Describes a program at a branch of the Chicago Public Library which uses videocassettes to entice children to read the book from which the video was made. Criteria for selecting the videos and an annotated bibliography of 14 videos are included. A copy of a user questionnaire accompanying the book-video package is appended. (MES)

Discusses the development of the market for books for infants; presents reasons why even young infants can benefit from being read to; and provides guidelines for selection of appropriate books for babies. The guidelines include sturdiness and developmental appropriateness. A list of recommended books is appended. (SKC)

Surveyed recruiters whose companies hire liberal arts graduates to assess the educational qualities they found most attractive, and their recommendations for the job search. Communication skills placed a strong first, followed by human relations and interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and research and investigative skills. Generally,…

Evaluated five instruments of marital adjustment and satisfaction: Marital Adjustment Test, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Marital Satisfaction Index, Marital Satisfaction Scale, and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. Discusses studies evaluating psychometric properties of each instrument. Recommends the Marital Satisfaction Index for assessing…

Compares professors' ratings of the pedagogical quality of 43 introductory psychology texts with measures of 29 objective features such as manuscript length and number of references. Regression analysis showed that the 29 features predicted substantial portions of the variance in the professors' ratings. States that the comparative data may be…

Provides an introduction to robotic technology, and describes current robot models. Three ways of using robots in education are discussed--as exemplars of other processes, as objects of instruction, and as prosthetic aids--and selection criteria are outlined. (17 references) (CLB)

The authors provide guidelines for the development and implementation of role-play simulations used for employee selection and promotion. Exercises are presented to illustrate the development of practical content-valid procedures. Suggestions on developing relevant ideas, working with role players, facilitating raters, and minimizing candidate…

Explores constraints on principals' ability to serve as instructional leaders, including definition problems, current training and selection practices, the nature of teaching, lack of incentives, and the limits imposed by collective bargaining agreements. The principalship must be dramatically changed if principals are to become instructional…

Investigates distinctions between the theories of Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, and Marx by considering some unresolved problems in how Innis conceptualizes both the historical process and the impact of media on social organization. Argues that certain fundamental notions in Innis' work inaccurately analyze key features of the historical…

Describes the following features of the Cutler Playwrights Festival: (1) the contest, which involves publicity and choosing a play; (2) the workshop, in which the play's content, expert, release time, size, and follow-up are decided; and (3) the production, which determines the cast and crew and the final performance. (JD)

Parent guidelines for selecting appropriate software for three- to five-year-olds address trying the software out, what to look for, and what to expect. Evaluation criteria cover appropriate vocabulary level, individual needs, child involvement, target audience, creative presentation, and useful feedback. (CB)

Clarifies the goal of reading instruction in the middle school and draws on the ERIC database for sources that complete the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Reports on the suggested emphasis on reading laboratories and the fostering of reading of expository texts. (JK)

To enhance their district's chances of hiring superior principals, Nanuet (New York) Public Schools developed an intensive administrator selection process involving careful job descriptions reflecting school objectives, checklists of desirable professional experiences, an "action interview," and structured visits to finalists' school…

Discusses service industries' role in developing economies of rural areas. Describes ways service industries generate employment and local income and blend with a local economy. Summarizes survey of contributions to local economies and what attracted them to their communities for 385 service firms in nonmetropolitan Wisconsin. Tables provide…

This discussion of methods of selecting and training present and future staff in business and industry emphasizes importance of the incorporation of senior management's goals and objectives into the process. An example of a Functional Skills Rating Form for use in interviewing is included. (LRW)