Intended for use by parents of children and youth with handicaps, the guide offers basic information on accessing the ERIC bibliographic database and publications. Answers are provided to the following questions: what is ERIC?; where are the resources?; why use the ERIC system?; what's in the ERIC system?; and how do you get started using ERIC…

This guide describes ERIC as an information system sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education that gathers, selects, abstracts, and indexes documents and articles on a wide range of education topics. The guide provides information on the following: (1) how to get started using ERIC; (2) how to use a computer to access the ERIC database; (3) how…

The purpose of this focused newsletter is to give teachers who know little or nothing of computers some background on which to base further investigation and decisions. It begins by explaining what a computer is and defining such terms as software, hardware, memory, input/output devices, and disk drive. The newsletter then outlines four major uses…

A database on Labor Relations in Education used to prepare several sections of this report is described, and datafiles are listed along with access information and several examples of information that can be obtained from the database. This special report includes exclusive interviews with top officials of the two major teacher unions--the…

The history and features of Decision Support Systems (DSS) and use of the approach by academic administrators are discussed. The objective of DSS is to involve the manager/decision maker in the decision-analysis process while simultaneously relieving that person of the burden of developing and performing detailed analysis. DSS represents a…

This manual is designed to familiarize data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the base-year school component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). A corollary objective is to provide the necessary documentation for use of the data files. The manual provides a wide range of…

This paper examines the administrative uses of the microcomputer, stating that high performance educational managers are likely to have microcomputers in their organizations. Four situations that would justify the use of a computer are: (1) when massive amounts of data are processed through well-defined operations; (2) when data processing is…

Once a community college foundation is well established, an alumni program can be developed, although the focus should be on making contacts and gaining supporters rather than raising funds. The following steps can help establish a successful alumni program: (1) conduct a feasibility study on campus; (2) form a committee to establish program…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper reviews data sources for objective evaluation of vocational education, including the need for such information and the problems associated with its use. First, a list is given of thirty-five data elements necessary to evaluate a skill training problem at the secondary,…

Many colleges and universities are undergoing cultural changes as a result of extensive voice, data, and video networking. Local area networks link large portions of most campuses, and national networks have evolved from specialized services for researchers in computer-related disciplines to general utilities on many campuses. Campuswide systems…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper deals with the nature and extent of use of evaluative data by administrators in vocational education. First, the following conditions which govern the use of the data are described: availability, reliability, credibility, utility, and consistency. Since the legitimacy of most…

The French-based Programme on Educational Building exists to promote cooperation between participating member countries on aspects of educational building policy and practice of common interest. The articles in this issue describe a few of the many and varied applications of information technology for greater efficiency in running schools. Brief…

This document consists of the first two issues of a new newsletter of the National Clearinghouse for Profession in Special Education (NCPSE). The following articles are featured: "Diversity in the Special Education Teaching Force" (Judy L. Wald), which discusses reasons for the lack of teachers in special and general education from…