Discusses the dilemma housing managers of college residence halls face in trying to provide the type of comfortable and homelike furniture students want versus the durability and savings the school needs. Examples of how two universities resolved their furniture problems are provided. (GR)

Discusses negotiating with vendors when purchasing campus information technology. Describes the mechanics of a negotiation (deep discounts, maintenance and support costs, future discounts, warranties and remedies, training and consulting), vendor approaches to negotiating, composition of the negotiating team, and what to do after negotiations end.…

Presents a variable selection heuristic for nonhierarchical (K-means) cluster analysis based on the adjusted Rand index for measuring cluster recovery. Subjected the heuristic to Monte Carlo testing across more than 2,200 datasets. Results indicate that the heuristic is extremely effective at eliminating masking variables. (SLD)

Discusses how Maryland's governor, Parris Glendening, is positioning himself to become the next chancellor of the state's university system. (EV)

A personality questionnaire administered to 86 subjects contained varying amounts of information regarding job title, job description, and person specification. Participants answered once honestly and faked answers once. All groups produced similar profiles but were unable to fake responses to match the ideal profile for the job. (SK)

Reviews data showing that large numbers of teachers are assigned to teach out of their subject fields. Points to the discretionary power of school administrators and the lack of/weakness of teacher employment regulations as causes. (SK)

Riddles are time-honored educational tools used to entertain students while teaching them the value of critical thinking. They often require the kind of outside-the-box inductive and deductive reasoning that is so valued in the business world today. Now, those same educators who talk about two coins adding up to 35 cents are being presented with…

In April 2006, Apple released a beta version of Boot Camp, a free software product that enables the installation of Windows XP (Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2) on an Intel-based Mac. (A beta version is not the final version, but it is ready for end users to try and test.) Essentially, Boot Camp splits your Mac into two hard…

Hope is a "poster child" for false rejections on teacher candidate screening tests. High-stakes screening tests fail to differentiate between inept and disadvantaged populations. Hope represents a significant, virtually invisible population that is often unfairly rejected for teacher candidacy.

Many schools are moving to develop benchmark tests to monitor their students' progress toward state standards throughout the academic year. Benchmark tests can provide the ongoing information that schools need to guide instructional programs and to address student learning problems. The authors discuss six criteria that educators can use to…

In this article, the author describes her solutions, and suggestions for resolving an extremely difficult situation in the workplace relating to hiring and firing employees. Her first suggestion is to begin with a positive attitude, remembering that the reason one took on this project is for the future of the library. She then continues with tips…

There is a great deal of wisdom in the old saying "water seeks its level." In fact, the concept has bearing on a very practical side of human life as well, since the public water delivery system is based on it. In this article, the author discusses the concept behind water pressure and describes how the water systems work based on this concept.…

The following paper describes Lowenkron's model of joint (stimulus) control. Joint control is described as a means of accounting for performances, especially generalized performances, for which a history of contingency control does not provide an adequate account. Examples are provided to illustrate instances in which joint control may facilitate…

This research examined the role the two constituents of joint control, the tact and the echoic, play in producing accurate selections of novel stimuli in response to their spoken descriptions. Experiment 1 examined the role of tacts. In response to unfamiliar spoken descriptions, children learned to select from among six successively presented…

Kids are frequenting some old New England department stores again. They are not buying CDs and jeans; they are investing in certificates and degrees. The University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth have purchased former retail space in historic downtown buildings--and refurbished them for educational uses. Boston…