This study was conducted to investigate what and how much is presented about American culture in English courses in Japan. A review of previous studies on the same subject indicates that only textbooks for conversation courses are likely to contain substantial cultural information. For the present study, ten series of senior high school English…

The 1997 volume of Rural Libraries includes two issues containing seven articles. Articles are: (1) "Information Access through Electronic Databases for Rural Public Libraries" (Kitti Canepi); (2) "Bookmobiles in the Burbs" (Joyce Voss); (3) "Bookmobile Survey" (Liam Kennedy); (4) "Connections: Internet in Rural…

This issue presents the results of a special analysis of NAEP state-by-state science data from 1996 to 2000 carried out by the Educational Testing Service under contract with the National Center for Education Statistics. The focus is on changes in the gap in scores between different groups of students. There were a few bright spots, but overall…

This publication provides a comprehensive overview of work done across all parts of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Each issue contains short publications, summaries, and descriptions that cover all NCES publications and data products released during a 3-month period. Each issue also contains a message from the NCES on a…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit presents the results of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries designed to document how ARL member libraries are collecting, using, and modifying their data on reference service transactions. A total of 74 of 124 ARL member libraries responded to the survey. A…

This bulletin reports on a survey of existing school-district foundations in Oregon to determine their organizational structures, their fund-raising efforts, their expenditure priorities, and their successes. Included in the report are the results of survey data from 34 school foundations, along with the names and phone numbers of contact people…

The purpose of the survey for this SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit was to assess the current print corporate annual report collection practices of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) libraries, describe the effects of these collections, and recommend best practices for preserving these significant historical documents. The…

This survey was conducted to delineate the growing relationship between marketing and public relations and library funding by identifying: (1) the extent to which North American research libraries have developed organized programs in the areas of marketing and public relations; (2) who holds positions in these areas; and (3) the impact these…

The effectiveness of school-to-work (STW) in Wisconsin was examined through a review of the data from the following sources: STW implementation reports; follow-up surveys of youth apprenticeship graduates, parents, and employers; and telephone interviews with curriculum directors from 45 Wisconsin school districts. Of the practices and innovative…

Many recent school-reform efforts have called for increasing decision-making power at the local school level. This report examines state differences in the amount of control that public school teachers believe they have over establishing curriculum; selecting textbooks and other instructional materials; and selecting topics, content, and skills to…

This report examines trends in voluntary support for higher education between 1980 and 1994 based on analysis of the Council for Aid to Education's annual survey on voluntary support of education. It reviews how philanthropic support for higher education compared with support for other charities and how this level of support changed over time. It…

Based on news accounts, correspondence, conference presentations, and interviews, this collection of quarterly reports provides regular updates on actions taken by California's colleges to cope with difficult economic times. These four reports were produced in January, March, May, and September of 1995 and review the effects of and responses to…

In 1989, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, brought together six diverse public institutions in Tennessee to study the implications of the quality improvement methods of Edwards Deming and others for their own assessment programs. Later, five of these institutions--a technical institute, a community college, a comprehensive university, a…

The third annual survey of the Illinois Rural Life Panel included questions on school taxes, improvements to strengthen local schools, satellite technology, extracurricular activities, and career opportunities after high school. Results from a sample of approximately 2,000 residents in the 76 Illinois nonmetropolitan counties included: (1) 54…

This issue of the newsletter "Prevention Forum" focuses on smoking among adolescents. The articles are as follows: (1) "Where There's Smoke--Will Prevention Put Out the Fire?" (Joanne Burgess), an overview of the Surgeon General's report "Preventing Tobacco Use among Young People," including interviews with prevention…