The major benefit of an environmental scanning/forecasting system is in providing critical information for strategic planning. Such a system allows the institution to detect social, technological, economic, and political trends and potential events. The environmental scanning database developed by United Way of America is described. (MLW)

This essay attempts to forecast direction of specific change in library and information science education and examines a number of alternative responses to political pressures from practitioners, the larger academic community, and the general public. A scenario of close cooperation between educator and practitioner communities is proposed. Five…

Further validated the Konvalina, Stephens, Wileman (KSW) Computer Science Placement Test by administering it to 152 Philippine students. A practical procedure for placing students using the results of the KSW test is also included. This procedure has been successfully applied at the University of Nebraska (Omaha) for over two years. (JN)

Background information and six activities on predicting weather are provided. Each activity includes an objective, list of materials needed, recommended age level(s), subject area(s), and instructional strategies. Also included are several ready-to-copy worksheets. (JN)

Five prominent consultants project technological advancements that, in some cases, will enhance current library systems, and in many cases will cause them to become obsolete. Major trends include advances in mainframe and microcomputing technology, development of inexpensive local area networks and telecommunications gateways, and the advent of…

Mathematically gifted boys (N=77) and girls (N=62) completed a mathematics reasoning test, a verbal reasoning test, a measure of spatial ability, and a personality test. Findings indicated that boys not only have higher mathematical reasoning ability than girls, but also that this ability is the single best predictor of their mathematical…

Analyzes data presented in a recent article (EJ 328 649) examining the relationship between A-level physics and mathematics and degree performance in engineering or physics. A grade of A in A-level physics predicted first class degree performance. (JM)

In Britain, higher education is inappropriate for simplistic 'marketisation' but it is appropriate for more internal competition. Graduation data is used as an output measure for higher education. When output measures are set against input measures, Britain compares well with other nations in higher education. (Author/MLW)

Three major topics are discussed in this essay conveying a vision of what the university library should be like in the twenty-first century: (1) librarianship as a scholarly discipline; (2) politics and the university library; and (3) the library as an active agent in the life of a university. (EJS)

When used by local governments, long-range planning has the potential to transform policy making and prepare better cities and towns for the future. Placentia, California, began long-range planning as a community effort in the mid-1960s, with the creation of the Placentia Tomorrow Project. The project is described. (RM)

This paper extends Minar's (1974) semilog wage regression method to include those who interrupted their schooling with years of work. Schooling and the duration of the interruption interact to create nonlinearities in the rate of return to schooling. The method is applied to Vietnam era G.I. students and civilian interrupters. (Author/BW)

This essay examines the probable future of academic libraries and discusses the impact that Information Resources Management will have on public libraries, library schools, and academic libraries. The need for information specialists and implications for academic libraries of the 1990s are noted. (EJS)

Superintendents of 164 Arkansas small school districts predicted the importance of 20 selected academic courses/physical activities by the year 2000. Courses/activities ranked highest for 2000 were computer science, physics, soccer, economics, and composition. Study assumes collective wisdom or bias of superintendents will alter future secondary…

Relates a preschool child's experiences with product labels to show how teachers can use such language stories to promote early reading and writing. (FL)

A longitudinal study of 62 kindergarten children showed that inferior performance on tests of syllable-counting, word-string memory, and Corsi blocks may presage future reading problems in grade one. Procedures are suggested for kindergarten screening and for helping children at risk for reading failure. (Author/CL)