Reasons for traditional faculty development programs' neglect of middle-aged, disillusioned faculty are explored. A plan is presented for involving colleagues, including department chairpersons, in efforts to reestablish communication and reinvolve these faculty in meaningful activities and rewards. (MSE)

Discriminant functional analysis was used to compare structural variables of department size, institution type, and highest degree awarded with academic discipline to determine which accounts for more variance in biology and English department chairpersons' responses to questions concerning their influence. Generally, structural variables…

A study examined the relationship of writing method (cognitive strategies, tools, work scheduling, environment, and rituals) to productivity in 121 science and engineering faculty when writing technical documents such as journal articles. (MSE)

A study of 56 small- to medium-sized colleges examines the relationship of faculty and administrator agreement on institutional mission and severity of institutional decline in predicting the type of response to decline and found that organizations with a high internal agreement on mission more selectively pursue responses to decline. (MSE)

A new model for predicting success in an M.B.A. program uses terms representing the interaction of undergraduate grade point average, undergraduate institution, and undergraduate major. It is found to have a significantly improved predictability than previous models. (MSE)

A study of the relationship between student financial contribution to college costs and self-perceived intellectual development between the freshman and senior years found that students contributing over 75 percent of their costs were less dualistic, more committed to life goals, more stable, and better at expressing their values and thoughts.…

A stratified random sample of 339 rural teachers and 245 urban teachers took the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and the Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire. Significant differences between the groups occurred on seven subtest scores related to curriculum issues, rapport among teachers, salary, teaching load, moral-ethical self, self-criticism, and social…

The Neugarten Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA) was completed by 760 randomly selected farm residents in an upper midwest state. Significant differences were found between mean LSIA scores according to subjects' education level and income but not age or gender. Generally, as education and income level increased, life satisfaction increased. (JHZ)

Outlines specific steps for implementing and validating a qualitative methodology designed to evaluate rural areas' special education programs serving students with severe special needs. Provides a rationale for use of the elements of aesthetic criticism as the basis of the methodology and discusses practical limitations and usefulness of the…

Administrative changes were tabulated for 275 rural Kansas school districts with K-12 operations. Data covering a six-year period showed high school principals changing most frequently, followed by middle/junior high school principals, high school assistant principals, and elementary principals. Central office personnel and superintendents…

Recent college graduates (N=162), teaching in schools of 600 or fewer students, rated the importance--to success in teaching--of 45 areas of college studies. Only two areas were rated below the mid-point on the scale of importance. Oral communications, discipline, classroom management, teaching major specialty, and motivating students were rated…

Argues that the most effective in-service programs for rural schools take place in the classroom with teachers and in-service tutors sharing the teaching, analysis, and evaluation. Describes such a program that helped rural Norfolk and Suffolk (England) elementary teachers gain skill and confidence in teaching science. (JHZ)

Of 105 different course offerings, 36 percent were provided at significantly higher frequencies in large high schools whereas only 2 percent were offered at significantly higher frequencies in small schools. Significant differences were noted in all foreign language and advanced placement courses surveyed and in almost one-half of…

A questionnaire designed to identify problems encountered by novice principals was completed by 69 Montana principals completing their first or second year. Curriculum and instruction and professional personnel relations were identified as the most difficult areas. A significant discrepancy existed between actual time spent on instructional…

Issues management, concerned with the identification, analysis, probability, and timing of a developing issue and with organizational response, is discussed as an aspect of the institutional strategic planning process. Its application at Pennsylvania State University is described. (Author/MSE)