Conventional explanations attributing the high infant mortality rate in United States to the prevalence of poverty and lack of adequate health care do not tell the whole story. Contributions of parental behavior, lifestyles, and public health care availability versus utilization must be examined in determining public policies to address the…

A collaborative summer program by the University of Washington medical school, a professional association, and regional and state agencies provides students with an early introduction to community medicine in rural and urban underserved areas. Students (n=74) have been extremely satisfied. Suggestions are made for identifying potential program…

Three papers address the future of libraries and the role of OCLC. Highlights include changes in public libraries, including access to information and technological changes; electronic information systems and their integration with print systems; interlibrary loan; cooperative collection development; and service to the managerial and professional…

Eight articles review the progress achieved in making library computing technologies and library services accessible to people with disabilities. Adaptive technologies, automated conversion into Braille, and successful programs that demonstrate compliance with the American with Disabilities Act are described. A resource list is included. (EA)

Considers barriers to education faced by homeless children. Compares the development of the rights to education of homeless children and youth to the development of rights of the handicapped. Access to education is only the first step. Services must be provided to enable success to come from access. (SLD)

Describes the development of the Online Contents Service at Tilburg University (Netherlands) that provides users with desktop microcomputer access to the contents of journals held at the university. The rationale, procedures, retrieval software, subject search capability, and future developments are discussed. (five references) (EA)

Demonstrates how several factors interact to diminish the chances of academic success for the children of public housing, and suggests how these chances might be improved. A first step is renewed commitment to housing conditions. Reduction of class size is a strong option for increasing achievement for children. (SLD)

Maintains that General William T. Sherman deliberately changed the text of his valedictory message to troops at the end of the Civil War to create a public memory in line with national goals. Provides an annotated bibliography and a copy of the original draft of the speech in Sherman's handwriting. (CFR)

Describes government efforts to mobilize U.S. women during World War II. Discusses the need for women's participation and the problems confronted by women who joined the wartime labor force. Describes efforts to increase participation by women in the armed forces. (CFR)

National data comparing public and private schools show many systematic differences in source of support, degree of parental choice, student populations, teacher qualifications and salaries, school and class size, professional autonomy, instructional practices, and support services. Larger and better financed than most private schools, public…

To respond effectively to the complex issues presented by students with disabilities, colleges can develop a broad network of campus collaborators and clearly articulated policies and procedures to handle most or all situations. Integrating effective policies and procedures with a decisive mission statement, competent staff with specific…

A culturally appropriate program with a functional approach was developed to train related services assistants (RSAs) in U.S. Pacific jurisdictions. RSAs support students with severe disabilities to achieve individualized-education-program objectives. Evaluation revealed positive impacts for disabled students served by 19 trainees, but newly…

The Australian university system can fund the creation of a scholarly collection of serials for use by the nation by increasing the average expenditure on libraries from 5.1% to 5.3% of total university expenditure. Once the national collection has been built, virtual access can be provided using a Web-based model called MEADS (Monash Electronic…

Discusses why college admissions officers, high school guidance counselors, or independent counselors must be prepared to help prospective college students understand how to afford a college education and benefit from financial aid. Provides a model, Financial Aid F.A.C.T.S., to help explain the world of financial aid. (Author/JDM)

Schools desiring to set, enforce, and realize high academic standards must join with allies who set high expectations for preventing and addressing health impediments to learning. Health and learning outcomes (and inequities) are driven by powerful, remediable social environments, not by individual "lifestyle" choices. "Access"…