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The 1996 welfare reform act forced many poor parents into the labor market, with little understanding of how the parents' workforce participation would affect family life in general and their children in particular. In this paper, researchers examine the relationship between parental workforce participation, welfare receipt, and children's academic outcomes for a random sample of welfare mothers and their children. The findings show that children whose parents transitioned from not working in Wave 1 to working in Wave 2 were significantly more likely to be achieving academically--receiving As and Bs--at Wave 2. Parental employment at Wave 2 was not found to be a positive factor in all cases, however. Researchers found that children whose parents were employed in both waves were significantly less likely to receive As and Bs at Wave 2 than were children whose parents transitioned from not working to working. Researchers also found that receiving welfare during Wave 2 had a positive relationship with receiving As and Bs at Wave 2, which suggests that welfare payments may be a protective factor for families. The researchers argue that parental employment may be beneficial for children's academic achievement, particularly if families are able to continue receiving welfare benefits. (Contains 23 references.) (SM)

This paper describes the achievement patterns of a sample of 1,492 multiracial high school students and examines how their achievement fits into existing theoretical models that explain monoracial differences in achievement. These theoretical models include status attainment, parenting style, oppositional culture, and educational attitudes. The results replicate previous findings about the racial hierarchy of academic achievement among monoracial youth and demonstrate the similarity of the hierarchy within biracial groups: part-black and part-Latino youth fare poorly while part-White and part-Asian youth achieve the most. Furthermore, multiracial students who self-identify as black or Latino achieve less in school than those who identify as White or Asian. However, unlike previous findings, this paper shows that racial identity and experiences of racism are not strong factors in explaining the achievement of multiracial or monoracial students. Instead, the school achievement of multiracial students is related to some mix of the variables present in explanations for each monoracial group. (Contains 52 references.) (SM)

In this paper, the authors use data from interviews and observations in four urban elementary schools, two high and two low performing, to examine how schools respond to high stakes accountability policies. The authors argue that school responses to high stakes accountability depend on school context. In low performing schools, responses focus narrowly on complying with policy demands, focusing on improving the performance of certain students, within benchmark grades, and in certain subject areas. In contrast, higher performing schools emphasize enhancing the performance of all students regardless of grade level and across all subject areas. Given the concentration of poor students and students of color in the lowest performing schools, the authors conclude that issues of educational equity need to be given careful consideration in the implementation of high stakes accountability policies. (Contains 103 references.) (SM)

This paper estimates the effect of the growth in income inequality on mean educational attainment and on the disparity in educational attainment between rich and poor children. The effect of income inequality that is due to the nonlinear effect of a family's own income is separated from the effect due to interpersonal interactions. Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) are used to estimate the effect of state economic inequality measured during adolescence on children's chances of completing high school, entering college, and completing 4 years of college. The sample used for measures of postsecondary schooling (3,240) was somewhat smaller than that for high school graduation (3,504). As a whole, the data suggest that the growth in inequality since 1970 did not increase high school graduation, and probably decreased it. The growth in inequality since 1970 may have increased college enrollment by a small amount, and it seems to have increased college graduation considerably. The increase in college graduation due to growth in inequality was confined to high-income children. The effect of inequality was due largely to "macro" effects, not to the nonlinear relationship between parental income and children's outcomes or to the incentive provided by increasing returns to schooling. Low-income children did not benefit from the increases in income inequality; the growth in inequality probably reduced high school graduation rates among low-income children. An appendix contains a description of the data and variables. (Contains 12 tables and 34 references.) (SLD)

Few of the current major efforts to improve urban schools adequately appreciate the extent to which the problematic social climate of urban schools can undermine the implementation of even very good ideas. As a result, programs often come and go with little lasting impact. This paper uses ethnographic fieldwork to illustrate the ways dysfunctional relationships among teachers, parents, and administrators interfere with the actual implementation of reform programs even when all parties are substantially in agreement about goals and means. Data are from 16 elementary schools in Chicago (Illinois) that are trying to implement the Comer process of school reform (J. Comer, 1980 and later). The operating assumptions underlying several current reform efforts are contrasted with the day-to-day realities of schools. (Contains 54 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper discusses some of the shortcomings of the business case method of undergraduate and graduate business education and examines the merits of a multimedia software system that is designed to teach topics and skills in financial accounting. It argues that the traditional case-based approach provides only limited assistance to students as they are reviewing cases, limits student feedback and comes long after the student performs his or her analysis, depends on the availability of a qualified instructor to evaluate student knowledge, fails to provide step-by-step solutions to case problems, and provides little motivation to students. The paper then presents the Financial Report Analyst (FRA) multimedia software system that uses goal-based scenarios to provide a learning-by-doing environment. FRA places students in specific problem-solving roles in realistic scenarios and provides intelligent coaching as the task is performed. The paper then describes the use of FRA in detail, demonstrating how the system overcomes the shortcomings of traditional business education methods. (Contains 33 references.) (MDM)

A model of similarity-based retrieval is presented that attempts to capture these seemingly contradictory psychological phenomena: (1) structural commonalities are weighed more heavily than surface commonalities in soundness or similarity judgments (when both members are present); (2) superficial similarity is more important in retrieval from long-term memory than is structural similarity; and yet (3) purely structural (analogical) remindings are sometimes experienced. The model, called MAC/FAC (for "many are called, but few are chosen") consists of a first stage (MAC) that uses a computationally cheap, nonstructured matcher to filter candidates from a pool of memory items. Structured representations are redundantly encoded as "content vectors," whose dot product yields an estimate of how well the corresponding structural representations will match. The second stage (FAC) uses the Structure-Mapping Engine to compute a true structural match between the probe and output from the first stage. MAC/FAC has been fully implemented and tested on dozens of examples, and is shown to be capable of modeling patterns of access in psychological data. The relationship to other models of memory is discussed. Seven figures and 19 tables. (Contains 128 references.) (Author/SLD)

After a century of fairly steady decline, the official poverty rate among American children increased from 14.0% in 1969 to 19.6% in 1989, suggesting that the United States is losing the war on poverty. However, once various defects in the official poverty measure are corrected, it appears that the proportion of children in households with income below the poverty line probably fell between 1969 and 1989 or between 1967 and 1991. Data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey support this claim, and direct measures of material hardship also indicate that things have not been worsening for the low income family, although housing and neighborhood crimes remain serious concerns. The findings suggest that the official poverty statistics are not a reliable guide to poverty in America as most Americans understand the term. Five possible explanations are advanced: (1) official price indices somewhat overstate inflation; (2) children's households include more nonrelatives, whose income is not counted when the Census Bureau decides whether a child is poor; (3) the growth of Food Stamps and rent subsidies during the 1970s raised poor children's material standard of living without raising their income; (4) affluent families' flight from central cities to suburbs made a lot of relatively modern central-city housing available to low-income parents who would not otherwise have been able to afford it; and (5) households with low reported incomes may have had more unreported income in 1989 than in 1969. Despite the spread of single-parent families and the decline in the earning power of unskilled workers, child poverty, as defined by low income, low consumption, and material deprivation, has probably remained constant or fallen slightly since 1969. (Contains 8 tables, 1 figure, and 25 references.) (SLD)

A hypermedia simulation, Sickle Cell Counselor, has been developed to anchor instruction for museum visitors using the task of advising couples about the decision to have children when there is a substantial genetic risk of sickle cell disease. A visitor can perform simulated laboratory tests and ask questions via interactive video. The anchored instruction model is closely related to cognitive apprenticeship theory. Patterns of interaction between the user, simulating the role of a genetic counselor, and the program are illustrated through an annotated example. The genetic counseling role makes the Sickle Cell Counselor a compelling program, but the human interest facet is really just a motivational device. The program supports the acquisition of the target knowledge well. The user is supported with knowledge from an experts screen, from learner-initiated coaching, and from implicit task guidance. An evaluation with adults at a community church (21 pretests and 10 posttests) suggests substantial gains in knowledge about sickle cell disease, as well as confidence in the material learned. Ten figures present evaluation findings. (Contains 10 references.) (SLD)

This study examines the education and employment outcomes of black youth whose families moved from mostly-black housing projects in the city to either mostly-white suburbs or other mostly-black urban areas through the Gautreaux Housing Assistance Program in the Chicago (Illinois) area. In interviews with families who had moved 8 to 13 years earlier, the study examined: high school retention, grades, high school track placement, college attendance, employment, wages, job prestige, and job benefits. In spite of concerns about permanent disadvantages due to discrimination and competition with white peers, the suburban youth adults did significantly better than did those in the city in practically all areas studied. Compared with the group that moved out of the projects and into other mostly-black city areas, youth in the suburban group were more likely to be: (1) in high school; (2) in a college high school track; (3) in a four-year college; (4) in a job; (5) in a job with benefits; and (6) within the education and employment systems. In their comments, mothers and youth pointed to the positive effects of higher educational standards in the suburbs, additional academic help from suburban teachers, greater access to information about college enrollment from suburban schools, and positive suburban role models. (Author/JB)

Questionnaires were completed by 330 parents of developmentally disabled children on such topics as labeling and competency, mainstreaming, anticipated needs for residential care, family integration, diagnosis and assessment, and community resources. These factors were investigated according to demographic variables. Among findings were that children from Black families had more social interactions with a wider variety of people and were evaluated as having better interpersonal skills than were children of White families; family income did not seem to be systematically associated with attitudes toward mainstreaming; females were more likely to be expected to remain at home or to live on their own and to work in a sheltered workshop while males were more likely to be expected to live in a community facility and work in the community; the higher the family income the more likely mothers were to express negative feelings and perceive negative effects; about 90% of the parents were satisfied with their children's school; and the only family activity influenced by income was religious participation. Service needs and satisfactions noted include personal and community support networks and organizational and political involvement. (CL)

Investigated were those long-term processes which contribute to high rates of attrition for women out of mathematics. It is based on the contention that university students drop out of mathematics as a consequence of prior socialization, educational career contingencies, and goal commitment and career aspirations, with the mix of these factors different for men and women. A life history approach was used, tracing any pattern of participation throughout a person's life which could be regarded as an aspect of the decision processes. Related literature is reviewed and the theoretical framework is described in chapter 2. Chapter 3 describes the procedures used to gather and organize information. Chapter 4 presents sample background characteristics, while chapter 5 lists the major findings. Neither ability nor sex alone can account for the attrition process; rather, it is caught up in a complex pattern of interactive effects. These are presented in some detail (including 11 statistical tables) and conclusions are drawn in the final chapter. There is a 25-item bibliography and sample interview questions are included in an appendix. (MNS)

The product of a two-year study investigating the literacy behavior of nine kindergarten students and their classmates, this report first explains the impetus and the theoretical foundations for the investigation and describes its subjects and setting. It then presents the methodology and the data collected from several related studies: (1) observer-child interviews that elicted information on students' general knowledge about written language; (2) observations of and discussions with the nine case study children as they first told, then dictated, then wrote two versions of an event; (3) records of students' efforts to adapt their writing to adult and child readers; (4) observations of children's writing on a recently shared event; (5) end-of-the-year interviews investigating general writing knowledge; and (6) two follow up studies on the children's reading and writing progress in the first grade. After analyzing the data, the report produced a number of conclusions, including the following: literacy develops prior to conventional reading and writing, all children do not follow the same developmental sequence in learning to read and write, and the teacher's model of literacy has important implications for children's development. Extensive appendixes contain copies of testing instruments and transcripts of observer-child interviews. (MM)

To investigate semantic and syntactic variables in the written language of normally hearing and hearing impaired children, 49 hearing impaired and 49 normally hearing children (10-14 years old) were asked to write compositions based on the Accident/Emergency Picture in the Peabody Language Development Kit. In addition, syntactic characteristics were analyzed through the T-unit and syntactic density score and semantic characteristics through propositional analysis and text cohesion analysis. Hearing impaired and hearing Ss performed significantly differently across all language measures. In general, normal hearing Ss produced quantitatively more than hearing impaired Ss. Age differences on syntactic language measures were characterized by a linear development while age differences on semantic measures were characterized by a quadratic trend for both groups. Four factors accounted for 77% of the variance of performance in hearing impaired Ss: the semantic component, syntactic component, hearing/speech component, and cognitive component. (Author/CL)

This article concerns recommendations made in a report to Congress and the Department of Education on evaluation of federally supported education programs. The work covers local, state, and federal efforts to address questions about why and how well evaluations are done, and about how results are used. The recommendations are directed toward improving the quality of evaluations and enhancing their usefulness. (Author)

This paper has two aims, each bearing on recent developments in evaluation policy. The first is to summarize a report presented in 1980 to the United States Congress and Department of Education, concerning evaluation policy and practices at the national, state, and local levels of government. The second aim is to link some of the United States recommendations to ideas presented at the Israel-United States seminar on education evaluation, and in related papers by the seminar participants. The intent is (1) to outline similarities, differences, and analogs between the two perspectives in order to learn how the Israeli experience can be adapted by the United States, and vice versa; and (2) to examine how the problems evidenced in the arena of evaluation are not confined by national borders, ethnic origin, or history. (PN)

The Education Voucher Demonstration began in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District during the 1972-73 school year. Under the voucher concept, parents freely select a school for their child and receive a credit or voucher equal to the cost of the child's education that is paid directly to the school upon enrollment. It was presumed that this form of school finance would foster competition among the schools and improve the quality of education by making schools more responsive to students' needs. An initial external evaluation at the conclusion of the first year found, however, a relative loss in reading achievement for students in the six public schools that participated in the voucher demonstration. The present report reexamines some of these data using a quasi-experimental design involving multiple pretests and individual students' test scores (rather that school means) as the unit of analysis. The results appear to indicate that the deleterious reading effect of the voucher demonstration was confined to a few within-school programs featuring nontraditional, innovative curricula. (Author)

The 12 papers collected in this volume were written by graduate students in a magazine publishing seminar conducted at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Papers discuss a range of topics related to contemporary magazines and are of interest to editors, publishers, journalism educators, and students. Titles include "Black Consumer Magazines: 'Black Enterprise,''Ebony,''Essence'"; "Regional Lifestyles: 'Better Homes and Gardens,''Southern Living,''Sunset'"; "Men's Entertainment Magazines: 'Oui,''Penthouse,''Playboy'"; and others. (KS)

The results of a study which used the regression discontinuity model in the analysis of criterion-referenced test data are presented and inherent drawbacks in the use of the regression discontinuity model with this type of data are discussed. The discussion is based on the results of an analysis of data collected in the Mesa, Arizona School District which uses criterion-referenced testing solely. The problems include celling effects and non-linearity of the data. Problems inherent in implementation of an evaluation design at the school level are also described. (Author/MV)

This document examines the policy issue of balance between the National Institute of Education's (NIE) role in directing research and development projects and that of field-initiated efforts in the educational R/D & I field. The issue is approached from a systems analysis view: NIE's mission (grouped into research, development, dissemination/implementation/utilization, and evaluation/policy research clusters) is viewed in terms of its impact on the educational R/D & I systems functioning. The continuum of actions through which the agency might relate to various aspects of the field are analyzed from functional, cross-functional, and scenario analysis methods. Comparative analyses across functions are directed toward NIE and its role in developing a systems context approach, toward the leadership requirements for systems building and orchestration of efforts in the field, toward areas of communality and differences between the areas of concern for NIE and field-based groups, and toward nonprocurement strategies the NIE might use in effecting systems development. The report concludes with two scenario analyses examining (1) alternatives to NIE-directed competitive procurements and their implications, and (2) unsolicited procurement mechanisms, and options that might be considered in funding R/D & I activities initiated through the unsolicited route. (MB)

This study developed and experimentally evaluated a series of structured interaction materials and group social models for promoting career information-seeking and information-processing behaviors by high school students. Personality characteristics (introversion-extroversion) of subjects were assessed to determine how these factors influence modeling and structured interaction materials. Eleventh grade male and female students enrolled in three vocational experience classes were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups (n=80). Three experimental treatments were administered: (1) structured interaction materials; (2) group social modeling; and (3) a combination of group social modeling and subject participation. Study results were mixed. For males, none of the experimental treatments showed significantly positive main effects, while for females the structured interaction plus modeling treatment did show significantly positive effects on two of the dependent variables. The data relevant to interactions between personality characteristics and treatment procedures showed a tendency for introverted individuals to learn better than extroverted individuals irrespective of the treatment in which the subject was involved. Recommendations for further study and action are presented by the author. (Author/PC)

The purpose of this study was to gather evidence relative to the proposition that matching (recognition) performance for A-B pairs following an unlearning paradigm cannot be used to infer associative loss. The alternative was to assume that matching performance is based on frequency information which is independent of associative information. The A-D and A-Br paradigms were used, and the expected difference in matching performance was found. This difference was correlated with a difference in the precision of frequency information for A-B pairs as would be expected if frequency mediated matching performance. (Author)

The purpose of this study was to determine if implicit associational responses (IARs) occur to individual words presented as pairs for associative learning. The occurrence of IARs was determined by a YES-NO recognition test, and IARs for words presented singly for study provided a base line. For all condition, false recognitions to assumed IARs occurred; the magnitude was equivalent for words presented for study as pairs as for the same words presented singly. No evidence was found that IARs occurred during the testing phase. (Author)

The concepts in a hierarchically structured list consisting of 24 number-word pairs were aligned systematically with position and numbers, or with the number stimuli only. Some lists involved an alignment appropriate to only the lowest conceptual level. Other lists were completely unstructured when viewed in terms of either position or number. The lowest-level concepts in the hierarchy were most heavily involved in learning, although the concepts at the higher levels had a small influence. When the hierarchy was aligned with the number series only, the structure was apparent to the subject but his learning was not greatly influenced. Conceptual structure facilitates learning most effectively with a constant order of the instances of the concepts. (Author)

Three experiments examined the role of contingent associations in learning double-function, verbal-discrimination lists. Some 15-pair lists were constructed of category instances in such a way that the learning of three contingent associations based on category names would mediate correct performance for all 15 pairs. The first experiment gave no evidence that the three contingencies aided learning. The second experiment showed that subjects could be taught the three contingent associations in isolation and that they could then apply them successfully to the double-function list. To make the contingencies more apparent to the subjects, the category names were used during feedback in the third experiment. The learning was not facilitated by such feedback. It was concluded that the learning observed for the usual double-function list does not involve contingent associations. (Author)

A total of 160 companies supplied information for the 29th annual report regarding the employment of college graduates in business. Most are large or medium-size corporations that regularly recruit college men and women. A total of 31 percent of these companies plan to contact fewer colleges in 1975, but 29 percent will contact more schools. The companies expect to hire almost exactly the number of men with bachelor's degrees they hired from 1974 classes. No decrease is indicated. Also, they expect to hire 7 percent more women graduates. In greatest demand are men in engineering, accounting, business administration, and sales, and women in accounting, general business, data processing, and engineering. Almost all of these companies will raise starting salaries. Predicted averages for 1975 indicate that bachelor's degree graduates in engineering will be offered about $1,062 per month, accountants about $990, graduates in business administration about $814, and liberal arts graduates about $776 per month. Almost all of the companies that reported starting salaries for both men and women indicated they were the same. Although there has been a somewhat restricted job market for college graduates in recent years, the responding companies report that from 23-33 percent of the men employed three years ago have left. (Author/PG)

This summary of research performed during the past five and one-half years and dealing with different attributes in memory functioning is organized around four attributes of memory: "Frequency Attribute: Verbal Discrimination" explores the development of the theory dealing with verbal discrimination tasks and lists several papers prepared during the contract period which are used as documentation for the theory. "Frequency Attribute: Classical Recognition" discusses the theory, application of the frequency theory, and a listing of the reports used to summarize the work in this area. "Associative Attribute: Massed versus Distributed Practice" discusses some of the findings in this area and lists some of the articles produced during the investigation. "Associative Class Attribute and Forgetting" discusses the theory and the research that was conducted. Two sections conclude the summary: "General" surveys the general findings and suggests further research, and "Temporal Attribute" reviews some of the unfinished research in this area. (WR)

In March 1974, a study was undertaken at Northwestern University to examine the role of the library in providing information services based on computerized data bases. After taking an inventory of existing data bases at Northwestern and in the greater Chicago area, a committee suggested ways to continue and expand the scope of information services. This report gives a flow chart conception of existing information services, and, using a management approach, discusses how the library can mobilize resources to maximize information service. Major recommendations include: (1) establishment of contracts with commercial search services, (2) placement of two terminals in the library, (3) use of the New York Times Information Bank, and (4) continuation of existing batch services in addition to new on-line services available through commercial firms. (EMH/PF)

Since Earth Day 1970, the number of environmental groups has approximately doubled and the movement articulates a much broader and comprehensive philosophy than earlier conservation or preservation movements. The Lake Michigan Federation, one of the new environmental groups developed from the Open Lands Project, was publicly proclaimed in September 1970. The official goal of the federation is to "save the lake." This study is an evaluation of the Lake Michigan Federation and was undertaken: (1) to provide the federation with means of examining its performance, (2) to monitor the use of grant monies, and (3) to provide useful information for other environmental groups. The study contains six chapters: History and Organization of the Lake Michigan Federation, Lake Michigan Federation Operation, Political Effectiveness, Public Information and Membership Evaluation, Lake Michigan Federation Leadership, and Conclusion. The conclusions of the study include: (1) the group functions effectively as a political interest group, (2) federation leadership is very centralized and dependent on the work of the organization's Executive Secretary, and (3) the federation can be used as a model for other groups. Appendices are also included. (TK)

In an earlier study, subjects who were shown the two words "inside" and "consult" at two different points in a study list of two syllable words were willing to accept the word "insult" as having been on the study list. It was concluded that each syllable had a representation in memory over and beyond the semantic factors which are normally represented with words. The two experiments described in the present study take the theoretical position that the syllable was represented in memory as a visual-phonetic-articulatory frequency unit. In the first experiment, two independent words were presented for study with varying lags, the test being for the two words having meaning as a pair. In the other, elements of compound words were presented separately with the test being on the compound word. The subjects had to decide whether the two words had or had not been presented together on the study trial. The original position, that the syllables were represented in memory as a visual-phonetic-articulatory-frequency unit, was supported. (TS)

The purpose of these studies was to test a theory of associative context (defined as the association between two words in a pair) on recognition memory. The theory states that culturally associated words in a pair and nonassociated words in a pair differ after a single study trial in terms of their frequency representation in memory. Two experiments were required to show that the use of mixed lists of associated and nonassociated pairs was not the appropriate way to study the effect of associative context on recognition memory. The third experiment provided no support for the theory. Recognition of associated and nonassociated pairs did not differ appreciably. The loss in recognition performance for single words taken from study pairs was the same for associated and for nonassociated pairs. Frequency judgments paralleled the results for recognition decisions in most aspects of the data. It was concluded that associative context, specified in terms of the strength of the association between two words in a pair, is not a critical factor in recognition performance. (Author)

If a series of verbal units is presented for study, and if a unit occurs two or more times in the series, the practice schedule for these multiple occurrences may be massed or distributed. In massed practice (MP) the item occupies adjacent positions; in distributed practice (DP) successive occurences are separated by at least one other unit. The spacing effect, or the MP-DP effect, refers to better recall following DP schedules than following MP schedules. Four studies discussed in this report examined the spacing effect in four quite different situations: recognition of letters, verbal discrimination, short free recall lists, and recall of MP items presented twice with an intervening interval inserted to produce forgetting. MP-DP differences were found in all studies. Of particular interest were three interactions; subjects with a low criterion of responding in the letter study lost the MP-DP effect over a 30-second delay, and subjects with a high criterion did not; a clear MP-DP effect, but no lag effect, was found only with unmixed verbal discrimination lists; and in free recall a sharp lag effect was shown for words presented three times but not for words presented twice. (Author/LL)

An interdisciplinary research team investigated the field of educational research/development and innovation (R/D&I) in order to (1) develop an understanding of the nature, structure, and functioning of R&D as they interact with their environments; (2) develop an understanding of educational R&D and of the educational context in which it exists and with which it interacts; (3) develop an understanding of the applicability to educational R&D of models, technology, and experience found in other R&D sectors; and (4) develop an understanding of the basis for comparative analysis of R&D systems across sectors. Basic to the report is the concept of "contextual analysis," in which innovation is recognized as a total process of knowledge production and utilization, the aspects of which interact and cannot be adequately understood apart from this interaction. The report is divided into four sections: (1) the framework for a contextual analytical approach to R/D&I; (2) illustrative contextual analysis of two R/D&I sectors; (3) illustrative contextual analysis of selected feature issues; and (4) review of the report, and preview of the application of contextual analysis to more specific situations. (MB)

Part 3 of a three-part volume for research and development systems researchers, this report shows how the contextual analytical approach presented in Part 1 may be used to analyze specific research, development, and innovation (RD & I) issues. Chapter 8 (the first chapter of this part) focuses on the institutional bases of RD & I systems with particular attention being given to how the RD & I functions (presented and explained in Part 1) are clustered together within and among the institutions of RD & I systems. Chapter 9 focuses on the issue of entrepreneurship as it relates to the historical and current state of development of RD & I systems. Chapter 10 discusses issues relevant to implementation and utilization, including the structural attributes of user organizations. Chapter 11 illustrates the use of the contextual analysis framework for policy analysis. Brief summaries are given of policy analyses provided to the National Institute of Education. Chapter 12 reviews the contextual analysis framework. (Author/JM)

Part 1 of a three-part volume for research and development (R & D) systems researchers, this report attempts to provide a basic understanding of the process of contextual analysis for research, development, and innovation. The term "research development and innovation" (RD & I) is used to describe the total process of innovation of which R & D is only a part. Chapter 1 discusses the nature of and bases for a contextual analytical approach to RD & I and describes the comparative contextual analysis framework developed here. The contextual analysis is intended to be a framework for comparison that reveals differences or commonalities in RD & I systems across sectors. A sector is defined as a field of interrelated activities such as the fields of industry, aerospace, or education. The context of RD & I is defined as the totality of features (or significant aspects) of RD & I. A contextual analysis rests on the assumption that each feature affects and is affected by all other features. Chapter 2 analyzes the features that make up the total context of RD & I. These features are environmental influences; historical development; institutional base; goals, policies, and strategies; administrative processes; personnel base; funding; information flow; innovations; and functions. Identified as functions of RD & I are need identification, generation or research, development, production, marketing or dissemination, acquisition, implementation or utilization, support services, and evaluation research. (Author/JM)

Findings are presented from a 1978 survey of 330 parents of developmentally disabled children in Lake County, Illinois regarding their current satisfactions and projected needs. The first section portrays the sample demographics (age, sex, type of disability, yearly family income, area of residence). A section on family support analyzes responses in the following service areas: health care delivery, social service delivery, recreation and leisure, and emotional and informational sources of support. Among results described are that approximately two-thirds of the parents were satisfied with the initial diagnosis and assessment; the relationships of family income to health care services and social services was complex; the younger the disabled child, the more likely parents were to be satisfied with social service professionals; and the greatest informational needs reported were for a parent manual and a referral service. Life course planning is the focus of the final three chapters which analyze findings on schools and developmental programs, residential options, and community acceptance and consumer action. (CL)

Part 2 of a two-part series, this volume presents five separate policy studies done using a contextual research, development, and innovation (RD & I) analysis framework developed by the authors. The studies are intended to demonstrate the requirements and possibilities for policy analysis in the RD & I arena and the utility of the framework for facilitating such endeavors and for providing structures to the knowledge and literature in this field. The first policy analysis was done for the National Institute of Education and deals with regionalism in education RD & I. The second analysis is an introduction to using a contextual approach to program planning. Research and development (R & D) coordination in the social science context is dealt with in the third analysis. The fourth deals with analysis, selection, and planning of programs by the Division of Industrial Energy Conservation of the Energy R & D Administration. The fifth analysis is a contextual approach to development and the role of technology in developing nations. (Author/JM)

Part 1 of a two-part series, this volume presents three separate policy studies done using a contextual research, development, and innovation (RD & I) analysis framework developed by the authors. The studies are intended to demonstrate the requirements and possibilities for policy analysis in the RD & I arena and the utility of the framework for facilitating such endeavors and for providing structure to the knowledge and literature in this field. The first policy analysis, done for the National Institute of Education (NIE), looks at research, development, dissemination, and evaluation research in the field of education and suggests implications for the role of NIE. The second policy analysis provides a systems analysis of educational RD & I evaluating the current state of the system. The third policy analysis discusses and points out deficiencies in two reports. The first report is one done by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concerning fundamental research relevant to education and written to help the NIE fulfill its responsibility in this area. The second report analyzed is a response to the NAS report done by the Program Committee of the National Council on Educational Research. This report also contains a series of policy recommendations for NIE. Copies of both reports are included in the appendix. (Author/JM)

This report concerns evaluation of federally supported educational programs at the national, state, and local levels. It was undertaken in response to Section 1526 of the Education Amendments of 1978, which requires that the Commissioner of Education conduct a comprehensive study of evaluation practices and procedures. Two broad sources of information were used: contemporary research and development by other researchers, and direct investigations by the project staff. Introductory material is presented in the first chapter. Chapter 2 considers the rationale, evidence, and opinion bearing on why evaluations are done; the confusion and argument engendered by general demands for evaluation; and the audiences to whom evaluations are addressed. Chapter 3 addresses the question of how evaluations are executed. Chapter 4 covers the organization of evaluations and the capabilities of evaluators, and chapter 5 considers quality of evaluations. The way evaluation results are used is considered in chapter 6, and case studies on the use of evaluative information are included. Chapter 7 covers recommendations. An extensive bibliography concludes the report. Legislative and management background, and research strategies are contained in the appendixes. (Author/MLF)

Using data from a survey of 330 parents of developmentally disabled children, the paper examines parents' participation in and attitudes toward special interest groups and political activities. Findings indicate that parents are willing to participate in special interest groups and political activities to a much greater extent than they have actually done so. Organizational involvement is contingent upon the amount of stress experienced by the family, indicated by age of child, severity of the disability, and family income. (Author/CL)

The paper reports on a strategy for investigating parental choice of services for developmentally disabled children in geographical areas with complex populations and delivery systems. The study is based on a prototype conducted in an Illinois county including urban, suburban, and rural populations. The prototype is described: a mail survey questionnaire of all consenting parents in the county and an analysis of community services support networks; next a strategy is developed for a more complex service using Cook County (including Chicago) as a case study exemplar. (Author/CL)

In an effort to analyze what management policies and technologies from other disciplines can be applied to the field of education, this report describes the development of an analytical framework and its use to explore implications for policy development. The present work seeks to synthesize the available literature on management policies and to apply the authors' understanding of research, development, and innovation (R/D&I) systems in general to the identification of policy issues and options for strengthening educational research and development. The volume comprises 19 chapters discussing the key generic features of an R/D&I system. Part 1 treats general features of the system, part 2 focuses on an historic overview of R/D&I development and functions, part 3 discusses R/D&I in education and identifies three aspects of educational R/D&I that have been largely neglected, and part 4 considers the state of development of R/D&I system studies as well as future goals, funding, and capacity. (Author/WD)

The study examined community based services for developmentally disabled children and their families. A mail survey questionnaire was completed by 66 parents whose children, ages 3 to 21, were attending special schools in a Midwestern suburb. The findings reported are concerned with parents': (1) utilization of primary and professional resources as confidants and consultants, (2) knowledge about services, (3) involvement in service networks, (4) satisfaction with providers, (5) identification of available and needed personal resources, (6) identification of the adequacy of community resources, (7) involvement in the political and administrative processes of service networks, and (8) attitudes toward normalization. The statistical analysis of each question is given. (Author)