A large virtual university, a participant in a major distance study, is tracking students' enrollment in online or both online and face-to-face classes (i.e., mixed). Although an online students' profile provides data for examining the digital divide, one-time snapshots are inadequate. Time must be included as a dimension of any analysis of…

Picture books that depict the variety of ethnic, racial, and cultural groups within U.S. society (known generally as multicultural picture books) allow young children opportunities to develop their understanding of others, while affirming children of diverse backgrounds. This paper discusses the possibilities and the pitfalls involved in the…

Providing an overview of some of the possibilities for enhancing education in afterschool programs, this manual provides ideas and strategies to help children and youth develop a love of learning and illustrates how much community youth development program experiences are vital to the educational growth and development of young people. Many of the…

The Hartford Public Schools (Connecticut) received a Comprehensive Partnerships for Minority Student Achievement (CPMSA) grant from the National Science Foundation. In the first year of the grant, four schools (two elementary, one middle, and one high school) were identified for CPMSA activities. The CPMSA goal was to develop systemic approaches…

This book provides a theoretical basis for summer library reading programs, and provides hands-on knowledge about what really works in summer library programs, culled from the experience of librarians across the country. The book contains an introduction--"What Are Summer Library Reading Programs"--and five chapters. Chapter 1--"The…

Adapting today's libraries to better serve tomorrow's needs challenges even the most forward-thinking library staff. This book offers practical, workable solutions from several authorities in the industry. Fifty-five conference papers are included and divided into the following subject areas: "Technology and the Network: Daimons or Demons?";…

Play is a natural activity for children that provides opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and socially. These two booklets offer toy selection advice from the government agency charged with protecting the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products. The first booklet outlines toy choices for: (1)…

The Internet is changing the way people look for jobs, but these questions still remain: How effective is online job searching? and Are traditional methods now a waste of time? Surveys indicate only 5.5 percent of 99 million American households had done any online job hunting; a majority of 4,000 executives had job openings posted on their…

Good books can help children develop pride in their ethnic identity, knowledge about cultural history and positive role models, and improved self-esteem. However, Mexican American students often do not experience literature in this way. This digest briefly reviews Mexican American children's literature, recommends classroom strategies, provides…

This study documents trends in the number and quality of applicants for superintendency over time and the success rate of female applicants throughout the search process. Substantial data indicate a gender bias in selecting superintendents. Data collected in New York in 1999 were compared to 1995 data to determine if the size and quality of the…

For many years, there has been pressure on American schools to restrict or deny students access to books or periodicals deemed objectionable by some individual or group on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical grounds. Censorship of library books in school media centers is present today. The library media specialist is…

This paper reports on a study of the changes that Czech education has undergone over the last decade. Many of these changes have been of a fundamental and significant nature, and have had an essential and relatively long-lasting influence on the form and behavior of the system. These changes have had their impact on the roles of people within the…

This book examines ways parents can use their child's interests to develop positive reading attitudes, read aloud to their child, and select books for children--with the goal of developing life-long readers. The first chapter, Creating Interest and Positive Attitudes, discusses developing an early interest in reading, the "language story"…

Designed for elementary or middle school teachers and library media specialists, this book provides educators with practical, easy-to-use ways of applying motivation assessment techniques when selecting World Wide Web sites for inclusion in their lessons and offers concrete examples of how to use Web evaluation with young learners. WebMAC…

Pre- and post-course surveys of faculty and students participating in 8-week format courses at Austin Community College (ACC) in fall 1998 yielded the following recommendations: (1) offer more 8-week classes at more locations and class times; (2) build in class meetings to compensate for any time lost to holidays; (3) piggy-back, in the first and…