Used data from national surveys of adults (N=2,806) to examine contention that demographic trends of low fertility, high divorce, and increasing longevity and rising culture of self-centered individualism portend increasing public unwillingness to support long-term or child-related social investment. Comparison of parents and nonparents indicated…

Provides a history of desegregation in the Dallas schools, and then presents two views of the district's integration efforts--one from the Anglo perspective and one from the Black/Mexican-American perspective. (IRT)

A concerns analysis is a method of data collection for program improvement budget requests. It is also a public relations tool, opening lines of communication between the school and the community. Data sources for this analysis include employer, parent, and student surveys and the community forum. (SK)

A case history, and its implications, of an English teacher's attempt to institute sensitivity training and the controversy that ensued. (RY)

Describes how the Starkville, Mississippi, Public Schools installed a telephone call-in response line to elicit parent and community comments. Offers tips for setting up a telephone response line. (LMI)

This survey of public opinion about Chicago Public Schools charts responses in the following areas: (1) general evaluation of the public schools; (2) grading the staff; (3) the biggest problems facing Chicago schools; (4) a range of proposed reforms; and (5) finances. Characteristics of the respondents and public school parents also are plotted.…

Author, a newspaper editor, notes remoteness of many school administrators and teachers from community, leading them to assume support for school programs--and taxes--which does not exist. Seven suggestions point towards improving public relations and regaining parental cooperation. (PD)

During the months of November 1987 through February 1988, the Colorado Springs Public Schools, District 11, designed and implemented a community survey. The survey was conducted to determine community perceptions of public education in the district, assess community expectations for the schools, determine community attitudes toward current…

This book assembles in one indexed reference work all the Gallup polls on trends and issues in American education from 1969-78. These reports have gained a reputation as the most authoritative source in information available concerning the public's reaction to basic questions about the public schools. Each chapter discusses the major problems…

A random sample of adults in Alabama were surveyed in 1977 to determine their opinions and attitudes about postsecondary education. A 51-item questionnaire was designed to reflect public feeling about several areas of postsecondary education, including finance; governance; faculty; teaching, research, and service functions; and admissions and…

The self-administered questionnaire is designed for the collection of information on public perceptions of the importance of the educational goals established by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Also included in the questionnaire are items on the perceived extent of goal attainment, school processes, issues, and the most urgent…

The purpose of this study was to provide input for educators through a systematic review of the goals established by the Maryland State Department of Education; by the determination of goal-gaps and the determination of critical needs; and by an optimum allocation of available resources. An additional benefit of this study was the collection of…

FOUR TECHNICAL STUDIES OF A NINE-YEAR RESEARCH PROJECT ARE CONDENSED TO OUTLINE PRIMARY FACTORS IN THE FIELD OF SCHOOL-COMMUNITY RELATIONS, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ENLISTMENT OF PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS. EACH SUMMARY REPORT INCLUDES--(1) A SHORT INTRODUCTION DESCRIBING THE PURPOSE OF THE PARTICULAR STUDY, THE THEORETICAL…

This report examines the opinions of 726 registered voters in 5 small, rural mid-west school districts. The purposes of the study were: (1) to assess citizens' satisfaction with the school districts' programs and services; (2) to indicate strengths and weaknesses in the school districts' programs and services; (3) to identify problems facing the…

FROM AN ANALYSIS OF OVER 2,000 RECONSTRUCTED CONVERSATIONS HELD BY 50 ADULTS IN EACH OF FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE DATA WERE OBTAINED TO MEASURE FLOWS OF INFORMATION AND INFLUENCE FROM THE SCHOOL TO THE COMMUNITY FOR OBTAINING PUBLIC SUPPORT. THE STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DESCRIBE (1) PERSONS WHO TALK ABOUT SCHOOLS, (2) THE KINDS OF…