This book examines how academic staff at one British university respond to a period (1991-96) of rapid change, including rapid expansion in the number of students and new systems and structures, and especially to institution of the "credit framework" structure. Chapter 1 presents background information on the higher education system and…

This paper presents an example of "optimistic research," a qualitative approach which focuses on positive interventions helpful to practitioners, in this case an examination of programs successfully integrating people with severe disabilities. The study evaluated 40 programs through site visits which focus on observation, interviews, and…

Research on educational and criminal justice programs sought to clarify the relationship between organizational characteristics and innovation adoption. It focused on the reasons why organizations adopt innovations and the differences in clientele, staff, and decision-making participation between organizations adopting or unaware of an innovative…

This paper presents the first comparative findings emerging from 20 individual case studies into the adoption, use, and effects of microcomputers in families. The 20 families are first described according to a number of key demographic characteristics--socioeconomic, nationality, parent occupations, number and ages of children, etc. An examination…

The opinions of 1,585 Iowa farmers about 8 emergent agricultural technologies (energy production from feed grains and oils; energy production from livestock waste; genetic engineering research on plants, livestock, and humans; robotics for on-farm use; confinement livestock facilities; and personal computers for farm families) were found to be…

Until the quantity, quality, and utility for policy development of research literature on rural education is improved, the potential for furthering the current national momentum of interest in rural education cannot be realized. Explanations for the limited research literature include a lack of appreciation for differences between rural and urban…

This study examined the creative uses of computers in elementary schools and their impact on student's confidence and self-esteem, student-student interaction, student-teacher interaction, male and female students, classroom management, the role of the teacher, special education, teacher training, teachers not involved in the study, and curricular…

Research was conducted to assess the role of staff development in improving the quality of computer-based instruction in grade K-12 schools. The sample consisted of contact persons in 171 districts and interviews were completed with 155 (91%). Results indicate 80% of these districts currently provide inservice computer training to teachers; the…

Congressional hearings were held to discuss the proposed national foster care system, which is intended to provide temporary homes for children, most frequently victims of abuse or neglect, when their own families are incapable of providing suitable parental supervision. The committee heard testimony from 11 representatives of state and federal…

Discussed are initiatives of the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) in the areas of Head Start, child care, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, support of historically black colleges and universities, foster care and adoption assistance, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, and current and future plans. The…

Under the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P. L. 96-272), Congress outlined a case review system intended to assure that child welfare agencies deal directly with various aspects of child placement. The second of four volumes, this document presents case study descriptions of the hearings within the context of the case review…

Designed as a resource for administrators and faculty considering the implementation of competency-based vocational education (CBVE), this report addresses the theory and practice of CBVE, the pros and cons of a competency-based approach to instructional organization and delivery, and concerns about CBVE's appropriateness in Hawaii. After…

The effective schools movement, a program which involves school staff in diagnosis of problems, decisions on correcting them, research on the effectiveness of various alternatives, and training and assistance with improvement efforts, has focused, up until now, on elementary schools. The feasibility of transferring these programs to high schools…

In an examination of the implementation of educational change, a discussion is presented on the purpose, meaning, and context of change. Consideration is given to the value of change, its benefits and feasibility, and the capacity for implementation. In the second section of the paper, 14 factors related to the implementation of change in schools…

This study compared 346 unmarried primiparous women who kept their children and 326 married primiparous women, with respect to birth control knowledge and use, socioeconomic circumstances over 18 months, health and development of the children, and quality of child care. The preparation and planning that led to the decision to keep the…