Two experiments with 15 individuals having profound mental retardation found difficulties in identifying reinforcers that were actually effective in treatment of chronic training needs. Research needs in evaluating training alternatives for people with profound multiple disabilities who move very little or who respond with very long latencies are…

Investigates the appointment of headteachers to primary schools in a (British) county containing a large number of church-aided schools. Findings showed that aided schools tended to have smaller rolls than large county schools. Previously experienced applicants were most likely to have been principals at aided schools, whose presence…

Tools from industrial psychology and business can be designed to help schools select the best teachers. Hiring systems should identify and screen for desirable attitudes, behaviors, and skills; validate the selection process to predict excellence; ensure legal compliance; and eliminate unproductive paperwork. A five-stage application, testing,…

Provides brief descriptions of 27 picture books and chapter books for children, from many genres, which all feature characters on journeys, often momentous ones. (SR)

Caregivers of eight children with severe disabilities were asked to rank order, according to predicted client preference, a standard list of reinforcers and a list generated using a structured interview with caregivers. Systematic choice assessments were then conducted. Results indicated that caregiver predictions of client preferences were…

An automated item selection procedure for selecting unidimensional scales of polytomous items from multidimensional data sets is developed for use in the context of the item response theory model of monotone homogeneity of R. J. Mokken. The procedure is based on the selection procedure proposed by Mokken (1971). (SLD)

Offers advice on the selection of child care administrative software. Directors should consider needs, computer experience, budget, time, and temperament, and should also ask lots of questions and test demo versions. Choices range from custom programs and existing business products to child care administrative software packages. Includes directory…

Determines whether the textbook "Elements of Writing" is an improvement over "Warriner's" which it replaces. Considers how in determining whether a textbook promotes the curriculum and daily activities that lead to a rich perspective of writing, teachers need to consider what it means for a textbook to focus on writing and what teachers mean by…

Addresses the evolution of the most authoritative and widely used textbook in world literature courses in the United States, "The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces." Questions if the "Norton Anthology" has provided educators who are committed to the teaching of world literature from non-Eurocentric perspectives with a…

Presents brief annotations of 100 children's and young adults' trade books (published in 1999) chosen by 10,000 school children across the United States as the books that they like best. Groups books by reading levels: for beginning, young, intermediate, and advanced readers. Offers tips for parents, primary caregivers, and educators. (SR)

Describes some activities from the authors' fourth/fifth-grade classroom exploring "identity." Offers brief descriptions of 26 children's books that invite critical conversations about identity around topics of: making a choice and changing your life; gaining control and overcoming obstacles; judging and being judged; and relationships…

Discusses the intrinsic value of archive and library materials based on a project conducted by the Marburg Archive School (West Germany) to develop criteria for selecting holdings. Topics include external formal features of archive and library materials; conversion methods, including microfilming, imaging, digitization, and textual conversion;…

Extends the work of two previous studies on organizational and membership boundaries to the two-year college administrator labor market. Examines these boundaries related to the chief academic officer position. Finds that membership in the labor market becomes increasingly closed to those employed by two-year institutions as an individual moves…

Offers short descriptions of 10 books for children in which a famous writer appears as an essential character and a catalyst for the plot or content (while another character tells the story). Includes such famous writers as Benjamin Franklin, Emily Dickinson, and William Shakespeare. (SR)

To encourage women and minorities to seek administrative positions, boards should balance committees that screen and interview by gender, race, and ethnicity. Success depends on offering desirable, full-time paid internships, and mentoring opportunities paying realistic salaries and benefits; downplaying extraneous expectations; and showing…