Developing Portfolios to Evaluate Teacher Performance in Early Childhood Education

One goal of the teacher's professional portfolio is to describe the full range of abilities and document effective teaching over an extended period of time. In this article we discuss the procedure that teachers can use in developing their own portfolio assessment to help generate data for making decisions about teaching performance. The development of a teacher portfolio requires planning, time, organization and cooperation from students, colleagues, parents and supervisors. The format of the portfolio may vary from individual to individual and be based upon personal preference. Organizations and contents of the teacher portfolio are suggested. Questions and associated lists of teaching artifacts are discussed based on the authors' experiences as early childhood classroom teachers and university professors. The answers to these questions will guide the selection of activity-generated products to best represent the essence of the teacher performance.     

Validation of the Early Childhood Teacher Experiences Scale in Head Start

To address gaps in the availability of validated measures that assess early childhood teachers' workplace experiences, the current study examined the validity of the Early Childhood Teacher Experiences Scale (ECTES) for use in a diverse Head Start program. Mean differences in the ECTES dimensions of self-efficacy, job stress, and school support were examined across teachers' demographic characteristics and observed teacher–child interaction quality. Multilevel models examined associations between ECTES dimension scores and children's social-emotional and academic skills (N = 161 preschool teachers and N = 3,152 children). Findings support the reliability and validity of the three-factor structure of the ECTES in the diverse Head Start teacher sample. Higher teacher-reported self-efficacy and school support were associated with higher observed classroom emotional support, instructional support, and classroom organization. Higher teacher-reported self-efficacy was associated with fewer years of teaching experience. With respect to child outcomes, higher teacher self-efficacy and school support were associated with lower behavior problems and higher social-emotional skills but were not associated with academic skills. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.     

Covering Mass Shootings

Using data from a national survey of US newspaper journalists (N?=?1318), this study examines attitudes toward news coverage of mass shootings. Following Shoemaker and Reese’s hierarchical model, the analysis also considers how individual characteristics, journalistic practices, and organizational factors influence these attitudes. Participants generally agreed that coverage had become routine. Journalists were largely supportive of coverage of perpetrators and were ambivalent about acknowledging a relationship between media coverage and a contagion, or “copycat,” effect. A participant’s age was generally the strongest predictor of attitudes toward media reporting on mass shootings. Findings also indicate differences in attitude according to job title, role perception, and whether or not a journalist had covered a mass shooting. A majority of respondents appeared to favor traditional, “neutral” approaches to coverage of mass shootings; however, journalists also wanted to see more comprehensive reporting, including coverage of solutions and community resilience.     

The rhetoric of androgyny as revealed in the feminine mystique

Despite the feminist controversy regarding whether gender differences exist in discourse style, it appears that one of the most prominent leaders of the conservative wing of the feminist movement, Betty Friedan, strategically employed an androgynous rhetorical style in her crucial feminist document. The Feminine Mystique. Through an analysis of that text, this essay argues that by employing the “rhetoric of androgyny,” Friedan creates a mainstream feminist audience whose ideology ultimately transcends oppressive gender dichotomizations.     

Quality Control: A Necessary Good for Improving Service

This article reports the benefits, challenges, and effective methods of assessing the quality of virtual references services at an academic library.     

Books in review

THROUGH NAVAJO EYES: AN EXPLORATION IN FILM COMMUNICATION AND ANTHROPOLOGY. By Sol Worth and John Adair. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1972; pp. 286. $12.50.

VAGINAL POLITICS. By Ellen Frankfort. New York: Quandrangle Books, Inc., 1973; pp. 250. $6.95.

POWER AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS. By Wally D. Jacobson. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1972; pp. 190. (paper) $3.50.     

略谈19世纪美国黑人女子高等教育

立足于美国黑人的女子教育观,从政治、经济、历史学的角度,选取具有代表性的黑人女性作为研究范例,纵观了19世纪美国黑人女子高等教育的发展历程,揭示出美国黑人女性接受高等教育之路的艰辛,反映出19世纪美国男女和人种之间的不平等。