The current status and apparent trends of local area networks (LANs) in school districts are explored in this short report. Results of a 1987-88 Quality Education Data survey are cited, indicating that 64% of 173 of the largest school districts in the country were already networking and 36% intended to be networking by 1990. The advantages of…

This paper is based on two fundamental premises: (1) that the characteristics inherent in information (reproductivity, volatility, and value) combined with the technical capability provided by the new information technology (access, storage, communication, and control) have created the prospect of a new range of internal and external networking…

Videotex is a generic term used to describe computerized two-way information delivery systems designed for simple, mass-market use which provide access to computer-based information via a telecommunications link and an information display, usually a modified home television set. In Canada videotex has become almost synonymous with the name…

Librarians' work has become more challenging and complex over the past 15 years. Fifteen years ago, the telephone was a librarian's most used and most effective instrument, and librarians mostly relied on the resources within their own walls. In that era, resource sharing placed substantial burdens on larger libraries, and the resources of smaller…

In response to both teachers' and students' needs, high school media specialists in Denver, Colorado, formed a resource sharing consortium called ASAP (As Soon As Possible), a multitype library telefacsimilie consortium, which is supported by 1988-1990 Library Services Construction Act (LSCA) funds. ASAP members include 14 high school library…

This report summarizes the 2.5-year process of the development and implementation of the New Jersey Library Network, including the formation of six Regional Library Cooperatives, hiring of staff members, and detailed regional planning. Following introductory material which includes listings of the members of the New Jersey State Board of Education…

Using longitudinal data on 101 sixth-graders who participated in the Pennsylvania Early Adolescent Transitions Study, the following two hypotheses were tested by means of path analysis: (1) the goodness of fit between a child's temperamental characteristics and the temperamental preferences held by the peer group is instrumental in determining a…

Designed to ensure that all Library of Michigan/Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LM/LBPH) network libraries provide uniform, quality service to patrons in their service areas, these standards will serve both as the basis for a formal written agreement between each of the 12 network libraries and LM/LBPH, and as a minimum…

The National Education Association's Mastery-in-Learning Project (MILP) seeks to empower students and teachers to become agents of democratic reform within the schools. It provides teachers and students with the necessary time, resources, skills, and motivation to restructure their schools into self-renewing centers of inquiry. Twenty-seven MILP…

Social support is a significant component of mental health; yet, it has not been examined extensively among black Americans. This paper is a critical review of the research literature on informal social support. The review identifies how social support is conceptualized and defined, the importance of social support for mental health, and the…

A study explored the thoughts people have as they interact with others in conversation. Individuals were asked to communicate with each other over networked microcomputers and as they typed their messages, they spoke aloud their thoughts about the exchanges. These oral protocols, matched with the messages exchanged over the network, were then…

Since principals play an important role in fostering effective educational programs, they have a genuine need for increased professional development opportunities. Five models for administrator inservice education are described, including courses for academic credit, workshops and seminars (institutes) sponsored by professional associations or…

The report, which is part of a series, provides a summary of a 1985 meeting. The meeting was intended to (1) provide an overview of the Secondary Transition Intervention Effectiveness Institute's programs, (2) discuss how participants could be involved in the Institute's programs, and (3) develop a format for networking the results of federally…

This paper describes the development, operations, and effectiveness of the Principals' Computer Network (PCN)--an experimental program created (1) to allow principals to use their schools' microcomputers to access other principals' solutions to common instructional management problems; (2) to enable principals to request suggestions from their…

Three documents are presented which describe the Australian Open Learning Information Network (AOLIN)--a national, independent, and self-supporting network of educational researchers with a common interest in the use of information technology for open and distance education--and discuss two evaluative studies undertaken by the organization. The…