Describes a HyperCard program developed at the University of Denver library to provide computer-assisted reference service for business information as well as instructions for using the online catalog and a database of journal articles. Examples of menu screens are included, and usage of the program is examined. (five references) (LRW)

Describes and evaluates a peer tutoring program in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools that provided academic assistance to special needs students who were experiencing difficulty in reading and mathematics in vocational education classes. Objective was to provide individualized instruction and support for disadvantaged, special education, and…

A program at Rutgers University (New Jersey) to integrate information literacy into first-year composition courses involved librarians and faculty. The pilot project included two research seminars within each course. Evaluation of the project revealed a successful basic strategy, useful techniques and elements, and some areas for adaptation and…

One of five articles on professional development schools in this theme issue. Discusses six developmental stages of collaboration--formation, conceptualization, development, implementation, evaluation, and termination/reformation--in the implementation of professional development schools at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, including…

The six articles of this special issue focus on minority issues in program evaluation. The aim is to begin a discussion of minority concerns about the impact of cultural dominance on definitions of social goals, the measurement of outcomes, and the political consequences of the selection of evaluation methods. (SLD)

The trend toward expanding the use of prisons and jails for drug and alcohol offenders, sex offenders, and mentally ill offenders is examined, as is the corresponding conversion of community corrections programs to a surveillance and control orientation. The differential impact of this trend on women, minorities, and the poor is explored. (SLD)

A peer counseling program in a 1,800-student inner-city high school (60 percent Latinos, 35 percent African Americans, and 5 percent others) appears successful when evaluated for the following: student knowledge acquisition; student evaluation of the program; students' impact on school and community through counseling sessions; and impact on the…

The results of a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) project at 10 Job Corps centers nationwide with 5,379 trainees indicate that effects of CAI after about 60 hours of classroom instruction are small and achievement gains are not significantly different from those of students taught conventionally. CAI may help motivate students. (SLD)

Discusses issues to be considered in efforts to determine whether programs are effective for improving education of all middle school students. Details directions effective programs are taking in mathematics, reading, writing and language arts, thinking skills, science, and social studies. Discusses common components of the programs. (BB)

This essay explores the complex relationship between policy talk and institutional change in educational reform. Bursts of reform rhetoric must be distinguished from long-term trends in educational practice. The case study of a comprehensive reform effort helps illustrate why some kinds of reform last and others do not. (SLD)

Describes a two-year project in which a camcorder was used by six student teachers in early childhood classrooms to increase the student teachers' awareness of their own performance and enhance their understanding of the five- to seven-year-old children in their charge. Discusses the positive responses of the children, the student teachers, and…

Characteristics of the American university are examined as they are relevant to the concerns of Australian higher education. Aspects discussed include diversity of institutions, methods of governance, tenure and academic freedom, external peer review of programs and projects, research funding, and curriculum design and patterns of attendance. (MSE)

Describes a bibliographic instruction project at the University of Central Florida that addressed the information needs of upper-division and graduate business students in case study classes. Cooperative arrangements between a database vendor (Predicasts), librarians, and the management faculty are described and the objectives of the project are…

Evaluates a five-year university-school partnership/dropout prevention program involving Fordham University's Graduate Schools of Education and Social Services and five New York City public schools with substantial minority populations. Results show that absenteeism declined significantly, child care conditions improved modestly, self-esteem…

Evaluates Temple University (Pennsylvania) dental school's five-year (1992-97) plan for development of academic computing, including promotion of faculty computer literacy, student computer literacy, and computer-assisted instruction. All goals except implementation of computer-aided instruction have been met. Findings have implications for the…