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A project report describes a Tennessee State University planning project for an educational laboratory serving the Appalachian states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. A needs assessment and think tank session were conducted to identify educational problems, gather data on educational strengths/weaknesses in each state, generate ideas for educational improvement, explore research options of educators, suggest new programs/research topics, identify strategies for educational laboratory operations/services, and explore potential relationships with other Appalachian educational organizations. Regional problems were analyzed from state, regional, and national perspectives. Educational trends for the Appalachian region were discussed. Educational research, development, dissemination, assistance, and training capabilities of organizations in the region were assessed and their effectiveness evaluated. An organizational design for the regional educational laboratory was proposed. Capabilities of Tennessee State University to establish a laboratory were described, including staff, research/development activities, facilities, equipment, library resources, and satellite institutions. Strategies for governance, management, planning, and evaluation systems for the laboratory were presented. Extensive appendices list survey and think tank participants, related research projects of Tennessee State University and its satellites, and recurring educational problems identified in the think tank session. A bibliography with 169 references is included. (LFL)

Regional and state demographic profiles highlight social, economic, and educational characteristics of the Appalachian states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Data from 1979-82 are summarized and presented in charts, tables, and graphs. Regional and state social and economic profiles include population, urban/rural population, racial/ethnic minority population, number of families and children per family, families below poverty level, household income data, and unemployment rates. Findings include a 43% rural population, 12% of families below poverty level, family income levels in three states below the national median, and state unemployment rates above the national rate. Educational profiles of the region and states include state-level organization; numbers of public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools; numbers of school personnel; school enrollment; vocational educational programs; high school graduates; minority student population; high school dropouts; adult illiteracy rates; and estimated public education expenditures and educational funding for 1981-82. Findings include dropout rates ranging from 26% in West Virginia to 34% in Tennessee with each state's dropout rate greatly exceeding the national average; less than 9 years of education for more than one-fourth of the adult population of three states; declining school enrollments since 1970, but a five-fold increase in public preprimary enrollments. A bibliography of 169 items is appended. (LFL)