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In 1990, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was completed by a random sample of 1,448 West Virginia public-school students in grades 9-12. The sample was 51 percent male and 89 percent white. About 71 percent of subjects were aged 15-17; 39 percent were in the ninth grade. The YRBS covered behaviors producing vehicle-related or other injuries, drug and alcohol use, sexual behaviors, tobacco use, dietary behaviors, and physical activity. A 6-point scale to measure level of rurality was developed, based on the number of enrolled students per school attendance area in square miles. Half of the subjects attended extremely rural or very rural schools. One-way analysis of variance resulted in significantly higher risk scores on the entire YRBS for males compared to females, for 12th graders compared to lower grades, and for subjects aged 16-18 compared to younger subjects. Both when subjects were clustered as three risk groups (high, average, and low) and when they were clustered as two groups (high and average), discriminant function analysis indicated that rurality was the most consistent discriminator of the groups, with higher risk being associated with less rural classification. Gender was the next most potent discriminator of risk groups, but results were affected by a few extreme scores. (SV)

The study attempted a comprehensive evaluation of the process and product of a school-based job placement model operating in three Pennsylvania area vocational schools (AVTS). Random samples of AVTS and sending school seniors were post-tested on employability skills. Students, parents, school personnel, employers, Bureau of Employment Security (BES) personnel, and community contacts were surveyed. Study objectives were to assess job placement specialists' performance in: (1) preparing students with job searching skills and knowledge; (2) job matching (finding jobs satisfying students' interests and training); and (3) establishing and maintaining cooperative working relations with BES. The study concluded that a formalized placement service can increase the probability of a student obtaining employment over those schools who do not have such a service. Further, students utilize such a service if it is available, and, along with their parents, employers, and others, believe that the school should provide such services. Finally, better cooperation between the school and BES can lead to effective job placement. Findings are supported with statistical data throughout. Selected recommendations addressing the pilot job placement projects deal with the continuation and improvement, where appropriate, of the projects' successful practices. Project-related materials and survey instruments are appended. (BP)

The study investigated the interaction of personal and environmental factors influencing seventh graders' selection of career exploration courses for increased exploration in the eighth grade. A stratified random sample (496 students) was drawn from the Pittsburgh Public School's Occupational, Vocational, and Technical Exploratory Program. Personal and environmental factors included: (1) achievement subscores for industrial arts/home economics/business education; (2) factors of age, race, breadwinner's socioeconomic status, and home school; (3) vocational attitude maturity; (4) motivation; (5) occupational values of interest and satisfaction, salary, prestige, and security; (6) attitude scores for industrial arts/home economics/business education; and (7) student self-reports on teacher/program/peer influence on course choices. The dependent variables were 12 career exploration courses in rank order of popularity. Computations included Pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression analysis, and Behrens-Fisher t-tests. Some conclusions were that exploratory business education courses can successfully be implemented at the middle school and that it is possible to design learning activities which appeal to a wide range of student backgrounds. Sex, race, and occupational value-security were the most frequently appearing and stable influencing variables. Career exploration course selection by preadolescents is only moderately explainable by personal/environmental analysis. (Author/EA)

To determine whether the content of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's (AEL) Regional Exchange, which is published as a regional insert to a quarterly magazine entitled the Educational R&D Report, is geared to its target audiences, a content analysis was conducted on five of the AEL inserts. The research questions formulated for the content analysis were: (1) What categories of and how many educators receive the AEL Regional Exchange? (2) What percent of the articles are geared to those categories of educators? (3) What proportion of the insert's total column lines is targeted to those categories of educators? and (4) What is the average number of column lines dedicated to each category? The mailing list of the Educational R&D Report was analyzed to determine the educator categories used in the content analysis. A content analysis form was then designed and the articles in each insert coded for the educator categories at which they were targeted. Data were tallied and analyzed. The results are discussed in detail and presented in four tables corresponding to the four questions addressed by the study. A set of recommendations for changes in the AEL Regional Exchange and a copy of the content analysis form are included. (JL)

The Orthopedic Homebound Program was meant to prevent the institutionalization of orthopedically impaired, mentally retarded children and to involve parents in their training. The program was proposed and managed by the Shawnee Hills Community Mental Health/Mental Retardation Center in rural West Virginia. Each child's developmental needs were assessed by an interdisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers and therapists to determine an individualized plan of behavioral objectives to be carried out by home trainers and parents. Progress was measured in part by the TARC Assessment Inventory for Severely Handicapped Children. Interviews of parents assessed their interaction and expectations for progress, as well as their evaluation of the program. The parent/home environment was evaluated by home workers. Major program support components included: (1) quarterly inhouse reports, (2) a monthly newsletter and (3) a handbook for parents, (4) regional and national conferences, and (5) a concluding seminar for parents and program personnel to discuss process and product effectiveness. Data tables, references and 13 appendices of program material, publication samples and evaluation instruments are provided. (CM)

This report documents the implementation and evaluation of a one-week competency-based workshop on designing learning systems for coordinators and curriculum development specialists of the West Virginia Department of Education, Division of Instructional Learning Systems. The main objectives of the workshop were: (1) the development of an innovative learning system model; (2) the training of staff to become state-wide change agents toward model implementation; and (3) the subsequent performance of instructional behaviors demonstrated by the workshop learders. The material is presented in the following format: (1) introduction; (2) planning phase; (3) participant characteristics; (4) workshop evaluation; (5) conclusions; (6) recommendations; (7) references; (8) appendices (workshop instructional materials, data collection instruments). Recommendations drawn from the experience were that: (1) the elements of the systems model developed in the workshop should be used by the curriculum leaders as a diffusion strategy; (2) follow-up data on participants' on-the-job behaviors regarding model implementation should be gathered; (3) the use of the competency-based workshops should be considered seriously by other state department of education bureaus and divisions adopting innovations for their staff; and (4) the use of full- or small-group followup sessions for staff members requesting or requiring aid in the implementation of the learning systems model should be considered by the Director of the Division of Instructional Learning Systems. (MJB)

An evaluation is presented of the Stallings Classroom Management Staff Development Demonstration Project, designed to increase student achievement in basic skills through the use of research-based, systematic change in teachers' classroom management and organizational techniques. One objective of the evaluation was to utilize techniques and to administer a set of instruments to assess their utility for future evaluations. Process evaluation methods focused on teachers' feelings about the demonstration project, their concerns about the innovations, and evaluative comments made by involved teachers at the project's conclusion. Product evaluation focused on the pre-/post-test changes in teachers' perceived responsibility for student achievement, ratings on the teachers' levels of use of the innovation, and the teachers' pre-/post-test intervention changes in "correct implementation" of specific classroom teaching behaviors. Following an executive summary of the project, chapter 2 of this report outlines the purpose and objectives of the staff development program. Chapter 3 describes the evaluation design, the data collection instruments, and the data collection and analysis procedures of the evaluation. Process and product evaluation results are presented in the fourth and fifth chapters. Data displays and narrative copy are used to clarify evaluation results. The sixth chapter presents conclusions and recommendations based on the evaluation study. (JD)

Besides spotlighting education and influencing agencies' intervention in the educational processes, the recent reform movement has focused attention on all educational actors and called for increased accountability for teachers and administrative staff, including principals. While researchers disagree on the degree of instructional leadership required of principals, even the harshest critics of school effectiveness research conclude that staff development is a vital dimension of effective schools. This study focuses on staff development aspects of building principals' instructional leadership and addresses (1) whether training session content could cut across all school levels; (2) whether this content could be taught to principals; (3) whether principals would use the content in training sessions; and (4) how well they could teach it. (The expectation was that all of this was possible.) In fact, all the principals in two school districts in two different school years were taught to be the change facilitators of classroom organization and management content, using materials developed by the University of Texas (Austin). When tested, principals showed significant gains in their knowledge of classroom management principles and proficiency in facilitating use of new materials. Teachers also showed significant gains in their classroom management knowledge. Included are numerous figures and tables, a summary, 18 references, and 2 appendices describing workshop training activities and the project's phases. (MLH)

Data gathered from a review of the literature, state department of education personnel, and directories of school districts are used to report on small school districts in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Enrollment size of school districts, expenditures per pupil, transportation costs per pupil, and student density were computed for the study area. Only student density proved a useful index to rurality. The review of the literature notes that educational research has shown an urban bias and that problems and strengths of rural schools has been researched outside of the educational research community. Other discussion notes that further research should seek to develop data on family income and building-level enrollment. Statistical information is presented in 47 tables and 93 references are appended to the review of the literature. (SKW)

Examines the growing use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the business world and the challenges and opportunities that presents for geography educators. Discusses issues relevant to both increased business usage and curriculum design. Recommends increased participation in business instruction for geographers. (MJP)