Compared Hispanic students' (N=51) self-ratings of personality with less direct assessment by the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. Results showed that Hispanic students could rate themselves accurately on 50 percent of the factors when given only the names of the dimensions, suggesting differential patterning for perceived versus measured…

Surveyed college admissions offices (N=236) to determine the current status and perceived usefulness of letters of recommendation. Results show 87% of respondents required or considered letters of recommendation. They were considered useful in revealing personal qualities, particularly of handicapped and minority applicants, which could offset…

Presents a format for conducting effective training workshops using socioprocess groups as the specific training modality. The inservice program for juvenile court workers was designed to develop awareness of the basic principles of interpersonal relationships and to develop skills in using them. (JAC)

Describes a behavioral skills training model aimed at decreasing feelings of powerlessness often experienced by women. Feedback questionnaires suggest the training is effective in helping women attain their goals and use more direct forms of power. Cognitive change was a motivating factor. (JAC)

Assessed the impact of managerial behavior and manager reputation on perceptions of power in two studies. Behavior significantly influenced perceptions of reward, coercive, legitimate, expert, and referent power; reputation significantly influenced perceptions of legitimate, referent, and especially expert power. Suggested the existence of an…

Describes a process that measures the varying performance of county mental health systems in achieving goals. Performance and relative need are then used to make differential allocation of state funds for services. The process reinforces attempts to meet goals, and has lowered the gap in per capita funding. (Author/JAC)

Reports the implementation of a quality assurance program in Colorado mental health facilities, designed to help managers know how they were doing on operational issues. The program was simple, low cost, and easy to implement. All levels of management found it a useful tool. (Author/WAS)

Effective teacher evaluation programs save school boards money, time, and aggravation. When necessary after initial evaluations, principals can help teachers remedy performance problems by mutually redefining job duties and responsibilities, agreeing on acceptable performance levels, comparing teacher accomplishments with predetermined standards,…

Ninety-two primary caregivers in residences for the developmentally disabled were surveyed on residential staff roles, training responsibilities, and perception of resident needs. Among results are that residential staff viewed basic facility maintenance as a primary responsibility; and that less than 50 percent of the staff could define basic…

A three or four semester-hour graduate course was designed to provide basic instruction in heat/mass transfer topics relevant to chemical engineering problems and to train students to develop mathematical descriptions for new situations encountered in problem-solving. Course outline and list of references used in the course are provided. (JM)

Sample guides for both holistic and analytic scoring of elementary school students' writing samples were written by the California State Department of Education. This article describes how the guides were developed and validated and explains complementary uses for the two types of scoring. (PP)

Researchers investigated whether using modern writing tools--mechanical pencils, felt-tip pens, and other devices--would improve the legibility of first-grade students' handwriting. Results showed that children using these tools wrote no better than those using primary pencils. Teachers' practices did influence legibility, however. (PP)

Assessed differences in cardiovascular reactivity between high and low life-stress students (N=26). Results indicated high life-stress individuals maintained their elevated stressor levels throughout recovery from a laboratory stressor, and showed significantly higher systolic recovery levels compared to the low stress group. (JAC)

Lists suggestions for implementing a reading-for-meaning instructional approach that focuses on the development and comprehension of language. (FL)

Argues that the approaches used for teaching reading are affected by the teacher, who in turn influences the behavior and learning of students. Suggests that modeling is a powerful tool for the teaching of reading. (FL)