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The University of North Carolina presents the thirty-sixth annual Statistical Abstract of Higher Education in North Carolina. This report covers the breadth of higher education activities in the State in their quantitative aspect, from simple counts of enrollment and degrees conferred to complex analyses of the flow of student transfers among institutions. This wide range of information, collected and published annually, should be useful to members of the public and to planners and educators in educational institutions and government agencies. It is hoped that the information will aid in the more effective use of resources allocated to higher education. The data for the report were assembled by the Program Assessment and Public Service Division of the Office of the President of the University of North Carolina from information supplied by the colleges and universities.

This paper focuses on the discussion of community colleges as baccalaureate-degree granting institutions. The discussion is based on research projects undertaken in both the U.S. and Canada that investigate the institutionalization of degree programs at community colleges. Colleges in British Columbia and Alberta are baccalaureate as well as sub-baccalaureate institutions, resulting in a muddying of institutional identity. The colleges claimed to uphold community college principles, such as open access and responsiveness to the community, yet their allegiance was to higher-level programming. As a result of these changes, the conceptual framework and the institutional identity have been altered. Now, the community college baccalaureate can be seen as increasing access for populations that are underserved by baccalaureate-granting institutions. In the U.S., state legislation authorizes community colleges to grant B.A. degrees in four states: Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Florida. These states require that the colleges continue to offer programs synonymous with the community college mission. This paper argues that the baccalaureate degree-granting community college possesses a new identity that signifies an end of its former identity as a two-year institution. Contains 66 references. (NB)

An alumni survey of the Department of Adult and Community College Education (ACCE) at North Carolina State University assessed the impact of graduate study on its students. The survey used a 37-item instrument designed to capture alumni experiences and impact of the academic degree in relation to past and current professional and educational work efforts. Of surveys mailed to 286 graduates from 1997-2001, 125 were properly completed and analyzed. Findings indicated the department awarded the doctoral degree more than any other; adult education was the most popular major; most students completed their coursework in three years or less and finished their final requirements in a year or less; students who worked full-time outnumbered those who did not but took longer to complete their degree than those who did not work or who worked part-time; nearly half changed where they worked since beginning their graduate work, but most did not change the type of organization; often job responsibilities and salary changed since they started their ACCE degree; alumni were well pleased with experiences in graduate school; and written comments demonstrated the greatest challenge facing ACCE students was in balancing school, work, family, and community commitments. Suggestions called for an increased support network of part-time students and those in the dissertation phase of degree requirements, more distance education, and weekend courses. (Appendixes include the instrument and written comments.) (YLB)

This article contends that the Department of Adult and Community College Education at North Carolina State University faces a significant challenge over the next 5 years, due to current Department faculty retirements and increasing competition from traditional, nontraditional, and virtual distance learning programs for prospective students. This revised compact plan aims to strengthen the quality and currency of the Department's instructional focus, enhance its outreach to its stakeholders, and develop ways to nurture and incorporate research-oriented practice throughout the Department's programs. The college compact notes four key gaps through which the department is experiencing serious challenges: (1) Knowledge Gap--reflecting the exponential increase in knowledge and information and the dramatically changing economy and related work and citizenry requirements for adult learners; (2) Technology Gap--in organizations and programs which are attempting to serve adults in a growing e-learning environment; (3) Educator Supply Gap--a serious issue for stakeholders in both postsecondary and work environments, as well as non-profit and community-based organizations; and (4) Achievement Gap--which represents the effort to achieve more effective admissions processes, effective and efficient learning models, and maximized learner productivity in their current and future professional work and leadership roles. As a means of addressing these concerns, the revised compact presents four strategic initiatives and three departmental goals. (NB)

West Virginia State College entered into a contract with two professors from North Carolina State University to provide consultation and guidance to the West Virginia State College-Community and Technical College (WVSC-CTC) Study Commission. Findings and recommendations include: (1) the strengths of the CTC, as seen by its community, are the commitment and diversity of its faculty and staff, its ability and willingness to draw upon the resources of the entire institution, its commitment to open access, and its ability to prepare students for a job; (2) the CTC's weaknesses were that the college has a lack of a clear identity, an inability to respond to community needs in a timely fashion, no permanent provost to lead the college; and poorly treated faculty; (3) every effort should be put forth to clarify the relationship between WVSC and the CTC; (4) a comprehensive environmental scan that focuses on the workforce needs in WVSC-CTC's responsibility district should be completed as soon as feasible; (5) a critical assessment of the status of all associate degrees and all credit and noncredit offerings should be undertaken; and (6) a critical analysis should be made of the existing administrative structure to determine its capacity to respond quickly and effectively to the workforce needs in the community. (JA)

This is a study of selected counties in the Community College Service Areas of Beaufort County Community College, College of The Albemarle, Halifax Community College, Martin Community College, Roanoke-Chowan Community College, and Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina. The purpose of this study was to provide an assessment of the community college programs offered and the service needs of citizens, provide realignment options in the six community college's service areas to maximize educational and training resources, and recommend realignment that would better serve the citizens in the seven counties. The methods used to obtain information include: (1) a comprehensive demographic study of Warren, Northampton, Bertie, Washington, Tyrrell, Gates, and Dare counties; (2) a study of the economies of the seven counties; and (3) an analysis and assessment of curriculum and continuing education courses and program offerings of the six community colleges in the seven counties. Recommendations include: (1) centers should be established where none exist in Gates, Northampton, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties; (2) the centers in Bertie and Warren counties should be upgraded; and (3) the General Assembly of North Carolina appropriate the funds required to build of upgrade these centers, as well as the campus in Dare County. Appended are data on county and colleges, maps, projections, schedules of meetings and public hearings, and service area study recommendations. (JA)

This study examined the annual output of Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics and the types of employment taken by graduates in the field. Data were obtained from 35 institutions for the period 1985 through 1994, and for 7 of the 10 years, from two additional institutions. It was found that the 37 institutions accounted for a total of 1,745 Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics between 1985 and 1994, with a slight downward trend in degrees produced between 1985 and 1992, but then noticeable increases in both 1993 and 1994. The ten institutions with the largest number of Ph.D. degrees accounted for 45 percent of total output. Fewer than one-third of the individuals who received Ph.D. degrees between 1985 and 1994 belonged to the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) in 1995. Approximately 90 percent of degree recipients who were members of the AAEA in 1995 and residing in the United States were employed by an academic institution or government agency. The results indicate that the number of Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics has not shown any dramatic growth or decline over the last couple of decades. (Contains 12 references.) (MDM)

North Carolina's Work First (WF) program, like other welfare reform programs, incorporates personal responsibility contracts; paid work, volunteer work, or school requirements; and time limitations. Using telephone interviews, this study examined perceptions of 31 former welfare recipients who were enrolled in the North Carolina Work First (WF) program regarding their work situation, the transition to work, balancing work and family responsibilities, and suggestions for providing information to communities interested in similar programs. Interviews were also conducted with 12 of the subjects' employers. Participants were identified by Department of Social Services (DSS) caseworkers. Findings indicated that in addition to added income and medical benefits, respondents noted self-esteem and belongingness from a supportive work environment as positive aspects of the program. Negative perceptions focused on transportation and child care difficulties, lack of time to accomplish household and family responsibilities, and adjusting to unfamiliar work expectations. Respondents agreed that in order to be successful with their work, adequate job preparation was essential. Personally strong motivation and drive joined emotional support from family, co-workers, and DSS as factors critical to success. Accessing transportation and child care, training opportunities, and community-based services provided additional support for workers. Results of employer interviews indicated that several were pleased with WF employee performance; others identified problems with personal difficulties and attendance. Advantages to hiring WF participants included worker commitment, DSS as extra support, and well-trained workers. Disadvantages included lack of skills, attendance problems, and transportation arrangements. Main reasons for turnover were dissatisfaction with the number of working hours, work preparedness and adjustment, and fear of loss of benefits. (Details on the sample and participants' responses are appended.) (KB)

A longitudinal study of a cohort of engineering students has been conducted at North Carolina State University since 1990. The students were taught five chemical engineering courses in five consecutive semesters using several nontraditional instructional methods, including cooperative (team-based) learning. As part of the longitudinal study, procedures were adapted or devised for implementing cooperative learning in courses that stress quantitative problem solving. These procedures are summarized in this report. The objectives of the report are to offer ideas for using cooperative learning effectively in technical courses, to give advance warning of the problems that might arise when cooperative learning is implemented, and to provide assurances that the eventual benefits to both instructors and students amply justify the perseverance required to confront and overcome the problems. The report is divided into sections that include: (1) "Introduction: Elements of Cooperative Learning"; (2) "In-Class Exercises"; (3) "Out-Of-Class Exercises"; (4) "Issues and Answers"; and (5) "Conclusion." Contains 20 references. (LZ)

As described in this performance report, the Workplace Literacy System (WLS) project was a national demonstration program in which North Carolina State University, Forsyth Technical Community College, and Sara Lee Knit Products Company (SLKP) participated as partners. During the project's second phase, a nine-module curriculum on the history of the textile industry, the textile process, and cloth utilization was developed and converted to 50 hours of CD-ROM disks courseware (copyrighted as TEXTdisc Version 2.0). Each module gives adult workers practice in establishing reading goals, learning vocabulary, working with graphs, finding main ideas, organizing and scanning for information, making inferences, summarizing, taking tests, and answering comprehension questions. According to the third-party evaluation included in this report, enrollment in the program at SLKP was higher than anticipated, and students, plant supervisors/management, and teachers/instructors who used the package were all very pleased with it. The document also includes the TEXTdisc curriculum and accompanying documentation. Among the curriculum materials included is a four-section guide to using the TEXTdisc program that contains sections on the instructional focus of TEXTdisc, setup and use of its hardware and software, and additional information about the instructional management features of TEXTdisc 4.1. (MN)

Many are aware that factors other than academic talent help to determine a student's success or failure in school A 4-year longitudinal study including 87 men and 34 women at North Carolina State University examines gender differences in students' academic performance, persistence in chemical engineering, and attitudes toward their education and themselves. Although the pre-engineering academic credentials of women entering college often exceeded those of men, these women did not score any higher in technical classes than men. Women students also attributed poor performance to their lack of ability, while men usually attributed it to lack of hard work or being treated unfairly. The critical question of why these women earned lower grades in chemical engineering courses and exhibit lower confidence levels of themselves could not be answered with any real degree of certainty; however, the following measures were suggested to help circumvent the disadvantage of women relative to men entering engineering school: (1) provide engineering students with female role models/mentors; (2) strengthen organizations that can provide career guidance and emotional support to women students; (3) use cooperative learning in engineering courses; and (4) educate professors and academic advisors to the problems and needs of women students. (ZWH)

Despite the open-door policies of community colleges, studies have shown that minorities and students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds graduate and transfer at lower rates than students from higher socioeconomic groups. To examine the interplay between institutional culture, ideology, and socio-historical forces shaping student perspectives and behaviors, interviews were conducted with students at a small, rural community college in the southeastern United States. The county in which the college is located had a population of approximately 76,000 (68% White and 31% African American) and which had a wide disparity in income. Although the attitudes of the faculty and staff were generally positive and caring and the quality of teaching was considered good by students, retention, graduation, and transfer data indicated that developmental students were particularly susceptible to academic failure. The interviews revealed that these students were often poorly prepared for college-level academic work and resented being forced to take courses that repeated their high school curriculum. Also, developmental courses were often overcrowded and offered few opportunities for teacher-student interaction. Other factors not related to the college were the lack of encouragement for lower socioeconomic students from families and the tendency of high school personnel to track them into non-academic vocational programs. To effectively serve all students, colleges must go beyond providing access and examine curricula, instructional approaches, and assessment practices in order to reduce differences among the diverse student body. (Contains 20 references.) (KP)

This paper reports on the use of qualitative methods to determine first-year student perceptions of the Orientation program delivered by North Carolina State University. One hundred thirty freshmen were interviewed, in groups of 6 to 10, to learn about their orientation experiences, and why they felt some sessions were helpful, and where sessions could be improved. The team of interviewers then met in focus groups to discuss common themes of the sessions and to interpret students' perceived needs. The greatest benefit from the qualitative method was the understanding gained of students' perceptions about orientation. Some of the concerns expressed were in areas of: (1) the amount of time spent with an advisor; (2) getting registered for the first semester; (3) learning their way around campus; (4) the large size of their orientation groups; (5) the length and format of sessions; (6) and the lack of an organized event to help students meet each other. Options for responding to these concerns included: adding four orientation counselors; re-designing the campus tour; renewing concern for the academic advising process; and adding an organized social event. Appendices include the questionnaire used and characteristics of the students who participated. Contains six references. (GLR)

The Workplace Literacy System Project (WLS) prepared interactive CD-ROM discs containing about 50 hours of instruction and drill in basic skills presented within the context of the textile/apparel manufacturing industry. The project was conducted at a Sara Lee knit products plant in North Carolina. During the project, literacy task analyses were completed for all occupations at the plant, documented for each job position, and organized into a curriculum outline. A total of 376 employees were recruited, and a comprehensive workplace literacy curriculum for the textile industry was developed and recorded on CD-ROM discs. Onsite instructional programs using both group instruction and computer-based programs were in operation during the 18 months of the project. Instruction was made available in a high school equivalency program, a job enhancement skills program, a metric mathematics program, and the comprehensive curriculum on the interactive computer discs. The Sara Lee company was pleased with the program and its benefits to the company in increased skills. A third-party evaluation concluded that the project had been successful and suggested improvements in recordkeeping, recruitment, and curriculum. (The documentation manual for the CD-ROM program and the third-party evaluation are included in the document.) (KC)

The Academy for Community College Leadership, Innovation, and Modeling (ACCLAIM) is a 3-year pilot project funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, North Carolina State University (NCSU), and the community college systems of Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. ACCLAIM's purpose is to help the region's community colleges assume a leadership role in community-based programming and in effecting collaboration among community leaders and organizations to identify and seek solutions to critical concerns. The program has four main components: (1) a continuing education program for community college presidents, administrators, faculty, governance officials, and other community leaders; (2) a doctoral degree program in community college leadership; (3) the development and dissemination of program materials, guides, and aids focusing on strategic planning, environmental scanning, mapping of community college publics, community leader identification and involvement, networking, needs assessment, coalition formation, community development, and evaluation; and (4) collaborative university program enrichment. Evaluation data will be systematically collected and analyzed throughout the pilot program. Three advisory groups will advise and guide the project staff in its management of the pilot project: the intra-university steering committee; the regional community college leadership development advisory board; and the executive committee of the advisory board. (Author/JMC)

This paper reports on a study designed to investigate how white college students' naive beliefs about affirmative action admission policies might negatively influence the likelihood of their interacting with their black student peers. It was noted that many institutions are not open about exactly how their affirmative action admissions policies work with the consequence that white students do not understand and make incorrect assumptions about how affirmative action students were admitted. Using a program of experimental research for testing variants of the social distance hypothesis, two studies were carried out. The first study measured white students' beliefs about student racial ambivalence and found that students who believed that affirmative action students were underqualified showed reluctance to associate with black students. In the second experiment students were organized by levels of racial ambivalence and by beliefs about beneficiaries' qualifications with results showing that white students chose to associate with black students more if they believed that they were qualified. Overall, the findings indicated that the formation of informal groups was influenced by procedure-based beliefs about the extent to which affirmative action leads to the selection of qualified or unqualified black students. Included are 4 tables and 29 references. (JB)

This paper summarizes and analyzes the results of a questionnaire study of mentors and beginning teachers. The objective of the questionnaire study was to corroborate and extend the information gathered in a previous interview study. Mentors and beginning teachers were presented with statements describing the support given to beginning teachers and the conditions under which beginning teachers worked. They were asked to indicate, on a scale of 1 to 4, what was occurring and what should be occurring. In view of the conclusions from the previous interview study--that strategies should be explored to encourage mentor-novice consultation on higher-level teaching skills and that steps should be taken to encourage the maintenance of a high level of assistance after the first semester and in the second year--this study indicates that capacity building, support systems, and encouragement to try additional practices in mentoring are in order. Ten recommendations are offered. The questionnaires for mentor teachers and beginning teachers are included in an appendix. (Author/JD)

Most of the 27 enrollees in the institute were employed in administrative positions within the North Carolina Community College System. The institute consisted primarily of 3-hour presentations on topics related to the conference theme of "Institutional Effectiveness in Building Communities." Two types of evaluations were conducted. The first was an informal, oral-feedback evaluation held at the close of the first week of the institute and used to improve on the subsequent week's activities. The second evaluation consisted of a written survey in which participants indicated their satisfaction with the institute activities. All but one of the 27 participants returned a completed evaluation form. Major findings included the following: (1) of the 27 institute participants, 52% enrolled for credit in both courses offered during the institute, and 44% participated on a non-credit, continuing education basis; (2) on a rating scale of 1 (low satisfaction) to 5 (high satisfaction), 92% of the 361 total items responded to received a rating of either a 4 or 5, with an overall composite rating of 4.55 for the institute; (3) no responses of 1 or 2 were given for any item by any respondent; (4) 76% of institute presenters were rated either above average or superior; and (5) items receiving the highest ratings were interaction between students and presenters, the quality of the presentations, and national and/or system-wide perspective provided. Data tables, the program of institute events, and a list of participants are included. (JMC)

This paper describes the contextual dimensions of eight school sites that ameliorate or restrain relationships between mentor and novice teachers. Interview data from 23 mentors, 16 novice teachers, and 8 principals suggest 5 contextual themes that ameliorate or restrain an effective induction for novice teachers: (1) early experiences; (2) dispositions toward induction; (3) leadership; (4) time and organization; and (5) interpersonal dynamics. A discussion of each of the themes as drawn from the interview data is presented. The final section contains recommendations designed to assist teacher educators, policymakers, and school personnel in questioning the structure and the content of programs that will prepare novice teachers for a career in education. Appendixes include the Professional Development Plan evaluation form, Course Materials for University-Based Mentor Training, and a Hunt Paragraph Completion Inventory. (JD)

Information is provided on trends in the characteristics of students attending North Carolina's community colleges. Chapter 1 discusses the issues of extending opportunities to a diverse student population and developing a capable workforce, and explains the purposes and need for the present study. Chapter 2 presents the methods and procedures used in the study, which involved a survey of 16,196 students enrolled in 58 community colleges during fall 1988 and an analysis of other data derived from previous studies, census reports, and statewide reports. Chapters 3 through 5 highlight changes that have occurred in student profiles from 1968 to 1988, including trends in curriculum and continuing education students and enrollment changes compared with changes in the state's adult population. Chapter 6 provides a comprehensive profile of the students enrolled in fall 1988, while chapter 7 looks at the characteristics of students in college transfer, general, technical, and vocational education programs in terms of their demographic, socioeconomic, academic, and attendance characteristics. Chapter 8 profiles continuing education students in the academic, preparatory, avocational, occupational, and practical skills programs. Finally, chapters 9 and 10 offer a summary of findings, conclusions, and a discussion of implications. The survey instrument and additional information about study methodology are appended. (GFW)

In an attempt to obtain a measure of rural-farm poverty conceptually more meaningful than those currently available, a measure based on "full income" (defined as "the purchasing power available for consumption in a normal year while keeping wealth intact") was proposed. The main task was estimation of the full income, rather than the money income, of rural-farm families in the United States in 1969 and the size distribution of that full income. Estimates were based on data on human and nonhuman wealth and market rates of return. The inequality of the distribution of full income was estimated by means of data on the distribution of human and non-human wealth. A full income poverty threshold was then applied to the constructed size distribution of full income, and full income poverty was measured as the percentage of rural-farm families and unrelated individuals which fell below this threshold. Results produced an estimation that 5 to 14 percent of the U.S. rural-farm population was poor in terms of full income in 1969. By comparison, the corresponding figure as published in the U.S. Census of Population (using annual money income) was 19.9 percent. (Author/JC)

The final report describes the Charlotte Circle Project, an early intervention demonstration project operated from 1985-1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The report examines the project's model, the participating children and families, and evaluative findings regarding its implementation, outcome, and impact. The project served 25 children with a mean age of 18.9 months. All children exhibited severe disabilities. Project outcome data indicated significant gains of almost double the expected developmental rate for Project students including gains in specific skills, gains in developmental age, and gains in developmental quotient. In addition, 56% of the children exiting the project enrolled in more normalized (less restrictive) educational placements. The outcomes also support the center-based approach of the Project and the social reciprocity model emphasizing parent child interactions. Results suggest that the net savings to society may be as much as $138,000 per child when such severely handicapped children are subsequently able to be placed in less restrictive educational settings. (DB)

An evaluation was made of the adult basic education (ABE) program of the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges in the summer of 1988. The study used surveys to collect both opinion data and secondary information on aspects of ABE programs such as budgets, student enrollment, and features of the instructional program. Information was sought by mail from 58 ABE program directors (50 returns), 290 instructors (191 returns), and by telephone from 340 students enrolled during the 1987 fall quarter. The survey resulted in a profile of the ABE programs at various colleges. Some of the results are the following: (1) ABE program funds go mostly for instructional salaries; (2) most ABE programs in the sample are administered by one director, and most instructors are part time; (3) 84 percent of the programs use volunteers, especially for retention and outreach activities and tutoring; (4) the instructional techniques used most frequently are classroom instruction, computer-assisted instruction, and one-to-one tutoring; (5) the majority of instructors teach an average of 1 to 10 students per class; (6) almost all of the programs use pretests and posttests to evaluate students; (7) students were generally positive about their ABE classes; and (8) students liked all techniques except large classrooms. Recommendations for improvements were made in the areas of program publicity, student recruitment, student assessment, student retention, professionalization of the staff, class structure, and funding. (Report includes 25 tables, 6 figures, 14 references, and the program director, instructor, and student survey forms.) (KC)

A North Carolina study examined the problem of adult illiteracy in Spring 1988. Secondary data for the service areas of eight community colleges chosen as study sites indicated that approximately 25 percent of North Carolinans aged 25 years and older had completed less than the ninth grade in 1980 and the majority of them were unemployed. A review of community colleges' long-range plans for literacy service provision showed that four programs provided literacy education in community colleges; the annual retention rate was 33 percent; and new students accounted for 67 percent of students. Surveys of literacy service providers found that: (1) improvement was needed in publicity, networking, and student diagnosis; (2) instructors focused on basic skills instruction; (3) problems included low motivation and self-esteem; and (4) students quit school due to work or lack of interest. State directors of adult literacy programs in other states were interviewed to collect information on features of their programs. Roundtable discussions at study sites obtained input on the problem. Recommendations focused on industry-sponsored classes; advertising; special services; instructional services; staff development; interagency cooperation; and funding. (The document contains 48 references. Appendixes, amounting to approximately one-half of the report, included selected data for study sites, literacy plans for North Carolina community colleges, survey questionnaires, and an inventory of literacy services for study sites.) (YLB)

A statewide survey of over 10,000 credit and non-credit students enrolled in 16 North Carolina community colleges and technical institutes in spring 1974 was conducted in order to develop a profile of these students and to analyze relationships between selected demographic, socioeconomic, academic, and educational program area variables. Among the conclusions reached were: (1) the current concept of the community college is inadequate and needs reconsideration, taking the increasing numbers of "new" students into account; (2) the state's community colleges and technical institutes tend to live up to their claim as "people's colleges", but only when all students (credit, non-credit, full-time, part-time, and extension) are considered together; (3) the colleges are moving to serve a broader cross-section of the population; (4) community colleges represent a major social force in providing educational opportunities; (5) students in different educational programs learn of program offerings and are influenced to enroll in particular institutions in different ways; (6) the charge that community colleges/technical institutes have socially stratified educational programs has some merit; and (7) the positive relationship found between student socioeconomic status and educational program area was neither consistent across all socioeconomic variables nor very strong. A study of the educational value orientations and of the institutional characteristics influencing college choice of the respondents is presented in the concluding section of the report. (JDS)

Detailed descriptions of the data analysis procedures used in Project EDNEED (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data) are contained in this volume, the last of a five-volume final report. Results of the application of procedures and a narrative interpretation of the results are included. Priority rankings of 323 questions found in the related "EDNEED Classification" document are arranged in 28 tables. For each of the 28 priority rankings, the following statistics are computed: (1) The mean rank of questions within each file, (2) the minimum rank and the maximum rank for questions within each file, (3) the range of the ranks within each file, (4) the rank order of the files ranked according to the mean rank of each file, and (5) the Kruskal-Wallis H statistic which is used to test the hypotheses that the files differ according to mean importance of questions. Appendix A provides an example of priority ranking procedures. Appendix B discusses the determination of weightings to be used in priority determination, and Appendix C contains tabular presentation of data questions prioritized by similarity index according to level and use. (TA)

Development of a basic information system for vocational education through Project EDNEED (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data) is summarized in this first volume of a five-volume final report. Objectives of the project were to (1) determine the extent to which selected data questions represent the vocational education informational needs of users at the national, state and local levels, (2) prioritize the data questions according to their degree of relative importance across levels and within levels by use of the categories of planning, operation, evaluation, finance and budgeting, reporting requirements, and public information, and (3) determine similarities in information needs across levels and use categories. Procedures for the four operational phases of the project are summarized along with brief descriptions of the accompanying volumes entitled "Project EDNEED Classification of Information"--Volume II; the EDNEED Lexicon--Volume III; Issues and Recommendations, Reports of Project EDNEED Conferences--Volume IV; and Data Analysis: Procedures and Results--Volume V. (Volumes II and III are products of the project; Volumes IV and V present detailed results of the project.) Interpretation of results are given and implications are discussed. A bibliography and a source list are appended. (TA)

Designed for the exclusive purpose of accompanying the Project EDNEED (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data) classification document, this volume comprises the third of a five-volume final report. It provides uniform definitions for vocational education terms found in the EDNEED classification document, and aids in understanding information elements used in gathering and interpreting data for planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating vocational education programs. The format follows the 18 file categorical listing found in the classification document. (TA)

The primary data gathering instrument for Project EDNEED (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data) is contained in this second five-volume final report. The instrument consists of a list of questions and associated informational elements grouped into 18 files, and can provide a basis, used as a preliminary source book, for the development of vocational education information needs assessment studies at the state and local levels. File content and structure are addressed to public vocational education, covering only those students, curriculum, staff, property, and expenditures directly associated with public controlled vocational education. The files include the following categories: Vocational curriculum and instructional characteristics; vocational curriculum expenditures by activities, by local assignments, and by object; vocational student characteristics; characteristics of the vocational completer/early leaver; local education agency (LEA) vocational staff member characteristics; LEA vocational property characteristics; local school characteristics; LEA characteristics; characteristics of the LEA vocational service area; vocational education characteristics of the state education agency (SEA); SEA vocational expenditures by activities, by assignment, and by object; SEA vocational staff characteristics; SEA vocational property characteristics; and general characteristics of the state. Key definitions are appended. (TA)

Reports of four Project EDNEED (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data) conferences are contained in this fourth volume of a five-volume final report: The national conference, state directors' mini-conference, mini-conference for local employer representatives, and the local administrators' conference. The purposes of the conferences were to (1) review and critique the questions and information elements in the "EDNEED Classification" document, (2) identify issues and problems associated with design, inauguration, and operation of a nationwide system of vocational education information, and (3) provide recommendations as to how the issues and problems identified can be resolved. Conference procedures, findings and recommendations, agendas, discussion guides, and participant lists are included for each conference. (TA) .

Child bearing is probably one of the most important functions of the family in American society today. This study identified and investigated the (1) reasons for the existing differentials in fertility behavior (preferences, contraceptive use and effectiveness, and actual fertility) of white, black, and American Indian groups in a low income predominantly rural county and (2) potential problem areas in the development and implementation of fertility control programs among each of these groups. A tri-racial group of male and female interviewers from Robeson County, North Carolina (locus of the research) mostly questioned respondents of their own race. Pre-interviews determined eligible females and couples (females had to be between 18 and 49 and if without a spouse, have at least one child) and their race. The 695 interviews examined the total number of live births, family size preferences, and socioeconomic status. Data were analyzed, for the most part, using descriptive statistical measures (e.g., the arithmetical mean and percentage distributions). Control variables considered major variants were race, age, socioeconomic status, years married, and age at first marriage. Survey results were presented for the total sample and for various subgroups. Some findings were: (1) 73.4 percent of the wives approved of family planning; (2) when race is controlled, more whites approved of family planning than blacks; and (3) more blacks approved than Indians. (NQ)