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In this Paper we propose a simple yet effective set of local control rules to make a group of "herder agents" collect and contain in a desired region an ensemble of non-cooperative stochastic "target agents" in the plane. We investigate the robustness of the proposed strategies to variations of the number of target agents and the strength of the repulsive force they feel when in proximity of the herders. Extensive numerical simulations confirm the effectiveness of the approach and are complemented by a more realistic validation on commercially available robotic agents via ROS.

This study conducted in four secondary schools across three years, provides an example of how stakeholder perceptions about school quality might be obtained and analyzed to aid in setting administrative objectives. The participating schools served predominantly Caucasian students in suburban and rural areas. Approximately 30% of students at these schools received free or reduced lunch. Parents, students and school staff were asked to complete the Indicators of School Quality survey, which includes items regarding parent support, teacher excellence, student commitment, school leadership, instructional quality, resource management, and school safety. An average of 1098 parents, 159 teachers, and 3108 students completed surveys each year across the three years. School staff tended to rate their schools more positively on average than parents. Female students, younger students, and students claiming ethnic majority status all tended to rate their schools higher than other students. These results suggest that administrators could benefit from understanding how stakeholders differ in their perceptions of school quality, particularly as they engage in school improvement efforts. ISQ School Learning Environment Items by Respondent Audience is appended. (Contains 6 tables.)

ADAM (Administrative Development and Management), an administrator preparation partnership between Greenwood (South Carolina) School District 50 and Clemson University, is described in this paper. The program uses practicing administrators in collaboration with college faculty to train prospective school administrators. The purpose is to provide guided theoretically and clinically based experiences and to identify and develop leadership and management skills necessary for effective school administrators. Topics covered in the course include team building and group dynamics, problem solving, time management, finance, interview skills, and technology. This collaborative arrangement provides school districts and universities with a wider range of resources, improved identification of potential administrators, and superior training. One of the greatest benefits was that through shared experiences, individuals became stronger as members of groups who shared authority, built mutual trust, took greater risks, and became innovators. One table and one figure are included. (Contains 19 references.) (LMI)

Chaos theory describes the way systems change over time. It proposes that systems governed by physical laws can undergo transitions to a highly irregular form of behavior and that although chaotic behavior appears random, it is governed by strict mathematical conditions. This paper applies chaos theory to administrative and organizational issues. Three goals are addressed. First, the use of chaos theory to model social dynamics is justified. Second, organizational theory is defined from a chaos perspective. Finally, the mathematics of chaos is applied to a simple issue of informational theory to demonstrate how new perspectives of social dynamics are gained. (34 references) (Author/RR)

A model of how automated and controlled processing can be mixed in computer simulations of problem solving is proposed. It is based on previous work by Hunt and Lansman (1983), who developed a model of problem solving that could reproduce the data obtained with several attention and performance paradigms, extending production-system notation to time-constrained problem solving. Four college students were required to do mental arithmetic rapidly, keeping track of the running total of a visually presented series of numbers using base three (to keep the task from being fully automated). From time to time, they had to deal with an interruption and then return to the arithmetic task. The students generally, but not always, managed to remember the things they needed to remember, and often became aware of an error after making it, indicating there was a good deal of self-monitoring of behavior. The problem solver's internal control of information seems to be an essential part of real-time problem solving. These processes were reflected in the simulation model, which is described in detail. (MNS)

Suggests the capacity for synergistic planning should be fostered in the staffing and work of all educational decision-making bodies. In this model, all people in the organization examine the whole situation before action is taken on incremental parts. Defines synergistic planning; discusses issues surrounding data, integration, technology, and public confidence; and outlines an eight-step process. (57 references) (MLH)

The educational administration profession can no longer tolerate the certification of future school leaders who use a "cookbook" approach to problem solving. The issue of critical analysis and the ability to apply such skills to school settings is the essence of improving administrative leadership and student academic performance. Unless preparation programs adopt a learning-based curriculum, the principalship is doomed. (MLH)

The factors affecting funding levels of South Carolina's public elementary and secondary school districts must be reexamined. If state education monies for 1988-89 had been distributed to compensate fully for local tax variations, the state's wealthiest districts would have received a 31.8% funding decrease and the poorest districts would have received a 43.2% funding increase. (40 references) (MLH)

Presents data from a survey of teachers regarding the characteristics of principals that make them leaders. Finds that teachers' perceptions differ very little from those of business managers regarding leadership attributes. (SR)

The Wildfire Airborne Sensing Program (WASP) is engaged in a continuing effort to develop an improved airborne instrumentation system for sensing wildfires. The system could also be used for other aerial-imaging applications, including mapping and military surveillance. Unlike prior airborne fire-detection instrumentation systems, the WASP system would not be based on custom-made multispectral line scanners and associated custom- made complex optomechanical servomechanisms, sensors, readout circuitry, and packaging. Instead, the WASP system would be based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment that would include (1) three or four electronic cameras (one for each of three or four wavelength bands) instead of a multispectral line scanner; (2) all associated drive and readout electronics; (3) a camera-pointing gimbal; (4) an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for measuring the position, velocity, and orientation of the aircraft; and (5) a data-acquisition subsystem. It would be necessary to custom-develop an integrated sensor optical-bench assembly, a sensor-management subsystem, and software. The use of mostly COTS equipment is intended to reduce development time and cost, relative to those of prior systems.

TMSA is a concept prototype developed to support NASA Test Directors (NTDs) in schedule execution monitoring during the later stages of a Shuttle countdown. The program detects qualitative and quantitative constraint violations in near real-time. The next version will support incremental rescheduling and reason over a substantially larger number of scheduled events.

At the equator, the ozone layer ranges from approximately 80,000 to 130,000+ feet which is beyond the capabilities of the ER-2, NASA's current high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. This project is geared to designing an aircraft that can study the ozone layer at the equator. This aircraft must be able to cruise at 130,000 lbs. of payload. In addition, the aircraft must have a minimum of a 6,000 mile range. The low Mach number, payload, and long cruising time are all constraints imposed by the air sampling equipment. A pilot must be able to take control in the event of unforseen difficulties. Three aircraft configurations were determined to be the most suitable for meeting the above requirements, a joined-wing, a bi-plane, and a twin-boom conventional airplane. The techniques used have been deemed reasonable within the limits of 1990 technology. The performance of each configuration is analyzed to investigate the feasibility of the project requirements. In the event that a requirement can not be obtained within the given constraints, recommendations for proposal modifications are given.

LifeSat is a reusable reentry satellite for use by NASA and the international space life sciences community. It will be employed beginning in late 1994, to understand the effects of the space environment (i.e., high energy space radiation and microgravity) on biological systems. This paper describes the program for LifeSat.

A search reveals only six articles that concern human-factors engineering as it relates to student furniture. Contacts with five school-furniture manufacturers disclose that designs were basically unaltered for years and are claimed to reflect what schools want in furniture. Proposes recommendations to design and secure furniture to meet students' needs. (MLF)

NASA's LifeSat program, which is designed to study biological systems, is described. The program is also designed to understand how living organisms respond to microgravity as low as 0.00001 G, various levels of artificial gravity up to 1.5 G, and cosmic radiation. Modules to be developed for LifeSat missions include specialized modules to support animals, plants, cells, and tissues.