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Older adults, defined as those aged 65 or older, are rapidly becoming the largest group of individuals in the United States. As this population steadily increases, so will the demand for adequate and appropriate mental health care. Counselors need to be prepared to meet this increasing demand by understanding efficacious ways to conceptualize and intervene with older adults. Existential theory and therapy is one tool to conceptualize older adults in counseling and is uniquely suited for therapy with older adults by its direct focus on late-life issues such as death and meaningfulness. This paper provides a brief overview of the existential theory, followed by a discussion of how to meet the mental health needs of older adults by utilizing existential techniques. Two therapy cases are presented as preliminary evidence that existential therapy can be useful with older adults. The limitations of this approach are also discussed. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/GCP)

In compliance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and as part of an effort to evaluate staff development and disability education efforts, the colleges in California's San Diego Community College District undertook focus group evaluations of key campus constituents in fall 1997. At the district's San Diego City College, focus groups were held with students, disabled and not, administrators, faculty, and staff. Surveys were sent to potential participants prior to focus group dates to help stimulate discussion, which centered on perception of program access, program eligibility, classroom practices and curricula, access to computers and information technology, and employment accommodations, where appropriate. While in general participants felt that ADA provisions had been or will be accomplished, there were complaints about limited access to campus computer laboratories and walkways and ramps in need of repair. There was general consensus that a campus review should be conducted, and training was advocated to improve accommodation and access. (BCY)

In 1997, the San Diego Community College District conducted a self-evaluation study of their continuing education programs to assess the program's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ten focus groups revealed their knowledge and views of the ADA. Students cited the availability of special instructional accommodations, but noted the lack of emergency telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) services. Administrators felt that an ADA training session was needed. They cited some necessary improvements of facilities, though most felt that the architecture and programs were accessible. Staff held divergent views on the status of ADA implementation, though there was a general consensus that there was a lack of campus space, and a need for a campus review of access for the disabled. The Disabled Student Programs and Services Department Staff acknowledged instructional accommodations, but cited the need for an emergency evacuation procedure. Faculty and Special Admit Programs, and Business, Facilities, and Operations staff acknowledged architectural and program accessibility, but felt that faculty would find ADA training helpful. Although most staff and faculty believed that accessibility to education and services was implemented, vital areas such as information, training, and emergency services needed improvement. (YKH)

In 1997, the San Diego Community College District conducted a self-evaluation study of Mesa College to assess its compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ten focus groups discussed their knowledge and views of the ADA. Findings for the Student and Disabled Student Group indicated that while there was a general lack of awareness of special needs and available services for individuals with disabilities; students did acknowledge certain instructional accommodations. Administrators demonstrated knowledge of programmatic and instructional accommodations and declared a commitment to informing staff of ADA policies. Staff held divergent views, with some staff feeling that most provisions of the ADA had been accomplished, while others noted areas in need of improvement. Staff training and campus reviews were advocated. The Student Services and Disabled Student Programs and Services Department Staff felt the need for continuous discussion of access issues and greater classroom space. The faculty acknowledged the instructional accommodations made, and were aware of the employment regulations of the ADA. The college police and the special admit programs believed that there was architectural accessibility for the disabled. Site compliance officers corroborated the aforementioned observations, but felt the need for improved access to information. (YKH)

In October 1990, the Tennessee State Department of Education began a project to establish a plan for educational technology which will move the state into the 21st Century; from that plan a vision for the 21st Century Classroom and an implementation plan for the Tennessee Education Network have been developed. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the 21st Century Classroom teacher training program in K-12 public schools. Perceptions and activities of 298 elementary and secondary teachers who received and utilized the 21st Century technology and participated in state-mandated training were investigated. A four-part instrument was used to gather data on: (1) demographics; (2) whether technology was used for specific tasks (lesson planning, record keeping, communication, and instructional presentation); (3) teachers' perceptions about the use of technology as measured by several constructs - voluntariness, relative advantage, compatibility, image, complexity, demonstrability, visibility, and trial ability; and (4) usefulness of the training topics of basic concepts, word processing, data base, spreadsheet, instructional software, optical technology, and telecommunications. Results indicate that technology training for teachers is required to implement technology in the classroom. (Contains 20 references.) (AEF)

In compliance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and as part of an effort to evaluate staff development and disability education efforts, the colleges in California's San Diego Community College District undertook focus group evaluations of key campus constituents in fall 1996. At the district's Miramar College, focus groups were held with students, disabled and not, administrators, general staff, student services and Disabled Services Program and Services staff, faculty, business office employees, special admissions programs staff, and district site compliance officers. Surveys were sent to potential participants prior to focus group dates to help stimulate discussion, which centered on participant perception of program access, program eligibility, classroom practices and curricula, access to computers and information technology, and employment accommodations, where appropriate. Results from the groups suggested that awareness varied tremendously among college personnel. As expected, those working directly with disabled individuals were more likely to know of available services, accommodations, and barriers than other staff. Participants with little knowledge of ADA tended to focus on concrete issues, such as ramps and interpreters, while those more familiar with the legislation also talked about abstract elements of access. There was general consensus that the college had taken steps to ensure architectural and academic access to programs and services. (BCY)

Professional development schools provide mutual benefit to schools and universities. Because they are a relatively new iteration of the school/university relationship, there is a need for careful documentation and study of their development. This paper describes the beginning stages of a professional development school project that had the dual purpose of restructuring a university teacher education program and developing professional development schools. It took place in the context of a large urban school system that was undergoing major reform. The study examined schools' readiness for becoming professional development school sites. Readiness was determined using an analytic framework developed by Hyde, Koerner, and Daly-Lewis (1991), which found that schools' readiness for collaborative professional development can be depicted on a development continuum of three school-based factors: staff development, decision making, and leadership and vision. Through interviews and relationship-building activities, data showed the analytic framework to be useful in understanding readiness of schools to enter into a professional development school relationship. Data on the three readiness factors and their characteristics, as well as resources are discussed. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/RR)

Empirical research and vocational theory indicate that values are important in career counseling and vocational choice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of career values to Christian religious values as they might be assessed in career counseling. Results indicate that there was some overlap between religious and career values, although only for specific extrinsic values. (Contains 42 references and 2 tables.) (GCP)

Investigates validity of the Suicide Assessment Checklist (SAC) in a sample of 1,969 admissions to a psychiatric emergency crisis center. Supporting construct related validity, total score differences were found in the expected directions as a function of referral reason. Convergent validity was based on observed correlations between selected SAC items and conceptually similar items on the Beck Depression Inventory. (Contains 24 references and 2 appendixes.) (GCP)

A decade ago, the business community began to pursue tentative, new relationships with schools; the focus was on long-term educational improvement, frequently targeted to core academic subjects. Now partnerships are everywhere, involving thousands of schools and hundreds of thousands of local people. This essay discusses the resources brought to schools by school-business partnerships and assesses these partnerships' magnitude and dependability. Straightforward discussion of dollars and forecasts is impossible, since most schools, districts, and business partners seem to operate with little concern for tracking the dollar figures for donated services. One estimate shows that corporate gifts through partnerships amount to less than 0.5 percent of total school expenditures. When gifts (both tax-deductible and nondeducted contributions) are considered, the amount improves, but is unlikely to increase in the future. The total pool of business giving has hovered around 1 percent of pretax net income for 40 years. Fortunately, in many cooperative transactions, no dollars change hands. Since the 1960s, a "new corporate philanthropy" has emerged that accepts a large measure of community responsibility as good business and good citizenship. Two potential benefits have emerged: (1) advocacy for increased financial support for schools; and (2) efforts to increase public confidence in schools and to link schools with the local economic development that will increase the tax base and secure greater tax support without increasing the individual tax burden. (40 endnotes) (MLH)

A planned maintenance system, which was implemented at Washington State University (WSU), uniquely integrates functions of equipment inventory, scheduling, time reporting, project management, materials inventory, and billing. Management now has immediate access to equipment data, maintenance status, and costs. Staff requirements are readily defined through standardized task assignments. In addition, schedules, budget requirements, and resources adjustments are determined with the aid of detailed, up-to-date reports. Prior to implementation of the planned maintenance system: WSU was unable to identify, schedule or plan effectively; inefficient use of maintenance staff prevailed; and maintenance reports lacked sufficient detail and were time consuming to prepare. The first task in design of the system was to identify and classify the type of equipment for inventory. These classifications were assigned a number that corresponds to the item numbers in the stores inventory system. Next, the types of maintenance for each classification were analyzed. An analysis was also made of the time required to maintain equipment in 19 buildings to determine the number of employees needed. A list of the equipment inventory classifications is included, along with a diagram showing systems relationships. (SW)