community decisions for rural areas. The survey used to develop this databook requested information re:…

A study of the unmet postsecondary educational needs of residents of a five-county area in northeastern Pennsylvania was conducted by means of surveys of 10,000 high school students, 10,000 adults, and 76 area employers. In addition, educational statistics of the area populations and an analysis of constraining geographic and economic factors were…

By using the deductive or the inductive approach to needs assessment, or a combination of both approaches, school administrators can allocate physical or human resources in accordance with community priorities. (DCS)

In 1987, a study was conducted by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC) to identify the level and kinds of educational training wanted by residents of the Creighton and Hillside public housing developments, the support and assistance RRHA might offer residents to gain employment,…

Elderly and working families with young children have been strongly affected by social changes, particularly in the areas of low-cost quality child care and meaningful opportunities for the elderly. The feasibility of an intergenerational program in which non-center-based, low-cost child care could be provided while expanding employment and…

A needs assessment survey developed by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) addressed two issues: the perceptions of educators, students and the general public regarding the importance of certain educational goals, and the extent to which these goals are being met. Student knowledge and skill goals dealing with communication,…

Florida's priorities for career education were determined by a statewide survey of parents and community leaders. Career education needs identified by the respondents included (1) student needs (develop students' competencies in job responsibility, self-concept, self-knowledge, flexibility, and tolerance; emphasize students' basic academic skills;…

The purpose of this Personalized Activity Kit is to help the participant develop the skills necessary to collect facts related to concerns already gathered. Specifically, these skills are methods for collecting a full range of facts and a means for sifting out the statements that are not true or valid. Guidelines and exercises for distinguishing…