Smartphone apps have lately emerged as a potent instructional aid for teaching engineering courses. Teaching engineering courses often involve explaining complex problems that require creative solutions to students who are typically tech-savvy. This article reviews 10 smartphone apps that have been developed to teach engineering courses. The apps…

In the age of self-checkout machines and entire television networks devoted to do-it-yourself home improvement projects, the DIY ethic seems to be around to stay. The desire to be self-sufficient and use one's time more efficiently is hard to pass up, especially for busy academic librarians. This column is devoted to resources that not only…

In this essay, the author reviews "Education Reform in New York City: Ambitious Change in the Nation's Most Complex School System," by Jennifer A. O'Day, Catherine S. Bitter, and Louis Gomez. The book under review explores a larger set of issues, and some time has passed. But many of the issues studied remain relevant and the consistent…

Paul Jablon's "The Synergy of Inquiry" (2014) is well-timed. The 2014 deadline set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) for universal student proficiency has come and gone, and according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, "proficiency rates last year were below 50 percent for nearly every racial and ethnic group, in…

Reviews the book, "Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage," which takes a new look at research about and programs for disadvantaged young children and their parents. (BB)

This handbook of family support and education programs profiles 73 programs that highlight an array of service arrangements under school sponsorship. The handbook asserts that no one factor makes or breaks a program and that all facets of program development contribute to the degree of success. (SLD)

This volume provides the background of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and discusses the assessment and evaluation principles on which it is based. It reviews early steps in implementation of the Act's mandates, but was written before most of the battles of implementation had begun. (SLD)

"The Future of Schools" (1998), by Australia's former Minister of Education Don Hayward and Professor Brian J. Caldwell, recounts the development, implementation, and early effects of a far-reaching change effort. The authors'"lessons" are undercut by insufficient data connecting the reform with improved teaching and learning.…

Reviews Pamela Farrell's "The High School Writing Center: Establishing and Maintaining One"--a compilation of articles by writing center directors containing solutions to problems common to most writing centers, whether in the planning stages or fully operational. Concludes that the work is an important reference for writing center directors and…

Identifies strengths and weaknesses of the study of the Comprehensive Child Development Program and draws evaluative conclusions based on the analysis. Cites lack of stakeholder involvement and pilot studies as a weaknesses of the evaluation but notes the general quality of the effort. (SLD)

Review states that two well-known evaluators have assembled a collection of essays on emerging issues in evaluation. These include global political perspectives, qualitative and quantitative research, the relationship between auditing and evaluation, performance assessment, international evaluation, and methodological issues. (SLD)

Comments on a study of Comer's School Development Model, indicating that the study, as conducted, was not a study of the model but a limited study of the effects of one application of the model's process. In addition, the evaluation was carried out over only 2 years for each group, when experience shows that at least 3 years are necessary to show…

The three articles of this special section illustrate the complexity of HIV risk behaviors and demonstrate the need to go beyond simply assessing drug use and sexual behavior. They support a more comprehensive view of risk that challenges intervention design and current methodology. (SLD)

Two reviews consider the program-evaluation standards of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluations. This edition makes the complexity, risks, and power of evaluation clear through descriptive writing and case illustrations. The organization and content of the standards document are described. (SLD)

Notes trends and implications arising from the discussions in the other chapters of this theme issue, with a focus on the need to recognize the complexity of evaluation efforts involving multiple sponsors and stakeholders. Also notes the significance of multifaceted and complex environments in the conduct of evaluations in state and local…