Age-appropriate activities for children and curriculum guidelines for mothers operating family day care homes for infants and toddlers were developed with the goal of improving the quality of day care programming. Curriculum goals were to (1) facilitate children's achievement of self-identity and self-esteem; (2) provide an outlet for creative…

This document provides an overview of the needs assessment literature related to continuing professional education and guidelines for designing needs assessment procedures for a given project or professional group. Section 1 reviews the literature. It considers key concepts and definitions, reviews factors that may influence the development of a…

This chapter considers ways in which college or university instructional development centers can enhance their effectiveness in order to insure their "survival" in the face of budgetary restraints and administrative scrutiny. It is suggested that in order to do so, a center must become an integral part of the institution, must be productive, and…

This extensive review of research on the development of print materials covers text readability, structure of the prose, and organizational and format features of the text. Practical guidelines for developing textual materials that can be supported by empirical research are also presented. Conclusions are then drawn from the literature, and areas…

Focusing on cataloging operations contingent upon public catalog usage, this article identifies necessary components of a collection access policy, discusses representative samples of policies that can be adapted to individual library practices, and provides guidelines for the development and implementation of a statement useful for planning…

This booklet is designed to serve as a practical guide to assist teachers in using the Illinois Core Curriculum in Agriculture to develop courses of study for local vocational agriculture courses. Provided first is an overview of vocational agriculture programs on the secondary-school level in the state of Illinois. The next section is a guide for…

Designed for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped, this document consists of two short articles about textbook format braille. The first article describes some recurring print format problems and suggested solutions for dealing with them. Topics include special page numbering systems, the use of tab indexes, the preferred…

Guidelines issued separately by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) and the American Library Association (ALA) concerning the fair use of copyrighted materials are presented. In addition, a UW memo is presented that covers background information on the Copyright Law and multiple copy reproduction of copyrighted materials for classroom use.…

This discussion provides parents with guidelines for selecting appropriate literature for children. Initially and briefly explored is the issue of the value of literature written specifically for children. Subsequent discussion explores aspects of picture books, fairy stories, beginning readers, comics, and children's books. Drawing on research by…

This is one of a series of monographs developed by teachers in schools near Leeds, England. It reports on a 4-year examination of possible levels of attainment in mathematics at all ages of compulsory education. It has been planned according to the age of the pupil, and at three levels corresponding to below average, average, and above average…

The lead article in this issue identifies the components of the planning process for non-formal education (NFE). Examples of five approaches to planning are presented along with factors that may influence NFE project design at the local level. The 61-item annotated bibliography emphasizes documents on local-level planning; however, resources on…

The Austin Independent School District's Research and Evaluation Office presents practical information concerning observational research. This paper focuses on five topics: (1) what makes a good observer (setting the ground rules, training observers in details, and practice, i.e., involving the observers in planning and providing rigorous…

Guidelines are provided for designing and conducting a telephone opinion poll of the community. Issues discussed in the first part of this guide include determining the proper sample size, drawing a representative sample of the general adult population or of voters, selecting phone numbers, making call-backs, obtaining the proper male-female…

This paper describes the psychology laboratory at Nebraska Wesleyan University and the efforts of the small department which participated in the design and development process. The lab consists of 26 rooms, mostly small cubicles, and covers approximately 3,800 square feet. Each area of the lab is described in terms of its design and function.…

The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 provides for annual federal incentive payments to states if they improve foster care programs by (1) avoiding unnecessary removal of children from their homes; (2) preventing extended stays in foster care; and (3) reunifying children with their families or placing them for adoption. To be…