Argues that current technologies offer unique possibilities for instructional improvement and identifies probable obstacles to exploitation of these opportunities for all students, including female, handicapped, inner-city and rural, minority, disadvantaged, and average learners. A 2-tiered model is presented for the media specialist addressing…

The sixth-year educational specialist degree is proposed as the most logical advance toward a higher level of post-master's inservice education for teachers. Objectives and advantages of sixth year programs are outlined. (IAH)

Presents a program planning process for cooperative planning by teachers and media specialists. Planning elements described include objectives; content; organization; methodology; activities; and evaluation. A planning checklist is included. (MES)

Describes two search models for school libraries. Models include searches defined by the student but conducted by a trained searcher, and student-conducted searches which teach search skills. Decisions about which model (or combination) to use should be based on the available resources and the purposes for conducting the search. (AEF)

Explores ways in which school library media specialists can use advance organizers such as concept maps, picture files, and books without words to teach library skills to students with limited English proficiency. The author also shows how these resources can help teachers teach in the various content areas. (GR)

Discusses contributions of educators in improving the quality and credibility of postgraduate distance courses taught in Brazil and examines positions of specialists on distance education and higher education supervision in relation to specialization and upgrading distance education courses. Provides Brazilian distance education experiences and…

Examines the evolution of the Whole Language curriculum, its current theory and practices, and its effect on the school library media center. The similarity between Whole Language and the Montessori approach to literacy is discussed, and the role of the media specialist in a Whole Language library media center is described. (31 references) (LRW)

This article describes community-based developmental assessment (CDA) sites as one means for early identification of infants and toddlers with disabilities. At CDA sites, developmentalists assess referred children for developmental status and serve as liaison between the referring physician and the early intervention system. CDA sites are cost…

Describes a study of secondary school library media specialists that was conducted to investigate the potential use of reference transaction measures. The use of the Reference Transaction Module is explained which used three different output measures: Transaction Analysis, Reference Completion Rate, and Transactions per Student. (LRW)

Discusses methods that software evaluation organizations use to evaluate instructional software. Topics addressed include who does the evaluating, including the role of students as well as teachers, subject matter experts, media specialists, and school administrators; reliability of evaluations; and possible improvements in the evaluation process.…

This second in a series of articles on the effectiveness of educational technologies in higher education focuses on a study of four-year higher education institutions in Ohio. This study investigated differences between the media directors' perceptions of the importance of educational technology services and their budget commitment to those…

Daniel Boyd, film teacher at West Virginia State College, describes his life and career as an independent filmmaker, including his educational background in film, efforts to market his films within the film industry, and development of scripts and films. (TES)

Offers an annotated chronology of Venezuelan films, representing a first step toward a general history of women's filmmaking in Venezuela. Suggests that the participation of women directors closely follows the curve of national film production in general. (RS)

Reports on a survey of principals' knowledge of the teacher-librarian role and proposes a plan to help administrators become more aware of the role and to strengthen partnerships among teachers, administrators, and librarians. What principals need to know about resource centers and how they can learn are addressed. (Contains four references.) (KRN)

Describes a study of 39 Texas public elementary schools that investigated the effect of school climate and teacher characteristics on the cooperation between teachers and school library media specialists. The involvement of school librarians in instruction is discussed, and suggestions are offered for increasing their involvement. (33 references)…