This publication analyzes issues that lead to a working definition of soft working skills. Data come from research by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. At a workshop, scholars, practitioners, and representatives from various job sites discussed the impact of soft skills on access to jobs and long-term employment among minority…

This paper examines research on teacher shortages, attrition, recruitment, and retention. Teacher attrition is the largest single factor determining demand for additional teachers in the United States. Teachers leave for such reasons as: low salaries; unprepared for the realities of teaching; rigorous certification examinations; lack of career…

Introduces an 11-step organizational audit designed to help administrators in the sport and activity sector, as well as the traditional business sector, create a friendly, encouraging environment for all. The 11 steps are: empowerment; rewards; evaluation; mission statement; policy manuals; resources; communication; organizational structure;…

A federal appeals court has upheld an amendment to California's constitution that bars government agencies from granting preferences based on gender or race. The California Civil Rights Initiative, or Proposition 209, was found not to violate the Equal Protection Clause. If the ruling is not reversed, public colleges and universities will be…

Identifies issues that need to be addressed when planning combined school and public libraries. The importance of defining the role of the libraries and involving all participants in the planning process is stressed, and considerations relating to personnel selection, collection development, funding, and evaluation are discussed. (CLB)

In the coming era of shrinking opportunity in the professions, discrimination must be redefined so that there is consensus about fairness, and affirmative action within the professions should be deemphasized as the professions cease expanding. The burden of coming job shortages must be shared without favoring any one group. (SLD)

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) makes it unlawful to discriminate in all employee practices such as recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, benefits, pay, firing, job assignment, leave, lay-off, and all other employment-related activities. (PAM)

Overviews black teachers academic preparation and pedagogical training during the early 20th century revealing a broad range of problems from discriminatory salaries, hiring practices, and state certification practices to de jure segregation, lack of publicly funded facilities, and white hostility. Northern philanthropic initiatives and the…

The essential elements of personnel management are outlined. Personnel management may be called by various names and may be practiced by various levels of management, but in any case it is one of the most important elements of a management position. While sample forms generally relate to Texas community colleges and libraries, the guide is written…

The National Record of Achievement (NRA) is a standard folder containing information sheets that allow individuals in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to summarize their achievements and manage their learning and development in a nationally recognized format. Employer awareness and use of NRAs was examined through a telephone survey of 487 U.K. employers…

This article aims to: (1) improve novice and experienced science teachers' understanding of contemporary pedagogical research, its value in improving classroom practice, and how to effectively communicate this in an interview; (2) improve administrators' interviewing practices so that exemplary candidates stand out from other candidates; and (3)…

This updated annotated bibliography presents articles about portfolio assessment uses collected and reviewed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NREL) Test Center to date. Documents have been obtained from a number of sources, including consortium efforts by the Northwest Evaluation Association and the Alaska State Department of…

This document presents results of research to investigate bias and fairness in apprentice selection procedures used in South Africa. Chapter 1 discusses the aim of the project and summarizes the report's contents. Chapter 2 presents a brief overview of the contents of five interim reports. "Investigation of Apprentice Evaluation Procedures…

This flyer and kit were developed by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to examples job descriptions used by academic and research libraries and present examples from various libraries. Job descriptions serve a variety of purposes in personnel management. In addition, current and…

These workshop papers address the challenges of alternative credentials, new modes of instruction, and multiple sources of instruction. Following an introduction by Nevzer G. Stacey, "Competence without Credentials: Promise and Potential Problems of Computer-Based Distance Education" (Stephen R. Barley) provides a conceptual framework for the…