Dr. Harlan Metschke

The purpose of this study was to develop a planning model that K-12 school district personnel could use to integrate computer applications, both instructional and administrative, into the school program. Procedures. The common elements of plans found in the literature to introduce microcomputers into school programs were drafted by the researcher into a planning model. That planning model was incorporated into a survey and sent to a jury of experts for validation. The jury consisted of 17 respondents from a select group of 29 specialists in the area of educational planning and/or the use of computer data systems in education from the United States and Canada. The data from the surveys were analyzed by calculating measures of central tendency to determine jury member agreement with the inclusion of each component in the planning model. Finding. The jury validated all components of the planning model except the two that would have involved patrons without school-age children in the process. Conclusions. A conceptual planning model to integrate computers into the total school program should include the following major phases: (1) appointment of a task force; (2) provision for support to the task force; (3) assessment of the school district; (4) development of goals; (5) establishment of a committee structure to coordinate instructional applications, business applications, software selection, and hardware selection; (6) provision of staff inservice; and (7) evaluation of the total planning process. This planning model is based on the concept of planning that would involve as many school constituencies as possible to develop a better product. School officials could use this model, regardless of their district's present status, to formalize their planning for computer use.