This keynote address presents three key elements to arts education and educational reform. These are: partnerships, compassion, and imagination. There is a symbiotic relationship, or partnership, between schools and businesses, political offices, cultural institutions, and other community organizations. These partners, having a stake in public…

A policy system design that can benefit from the dynamics of small group behavior without suffering from the adverse effects associated with group thinking, in which the members of small groups acquire a concurrence seeking tendency, is comprised of three subsystem functions: (1) a sub-system normative function which requires that small groups be…

Five central scientific issues are critical to consideration of the treatment in school curricula of the origin and evolution of the universe and of life on earth. These issues are: (1) the nature of science; (2) scientific evidence on the origin of the universe and the earth; (3) the consistent and validated scientific evidence for biological…

A task of regional educational laboratories is to provide information to state and local education policy makers. The new focus on policy reflects a change in the labs' knowledge base and audience. The subsequent move into the political arena has created risks for the labs, which have responded to the new task in different ways. The nature of the…

This report presents an analysis and implications of three current and major education reform reports. Part one reviews and analyzes the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) redesign, the Holmes Group report, and the report of the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy. Part two points out the implications which the…

Since electronic networking via microcomputers is fast becoming one of the most popular communications mediums of this decade, this manual is designed to help educators use personal computers as communication devices. The purpose of the document is to acquaint the reader with: (1) the many available communications options on electronic networks;…

This position paper addresses general topics to be considered when organizing library software collections. Tasks involved in organizing and cataloging educational software collections are discussed, including arrangement/classification; the type of catalog; descriptions of the software; the general materials designator; storage requirements; and…

Jose Vasconcelos (1882-1959), a major figure of modern Mexican education, also was instrumental in the development of the field of librarianship in Mexico. This research paper presents Vasconcelos' philosophy of librarianship through a detailed study of his writings and a review of major secondary sources. Relying solely on the subjective…

This document on the planning and implementation of national information policies is addressed primarily to decision-makers and planners in governments and public institutions, which are increasingly faced with the problem of formulating policies appropriate to the growing importance of information as an essential national resource. Designed to…

More than 40 leaders from business, government, and academia gathered for a 2-day symposium to focus on the social impact of new communications and information technologies and the extent to which the ways they are being used is decided as a matter of deliberate human choice, and how much by the influence of biased capabilities inherent in the…

This presented paper offers an elementary description of database characteristics and then provides a survey of databases that may be useful to the teacher and researcher in Slavic and East European languages and literatures. The survey focuses on commercial databases that are available, usable, and needed. Individual databases discussed include:…

An Association of Research Libraries (ARL) telephone survey indicated that staff associations in many large academic and research libraries have developed into distinct action-oriented groups. This appears to be due to a combination of factors including increased staff interest in the library decision-making process, the emergence on changed forms…

This digest on the economics of information in education argues that the production, organization, analysis, evaluation, and dissemination of information in education constitute major economic activities, with associated costs and benefits. The document comprises sections on: the value of information; information as an "economic good";…

The paper presents the position of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities regarding the provision of educational services to students with learning disabilities (LD). The importance of providing a continuum of public and private services is stressed. Seven recommendations were made by the committee: (1) involved professionals should…

Developing Character: Transmitting Knowledge, a statement signed by 27 educators intended to sustain the momentum for reform in American education, is discussed and critiqued. The author declined to sign the Statement and was asked to critically evaluate it. The Statement presents nine major issues, follows with a discussion of each, and concludes…