Describes resources available through ICONnect, an online project designed by members of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) to help librarians, teachers, students, and parents use the Internet effectively through courses, a homework reference service (KidsConnect), and links to recommended sites. Award-winning classroom projects…

A John Muir Award participant describes his satisfying experience cleaning up a wooded gorge near his home in Wales. Sidebar explains how the British award achieves its purpose of empowering people to conserve wild places through four challenges: discover a wild place, explore it, conserve it, and share the experience with others. The award has…

Lists best books by the American Library Association for the general reader, best young adult books, notable children's films and videos, best children's books, notable recordings for children, notable children's software and Web sites, quick picks for reluctant young adult readers, bestsellers of 1997, and literary prizes, 1997. (PEN)

Discusses, in the context of the National Research Council's next study of research-doctorate programs, arguments over continuing use of reputational surveys as the primary measure of program quality, as opposed to more objective measures of research performance. Eleven tables rank institutions for specific fields by reputation, citation density,…

Provides contact information and brief descriptions of 13 high schools, colleges, community programs, and distance education schools receiving the Australian Rural Education Award in 2000. (SV)

The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework for defining organizational quality is widely accepted in for-profit organizations. A study examined the validity of the proposed relationships among MBNQA dimensions using data from higher education. The empirical results help identify a modified model that has implications for…

The evolution and design of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln's departmental system of teaching awards are outlined. Ways of rewarding outstanding teaching are suggested, including promotion, tenure, merit pay, increasing nominations for teaching awards, faculty development leaves for teaching, provision of special resources beyond the usual…

Means of honoring teaching at the United States Military Academy (New York) are discussed. The internal debate over teaching awards within this specific academic culture, in which faculty are mostly military officers, is examined and alternatives for honoring teaching are explored. Currently, a teaching academy provides faculty development in…

Examines faculty and scientist recommendations of applicants to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Graduate Fellowship Program, 1976-91. Data from the Cumulative Index on National Science Foundation Fellowships Applicants and Awardees are used. Data analysis supports the double bind hypothesis that minority women are doubly disadvantaged…

ThinkQuest is the fastest-growing, non-profit Internet-based education program in the world. Each year, students and educators from around the globe compete for scholarships and cash awards as they create content content-rich Web sites. In this article, one of the winners, now a ThinkQuest coach, shares his vision about lifelong learning and the…

Presents the 1999 winners of the Foxfire Exemplary Classrooms Awards. The winners were diverse in grade level, urban and rural settings, years of experience with the Foxfire core practices, and ideas about how to implement the Foxfire approach. Activities and experiences from each winning classroom are highlighted. Criteria for winning an award…

Researchers have identified elevated risk for stress-sensitive mental disorders among homosexuals attributed to the harmful effects of homophobia. The onset, course, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders among homosexuals differ in important ways from those of heterosexuals. Examines differential rates of mental health morbidity; suicide…

This article introduces a group of teens who become reviewers for the Newbery Awards. A targeted young adult audience of 35 students taught by Jane Hester, a gifted instructor at Kennedy Junior High School, was chosen with careful attention to their reading abilities and willingness to participate in the arduous task of reading critically 25…

This paper explores the impact on winners of achieving a National Teaching Fellowship. We begin by outlining the genesis and development of the award scheme and touch on the limited literature which is available in this area. Following a description of our methodology, we then present our data. Firstly we focus on who the winners are and then on…

Victor A. Benassi earned his bachelor's degree from California State College and his PhD in psychology from the City University of New York. After working in the Department of Psychology at California State University at Long Beach, he moved to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in 1982. He is currently Professor of Psychology and Professor of…