Results of a 2-year study concerning the use of student academic performance and student attitudes toward learning as components of teacher evaluation systems are summarized. Participants included 200 Career Ladder teachers in Tennessee (CLTTs) evaluated in 1985-86 and 206 CLTTs evaluated in 1986-87. Implications for teacher evaluation are…

Describes a two-year project sponsored by the California State Library that assisted local public libraries in improving their reference services. Project activities included the provision of basic reference materials to all libraries, training workshops in reference techniques for paraprofessional staff, and specialized workshops and reference…

Commonly employed measures of school quality can lead to very misleading results. Especially at the state level, nonrepresentative data such as aggregate Scholastic Aptitude Test scores provide very biased measures of school performance. Far superior are direct estimates of achievement growth. (SK)

Through a questionnaire survey of 267 school districts, the actual practices of United States school districts identified as having outstanding staff development programs were compared with those of randomly-selected school districts. Discrepancies and similarities are discussed, along with support needs for instructional improvement. (SLD)

The Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP) was studied as a policy innovator in state school reform (for kindergarten through grade 12) in relation to agenda setting, alternative formulation, and authoritative enactment. Focus is on the MBP's policy-making involvement during the 1985 state legislative session. Overall, the MBP's influence was…

True educational reform is the creation of a renewed identity at the school and classroom level when teachers and students interact in new, more productive ways. This article describes California's educational reform movement, presents evidence of successful change, and identifies where continued work needs to be done. (TE)

Describes the cash award system Indiana developed to reward schools for relative improvement in language arts proficiency, mathematics proficiency, overall achievement performance, and attendance. The article looks at problems with the program, how the program was implemented, how money was used, and positive and negative rhetoric. (SM)

This overview of OhioLINK, a library automation project that links 17 academic libraries and the state library in Ohio, describes the planning, governance, mandates, and structure of the network. Implementation of OhioLINK at Miami University is discussed, including selection of a library automation system, representation on OhioLINK committees,…

This theme issue includes 13 articles that discuss rural library concerns in Illinois. Topics addressed include strengthening library services; rural trends and their impact on libraries; partnerships; Cooperative Extension Service revitalization; financing; economic development; resource sharing in school libraries; and public libraries and user…

Reports results of a preliminary evaluation of the New Connections Program, which provides free dial-up connections for certain kinds of institutions to NYSERNet (i.e., a regional computer network in New York State) and describes a plan for full evaluation of the program. The interview schedule, user log, and questionnaire are appended. (11…

Summarizes state-level activities in Illinois, Connecticut, Nevada, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, and Wisconsin that influenced recommendations at state pre-White House Conference on Library and Information Services meetings for improved library services to children and young adults. A position…

Describes OhioLINK, a statewide information network that was developed to cost effectively link and enhance the information resources of Ohio's academic institutions. Highlights include cooperation; funding; the governing structure; and sidebars that discuss the results of a survey of statewide networks. (LRW)

Responses to a survey of state special education directors (n=51) revealed that fewer than half of the states have developed policies and/or guidelines on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which ensures specific educational rights for children with disabilities. Highlights of available policies are presented, focusing on compliance…

This bibliography lists more than 500 items published or indexed between October 1991 and September 1992. Documents about information policy, publications, and resources at the federal, foreign, international, and intergovernmental levels are included. Archives, state and local publications and resources, technology and automation, intellectual…

Events leading to the passage in 1984 of Arizona's bilingual education law are examined using interviews with policy elite and concepts developed by D. E. Mitchell and others (1985) for studying distinctive cultures of state educational policymaking. Passage of a mandatory or more comprehensive law was not likely. (SLD)