Provides suggestions for the purchase of equipment and materials through early childhood catalogs. Suggestions concern reading catalogs; keeping careful records; deciding on backordering; being aware of shipping charges; checking for damage; and expecting satisfaction. Lists ordering information for 15 early childhood catalog companies. (RJC)

Lists 10 tips on successful buying from early childhood catalogs. Tips concern current catalogs, quantity discounts, price comparison, cooperative or consortium purchases, competitive bids, protection of credit, sources for ordering, service, availability, and the best time to place orders. (RJC)

Outlines procedures involved in the formative evaluation of training materials in a draft stage before they are produced in their final form. The project manager's role is described, guidelines for conducting the tests and determining revisions are given, and worksheets to use in the process are provided. (LRW)

A series of brief personnel philosophy statements for each major personnel function is advocated. The purpose of the statements are: (1) to provide a foundation for personnel policy development, (2) to provide standards of expectations for supervisors and employees, and (3) to help departments and the organization meet their goals. (MLW)

Outlines the reasons for a need to know more about water and swimming pool dangers with regards to young children and how to make these water areas more safe. (BB)

Discusses the rudiments of writing articles for publication in education journals. Highlights refereeing processes, theme issues, rejection rates, query letters, and publication timetables, and offers writing and submission tips to prospective authors. Includes a table of selected educational journal characteristics. (MLH)

Summarizes problems affecting reference accuracy and solutions recommended by librarians in four areas: the reference interview, inadequate knowledge of sources, library system failure, and the fallible nature of human beings. It is argued that the recommended actions, when viewed as a whole, indicate that collaboration among librarians is a key…

Reasons for increased funding for science education are discussed. Funding sources from government grants, private foundations, industry, and community collaboration are described, with general guidelines for those who want to obtain funding. (MNS)

Discusses formative evaluation for multimedia instruction and presents guidelines for formatively evaluating multimedia instruction concurrent with analysis, design, and development. Data collection criteria that include group involvement, data collection strategies, and information to be gathered are presented, and rapid prototypes and…

Creating a unitary system to support educating handicapped students in their neighborhood general education programs requires that general and specialized services complement and support each other and that all personnel employ instructional strategies that meet diverse students' needs. Restructuring efforts require careful planning,…

Discussion of management conflict highlights differing job perceptions held by middle managers. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Assessment Program is described, and a management structure that requires members of each group to experience job perceptions and tasks of the other group is recommended for performance improvement. (Contains three…

Presents an empirical case study of the use of ITS, a software development environment designed by IBM, by Continental Insurance for underwriting applications. Use of a rule-based user interface style that made electronic forms look like standard insurance industry paper forms and worked according to Continental's guidelines is described.…

Focus groups can be a useful tool for program promotion and development and recruitment in business administration. Participants and moderators must be carefully selected, and the interview guide should include open-ended questions. Generalizations drawn from the data should be made with caution. (SK)

Performance appraisal is an appropriate method for evaluating cooperative education students. Coordinators should use them to give students feedback on job performance, help improve communication between co-op students and job supervisors, measure student progress for grading purposes, and help students establish performance objectives for the…

The development and design of a technology education facility for the Montgomery County school system are described. (JOW)