Input-Output Analyses of Schools

This paper reviews the literature of input-output analyses of schools. Outputs are surveyed first, with a differentiation between cognitive and noncognitive ones. The effects of inputs on outputs are surveyed next, with a differentiation between student inputs and school inputs. Groups of student inputs include student background characteristics, school-related student characteristics, and student attitudes. Groups of school inputs include school conditions and instructional personnel. The literature is surveyed next by population samples, data aggregation, and statistical analyses. A structural causal model is offered at the end of the paper on the basis of the results of the survey.

Teacher-Made Materials for Severely Handicapped Students That are Curriculum Domain Related, Functional, Local Community Referenced, Chronologically Age-Appropriate, Individualized, and Allow Participation in Activities

Increasingly, severely handicapped students are receiving functional, chronologically age-appropriate training in a wide variety of natural community environments. When instructional personnel utilize this approach, they generally find that instructional materials they have utilized in the past are no longer appropriate. This paper discusses six characteristics of instructional materials and instructional materials adaptations that can be used as decision rules for instructional personnel developing and adapting materials based on a community-based training model. Five examples of instructional materials based on the above are illustrated and described.

Recognition of Team Goals: An Essential Step toward Rational Decision Making

The assumption that pupil programing team members drawn from the spectrum of the school staffing hierarchy will agree on the goals of the team or will be fully knowledgeable about the team's legally assigned responsibilities is examined. Over 60% of the teams surveyed had less than a three-fourths majority of their members who recognized the team's responsibility to make specific decisions. Furthermore, the MANOVA for role differences was significant for overall recognition of these responsibilities ( p < .0001). More administrators and support personnel recognize team responsibilities than do instructional personnel. The authors consider administrative remedies.

Programing for Auditorially Disabled Children

The term “auditory disability” is suggested in reference to a variety of problems in essentially nondeaf but aurally handicapped children. Concern is expressed for the lack of good methods for early identification of these disorders as well as serious gaps in educational programing at both the preschool and lower elementary levels. Proper programing is related to the availability of appropriately trained instructional personnel and the adjunctive use of diagnostic specialists. A framework for a new curriculum to train teachers of children with auditory learning disabilities is proposed.