Abstract
Purpose. The purposes of this study were: (1) To determine the methods and sources of information used in environmental scanning by California school district superintendents; and, (2) To identify additional methodologies and resources of potential use in educational environmental scanning. Methodology. An investigative/descriptive study methodology was developed that utilized a survey analysis method combined with an investigation of leads given by the questionnaire respondents. Those leads resulted in research interviews with individuals knowledgeable in environmental scanning and the discovery of environmental scanning information sources not commonly used by the superintendents surveyed. The results of the study were presented descriptively in narrative and tabular formats. Findings. There was a 55 percent response rate by the superintendents contacted and an 82 percent response by the other professionals contacted for information about environmental scanning methods and information sources. All superintendents acknowledged the importance of environmental impacts on education, including such areas as demographics and governmental regulations. Eighty-eight percent of them indicated some use of environmental scanning. The majority of the scans reported were informal in nature; 8 percent of the superintendents described formal scanning processes. The investigations revealed a number of rich sources of information about environmental forces affecting education that were listed by any of the responding superintendents. Recommendations. Superintendents' need for environmental information would be well served by the formation of a network to share sources. Superintendents may wish to subscribe to services and journals outside of education which will provide them with information about political, technological, economic, and demographic forces affecting their districts. They may also consider installing systems that will allow information to be retrieved, organized, stored, and searched electronically.