Search

This sixth issue of ERIC Products lists 396 publications of information analysis for Fiscal Year 1973 (July 1972 through June 1973). The publication includes substantial bibliographies, review papers, and state-of-art papers which are identified as ERIC information analysis publications; it excludes routine brochures, accession lists and short notes published in clearinghouse newsletters. To correspond with the issues of RIE, the references in this bibliography are arranged by each clearinghouse's alpha prefix. Within each clearinghouse, entries without identified personal authors are listed before those with authors. For each entry, the following items of information have been given: 1) personal author(s); 2) title; 3) series name and number; 4) journal reference; 5) date of publication; 6) number of pages; 7) type of publication; 8) ERIC Document number or clearinghouse accession number; 9) date of appearance of abstract in RIE; 10) price of the document; and 11) a brief abstract. Information about the ERIC system, details on ordering documents, and a subject index are also included. (Author/CH)

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Annual Report for 1973 presents a brief history of WICHE. The report is presented as an informal narrative that would try to catch the spirit of the times and of the people involved. A summary of cash receipts and disbursements for the year ended June 30, 1973 and a listing of WICHE publications, programs and staff members, and public and private granting agencies are included. (MJM)

This document is a supplement to the annotated bibliography "Resources for Performance-Based Education," published by the New York State Education Department (ED 076 555). The supplement adds new instructional modules, films, slide/tapes, programmed materials, video tapes, and other nontextbook materials useful for supporting performance-based teacher education programs. These instructional materials are indexed two ways, by a competency subject classification and by general headings. The subject classification, aimed at teachers, employs seven broad headings and five to eight subheadings. The general index lists the items according to key words, academic subject areas, and series names. The information given includes name of the instructional material, author or developer, distributor, cost of purchase or rental, audience, and grade level in which educational personnel would work. (BRB/CCM)

Although this bimonthly newsletter is prepared for teachers in Northern Colorado Educational Board of Cooperative Services (NCEBOCS) member school districts, information is included which would be useful to teachers outside the area. Teacher viewpoints, activities, approaches, and resources are compiled, among other items. The focus is on announcing new discoveries of classroom ideas that work, projects and programs of interest, and special events and workshops. The feature article describes a leadership training program for elementary math teachers in which participants share ideas, learn by doing and then plan workshops built around these concepts for fellow teachers in their own districts. Regular features include an environmental education column, and a calendar of events for teachers. Through the newsletter NCEBOCS disseminates news about educational programs and services, information about its operation, and further, facilitates the exchange of information about other programs engaged in innovative educational practices. The newsletter is free to those who wish to have their name placed on the mailing list. (SJM)

Some on-going operational details of the Computer Aids to Teaching Project are cited, followed by a description of how individuals at separate locations can hold computerized conferences by utilizing remote terminals and a time-sharing computer as communications devices. Descriptions of two courses offered at Northwestern University, one treating the impact of the computer upon society and the other dealing with computers and teaching, are next provided. Lastly, information is offered about a conference on computer based learning/living and information exchanges, held in November 1973 and intended for users who wish to employ the computer to store and retrieve information about learning resources. (PB)

Approximately 400 books, curriculum guides, journals, and educational resource materials published between 1967 and 1973 are listed in this annotated bibliography of bilingual bicultural materials on the Spanish-speaking, American Indians, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Russians. This listing shares with bilingual bicultural project personnel the information needed for the acquisition of relevant materials for their programs. All materials listed must be available in the United States or its territories and must relate to Title VII Elementary and Secondary Education Act or other bilingual bicultural programs. A typical annotation includes the following, in order: title, author or developing agency, name and address of the publisher, publication date, number of pages, language(s) used, intended audience or level, and descriptive statement. Title, author, and subject indexes are given for the reader's use. Publishers and distributors are listed alphabetically at the end of the document. (FF)

In this paper concerning the function of regional service centers serving both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan schools, no effort was made to justify service centers, to compare and describe services in the different states, or to review the literature relating to service centers or intermediate units. Instead, this document presents some introspective considerations for regional service centers' identification of ways to become integral, useful partners in the education enterprise. The topic of discussions are (1) rationale for regional center services; (2) regional service center services: general services (planning, awareness, specialized staffing and liaison) and other services (instructional services, instructional support services, and administrative services). The report concludes that, although there is ample evidence that documents the value of regional service agencies to nonmetropolitan schools, particularly the smaller ones, the more troublesome task is to discover and operationalize services which provide additional advantages to larger schools. (FF)

During the past several years, regional educational service agencies (RESA's) have grown in number and service. Yet very little research has been undertaken to determine what these agencies actually do, how they do what they do, and how well they do what they do. This paper is intended to make a beginning, to answer some questions about RESA's, and to stimulate further research in the name of improved educational cooperation. The discussion covers: (1) cooperative service units: an overview - legislation and governance; (2) regional center: the 1974 study - population and geographic distribution, and financial structure of selected RESA's. Hoping that increased communication and sharing will enable the development of the best possible educational programs for all children, 7 recommendations are submitted, such as having a comprehensive needs assessments conducted by the cooperative service units in all of their member school districts; and exploring and/or developing new programs based on conclusions derived from the needs assessment. (FF)

Documents on American Indian education are cited in this bibliography, a supplement to 4 earlier documents. It contains abstracts of approximately 244 document citations from "Research in Education" (RIE) from 1963-73, and approximately 134 from "Current Index to Journals in Education" (CIJE) from 1971-73. The variety of educational resource materials cover such topics as American Indian history, culture, language, educational development, educational programs, legal status, and socioeconomic status. Citations are indexed by subject. (KM)

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) takes the position that the definition of educational technology should be a broad one, involving the use of a systematic approach to develop a broad range of learning resources to meet the needs of individual learners. In order to translate these three concepts into reality, AECT is planning to develop a handbook of terminology, definitions and units of measure in educational technology, to continue to hold regional affiliate leadership conferences across the country, to develop an affiliate officers newsletter, and to become more active in the area of congressional relations legislation. AECT will be developing a legislative handbook to explain current legislative information and action. Several bills now before Congress will affect educational technology; the copyright revision bills, extension of ESEA titles, the FY 74 Labor-HEW Appropriation Bill, and the Educational Technology Act. (CH)

The research findings and literature compiled and summarized in this report seek to identify those characteristics possessed by school districts that are associated with quality education and effective utilization of resources. The report is designed to serve as a resource for those involved in evaluating present school district and school organization structure and in planning to improve education through the development of stronger, more effective educational administrative units and attendance centers. The findings should be of equal interest to educators, school board members, government officials, parents, and other electors interested in improving education. Following an initial narrative report on research in educational planning, twelve summary tables of research findings are provided. These tables offer data on factors related to elementary, junior, and senior high schools; comparative findings between high school size and (1) pupil achievement, (2) per pupil costs, (3) curricular offerings, (4) staff qualifications, (5) extracurricular programs, and (6) miscellaneous factors; factors related to school size in general; educational administrative unit size; and State enrollment guidelines for administrative units. A 140-item bibliography is included. (Author/EA)

This compilation of articles from newsletters issued by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Early Childhood Education, (January 1971 - December 1972) includes a wide variety of topics such as: teachers' developmental stages, family day care in Pasadena, television violence, children's altruistic lying, and the Home Start program. Also included is a complete list of ERIC clearinghouses. (ST)

An information system analysis, development, and implementation program was conducted at Hamline University to create a dynamic, responsive targeted information system that would support curriculum-based requirements. Existing information system inadequacies were diagnosed; a new concept was proposed and empirically tested. The concept was put into effect on a small scale and used to project the requirements of an expanded operation, and a full-scale system was implemented. The system focused upon the information specialists who linked information requirements generated by the curriculum to information resources; task models of courses were constructed and used to derive information needs and to evaluate products and services. The system proved to be effective, for interactions with librarians rose by a factor of three for students and 14 for faculty. Material provided from off-site sources increased tenfold and the judged effectiveness of disseminated materials was around 85 percent. Professors expanded the range of material in their courses and modified the format of some courses due to the availability of the information specialists, who became the partners of the professors in enriching the educational experiences of the students. (Author/PB)

A survey of 28 military industrial, government, and academic learning centers was conducted. The purposes were to document the state of the art in the establishment and operation of these centers and to determine their potential usefulness in terms of being able to provide individualized, cost-effective instruction in Air Force training programs. The survey identified each center's goals, instructional techniques, and learning resources; attention was also paid to instructional development procedures, courseware production and maintenance philosophy. Student time savings, increased learning and cost-effectiveness were generally reported, although specific cost data were hard to retrieve. The learning centers deemed most effective were those which: 1) were designed to meet clearly defined, existing instructional needs; 2) specified student performance requirements; 3) were administered under a unified system which controlled the quality of courseware content and production; and 4) developed and produced their own courseware to meet specific needs. (Author/PB)

Cable television (CATV) has often been put to educational uses too quickly, too comprehensively, too superficially, and for the wrong reasons. In Pennsylvania, as in other states, there is a need for a systematic approach to coordinating CATV with other educational resources. The Pennsylvania Department of Education can promote the more effective use of cable by: 1) identifying the educational needs which can be served by CATV; 2) maintaining current information on available cable facilities; 3) designing a plan to provide cable channels to education; 4) encouraging the development of educational programing; 5) providing evaluation services for cable-related activities; and 6) fostering research on new uses of CATV. Cable's technology is powerful and its potential great, but educators must begin to make use of this promise or cable's channels will be given over to other purposes. In order to actualize this potential, educators will have to develop subject matter programs, have their schools wired for cable, explore cost-sharing and facility-sharing options, and confine their requests to realistic programs. (PB)

The booklet discusses winter outdoor education in Canada. The first section explains how to use snowshoes, followed by the use of the thematic approach with winter and snow. The thematic approach to snowmobiling gives both the pros and cons, and the outward spiraling effect of the popular sport. In discussing a winter field trip, activities are suggested for observing animals, plants, weather, moisture (water, ice, and snow), and the sky. The final section gives resources for winter studies. (KM)

The Southwest Network was created to provide support for developing Chicano alternative schools. It strives to facilitate approaches, problems, contacts, funding, and communication for any alternative Chicano educational efforts requesting such aid. In this process, the Network has prepared an initial directory of Chicano alternative schools, distributing centers, and related publications. Information is based on replies to inquiries during October and November 1973. For logistical purposes, the directory is divided into 4 geographic regions, and then subdivided by state. Approximately 13 alternative education programs and 28 distributing centers are listed. The partial publication listing covers 25 journals. Defunct publications are also given. (KM)

Compensatory education funds permit local educational agencies (or school districts) to use a variety of highly specialized materials, resources, and training for the pupils and teachers in eligible schools. These special compensatory services (as individual projects) are systematically assigned on a pupil needs basis. Compensatory education programs have made a significant impact on the achievement characteristics of the pupils served. Although the current level of pupil achievement is not as high as would be expected, significant inroads have been made toward arresting their declining achievement trend. Moreover, there is strong evidence which suggests that compensatory education programs have caused the establishment of viable, prescriptive instructional services. When considered as comprehensive, prescriptive inputs directed toward the needs of the pupils in the eligible schools, these services become systematic efforts made to upgrade the educational program and the level of pupil services of each school. In this behalf, individual compensatory educational projects become the ingredients for augmenting the eligible schools' educational program, as well as special efforts to administer to identified needs. For these reasons, the decision to expand, discontinue, or reduce a single project is not a simple one--the decision has to be made within the context of the total strategy of a school system's program. (Author/JM)

A review of educational research reveals that free and inexpensive materials are used today to a much greater extent than they had been in the past. Two studies, sponsored by the American Iron and Steel Institute, are evidence of the producer's interest in determining the strengths and weaknesses of the materials being sent into classrooms and utilized in instructional programs. An analysis of the data of these studies of teacher opinions in relation to free filmstrips and printed materials, ED 072 992 and SO 006 300 respectively, is presented in the major portion of this paper. Tables illustrate the similarity of the samples used in both studies, the effectiveness of the materials, and the opinions expressed concerning evaluation of free materials compared to commercially produced materials. The second major, but brief, portion of the paper discusses data interpretation and recommendations. It is suggested that producers concentrate on narrowing the content focus, and that teachers be more selective in choice of materials before using them in the classroom. The final recommendation is for further study by producers of the ways in which teachers utilize free materials. A bibliography concludes the paper. (KSM)

Small schools, at one time the basis of education in the U.S., achieved an uncomfortable status with the development of urban centers and increasingly larger schools. Urged to consolidate to provide better services and to reduce costs, small schools were reluctant to abandon many of their advantages, such as close teacher-student relationships. Therefore, they adapted to the change, continuing to capitalize on a major strength--the emphasis on the human element of learning. This paper presents 6 major adaptations that have not only improved rural education, but that have also maintained the small school. These are: (1) the development of shared service programs; (2) the addition of extra courses to supplement curricula (i.e., correspondence courses, honors seminars via telephone, and multiple classes); (3) flexible scheduling, where teachers can identify problems during the morning, discuss and develop the idea during the afternoon, and run a trial test the next day; (4) the development of close community-school relations, and the joint resolution of local problems, such as the combining of the town and school libraries; (5) a development of empathy for the learner, where teachers and community members with special expertise assist other teachers and groups when needed; and (6) the maximum utilization of resources, especially the development of natural resources by students and teachers. Many small school administrators feel that these practices could be well adapted to the larger, urban schools. (KM)