Key to a new contract for education is understanding that knowledge is not scarce, it is not a commodity, and it does not belong in a market economy. Instead, knowledge exchange is gift exchange, and education, when not thwarted or constricted, demonstrates its abundance. The abundance of knowledge operates in ways similar to the abundance of…

States are required by federal law to create annual report cards for the public with key data about how their students and schools are doing. The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) decided to find out if these report cards are easily found and understood. In summer 2016, DQC took the following steps: (1) reviewed 51 report cards (all 50 states and the…

This legal and policy guidance provides a summary framework for state policymakers as they work to use longitudinal data to improve student achievement while also protecting the privacy and security of individual student records. Summarizing relevant federal privacy and security laws, with a focus on the Family Educational Records and Privacy Act…

Introduction. Failure to find information is common. An exploratory analysis of cases when family members or friends were asked for information can provide better understanding of when, how and why interpersonal information seeking within a close network of individuals fails. Method. A sample of utterances (in form of "I asked my mum, but") was…

The rubrics presented in this report represent an evaluation system for objects found within Open Education Resources. An object could include images, applets, lessons, units, assessments and more. For the purpose of this evaluation, any component that can exist as a stand-alone qualifies as an object. The rubrics in this packet can be applied…

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), a unit within the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, is the world's largest social science data archive. The data sets in the ICPRS database give the social sciences librarian/subject specialist an opportunity of providing value-added bibliographic…

This article examines the rhetoric of resistance used by South African anti-apartheid journalists to expose the links between the apartheid government and death squads. By utilizing allusions, repetition, and a concept I refer to as "subversive enthymemes," these journalists managed to reveal publicly information about death squad…

Discusses the use of museum collections for scientific inquiry and describes a project that investigated ways in which museum Web sites can be expanded to support learning through scientific inquiry. Describes a content analysis of museum Web sites and the development of a Web site to provide access to museum collection items. (LRW)

Discussion of the digital divide focuses on a social divide rather than a lack of access to information technology for specific groups. Topics include historic trends in technology diffusion; policy implications; motivational barrier to technology use; knowledge and skill barrier; content barrier; and social network barrier. (LRW)

The availability of objectionable material on the Internet creates a conflict between the rights of computer users and universities. This article examines free speech and censorship; highlights responses by Carnegie Mellon University, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Pittsburgh; and proposes a…

Discusses the need for libraries to routinely redesign their Web sites, and presents a case study that describes how a Perl-driven database at Southern Illinois University's library improved Web site organization and patron access, simplified revisions, and allowed staff unfamiliar with HTML to update content. (Contains 56 references.) (Author/LRW)

Discusses how librarians can help parents become more knowledgeable about the Internet so they can guide their children in Internet use and become technologically independent. Recommends that school libraries develop Web pages that parents can access and discusses Web page design, content for children, and content for parents. (LRW)

Discusses issues that libraries face when selecting electronic publications and describes the development and creation of a genre statement, a new form of collection policy for digital publishing, at the University of Maryland that includes content, pricing, use and functionality, archiving, access, duplication, licensing terms, and an evaluation…

Discusses abuse of the Internet as an information source for classroom assignments and emphasizes the need for librarians to teach students and staff to evaluate information sources. Considers content, source, access, and structure, and lists Web sites that have evaluation guidelines as well as examples of bad sites. (LRW)

Discusses the growing gap between people and communities who have access to information technology and those who do not, known as the digital divide. Considers issues concerning access, in schools and in homes; content; literacy; pedagogy, including constructivist practices and teachers' professional development; and community. (LRW)