This response to Stanovich's (EC 607 092) proposal of a new type of learning disability, dysrationalia, looks at implications for the entire learning disabilities field, especially increasing differences between operational and substantive definitions and the ongoing creation of new types of learning disabilities to overcome perceived definitional…

Provides a brief taxonomy of the different forms conservation has assumed. Current definitions of conservation examined include preservationism and "wise-use" resourcist conservation. The author presents an alternative definition based on a sense of place and a common sense of connection with the nonhuman. (LZ)

Describes a set of terms (viscosity, hidden dependencies, imposes guess-ahead, abstraction level, and secondary notation) intended as a set of discussion tools for nonspecialists to converse about the structural features of a range of information artifacts. Explains the terms using spreadsheets as an example. (SR)

Offers a general introduction to the concept of "going meta," in which prior communications are made the subject of communication. Provides brief illustrations of its far-reaching applications to the study of rhetoric and communication. Describes going meta as a rhetorical balancing act, and illustrates this using televised political…

The 1970s witnessed a sharp growth in ghetto poverty areas and heightened economic hardship within them. Census Bureau definitions and measures of poverty have not been brought up to date. Researchers must ensure that their findings are interpreted accurately by those in the public who use their ideas. (DM)

Offers an editorial, in an experimental spirit, that develops a narrow definition for communication, organization, manager, and business and narrow definitions for organizational communication, management communication, and business communication. (MG)

Debate has long raged about the relative merits of leadership, management, and administration. This article questions the utility of valuing instructional leadership over management. Administrators wear both hats. The paper describes a set of definitions and relationships that could remove some "value" connotations and frames a model for relating…

Addresses some theoretical, logistical, and methodological problems involved in researching the numbers of females in educational administration. The primary problem is absence of reliable national database and systematic data-gathering processes on national and state levels. Without such data, the research is incomplete, less reliable, and…

The quality of a child-care program can be evaluated from above, by visiting adults and observers; below, by the children in the program; outside, by parents served by the program; inside, by the staff of the program; and the perspective of society, which sponsors the program. The implications of these multiple perspectives are discussed. (MDM)

Horace Mann enlarged on Thomas Jefferson's view of "innate ability" as a determinant of educational opportunity by stressing education's role in human character development. John Dewey's pragmatism rejected the "a priori" theory of mind as immaterial entity and argued that creating correct environment would create a better…

Responds to Susan McLeod's "The Affective Domain and the Writing Process: Working Definitions." Suggests and defends an alternate way to define affect, based on the interweaving of affect and cognition. Discusses the "cognitive-affective dance." (PRA)

Presents a teaching strategy which uses points of reference (or basic underlying concepts) to help students understand definitions, descriptions, and comparisons/contrasts, and models its use. Notes that understanding the importance of points of reference is one of the first steps in the technique called "knowledge modeling." (SR)

Argues that a dominant tradition of defining communication has exhibited a masculine bias. Calls for the development of a transcendent definition that will include and affirm both masculine and feminine views. (NH)

Four concerns are addressed: definition of literacy, assessment of literacy, research in literacy, and roles in literacy. It is suggested that all who have a stake in the literacy development process, including teachers, teacher educators, policy planners, researchers, should share information and work together. (Contains 25 references.) (LB)

Proposes a methodology for the comprehensive identification of stakeholders and their changing definitions and roles. The methodology links stakeholders to system tasks, management activities, and the best moments for interventions. Examples are taken from education, but have applications elsewhere. The method is used to analyze educational reform…