This ERIC Digest provides an overview of the competencies needed for effective early childhood center administration and summarizes state regulations governing minimum qualifications of center directors. Specific administrator skills are listed in four topical areas: (1) organization, leadership, and management; (2) child development and early…

Head Start has been successful because it includes comprehensive services, parent involvement and family support, a commitment to meeting local needs, training and technical assistance support, and a collaborative approach. This ERIC Digest briefly describes each of these components. Discussion concludes by noting that Head Start must take more…

This digest describes some of the basic logic-of-evaluation skills and some of the basic methodological skills that need to be mastered in order to practice the art and science of evaluation. Some topics from the logic of evaluation that must be dealt with include understanding : (1) the differences and connections between evaluation and other…

The digest is drawn from "Preparing Department Chairs for Their Leadership Roles," a "New Directions for Community Colleges" volume. Two main issues regarding community college department chairs are discussed: role-related issues facing new department chairs, and training and development programs that aid in preparing…

Students today face a daily explosion of information resources and the challenge of using these resources effectively and responsibly. Information literacy instruction (ILI) requires a shift in focus from teaching specific information resources to a set of critical thinking skills involving the use of information. ILI in an academic setting…

Competence refers to a state of being well qualified to perform an activity, task, or job function. According to the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI), a competency involves a related set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enables a person to effectively perform the activities of a given…

These guidelines are provided to offer guidance to district and state policy makers and assessment directors concerning some issues of managing the development, administration, and use of performance assessments in large scale assessment programs. The term "performance assessment" is used for assessments that go beyond paper-and-pencil,…

The training of child caregivers is a key factor in the provision of quality day care for young children. However, little is known about what types of training for day care providers are most effective in promoting children's development. Several issues related to training and credentialing need to be addressed: (1) Do day care home providers need…

This brief paper on promoting the self-determination of students with severe disabilities begins by identifying barriers to training in self-determination skills, such as a perceived lack of student benefit and insufficient staff training. The question of whether students with severe disability benefit from instruction to promote…

This digest presents a reprint of an article which examines management principles that should be considered when implementing library end user searching programs. A brief discussion of specific implementation issues includes needs assessment, hardware, software, training, budgeting, what systems to offer, publicity and marketing, policies and…

Several common sources of error in assessment that depends on the use of judges are identified, and ways to reduce the impact of rating errors are examined. Numerous threats to the validity of scores based on ratings exist. These threats include: (1) the halo effect; (2) stereotyping; (3) perception differences; (4) leniency/stringency error; and…

A content analysis was performed to determine the trends in educational technology for the period October 1, 1990, through September 30, 1991. Sources for the analysis included five leading professional journals in educational technology, papers given at annual conventions of three professional associations, dissertations from five universities…

A content analysis was performed to determine the trends and issues in educational technology for the period from October 1, 1988, through September 30, 1989. Sources for the analysis included four leading professional journals in educational technology, papers given at annual conventions of three professional associations, dissertations from five…

Interactive video, a combination of computer-assisted instruction and video technology, is an important new development in instructional media. Because interactive video has its roots in individualized instruction, it is particulary useful in personalizing instruction by allowing students to proceed at their own pace (one of the tenets of…

This ERIC Digest is an annotated list of 40 websites and listservs devoted to adult, career, and vocational education. The following websites and listservs are included: six ERIC sites (ACCESS ERIC; AskERIC; the Education Resource Organizations Directory; the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education; ORYX Press/Current Index…