Teddlie and Reynolds have managed to put together one of the most comprehensive anthologies of current effectiveness research I have ever seen. Focusing on current issues and the implications of multi-layer modeling, it is a must read for policy makers, educators and researchers alike.

The book "the international handbook of school effectiveness" is written by Charles Teddlie and David Reynolds who are two leading names in the field of quality international education both being professors of education and educational research. The book is a result of extensive research on the most emerging topic and world is going through the stage when effectiveness of schools is the focus of current research in many countries. As schools affect directly to the development of children at a very early stage, the schools are to follow the patterns made available to them through research. This book is all out to influence the lead teams of school improvement and effectiveness. Highly practical and applicable in academic and research institutions offering, teachers training programs affecting teachers and school heads.A MUST READ for teacher educators, teachers, educational leaders and school improvement teams.

This book is a must!! I've read it over and over again until the cover is marked. I know the author personally and her soul truely shines thru her work!!!

What I love most about this book is the ability to interpret and experience it on so many different levels. And like all "keepers," everytime I read it I find a different point of view or see a passage on a new "level."

I also really appreciate the almost "zen" approach, if you will, and the possibility of encompassing your entire being in one simple truthful and loving philosophy. Perspective is everything.

This is definitely a book to keep on hand under your bedside table for spontaneous reference and to fall back on again and again!

True brilliance should never be complicated.

This book will definitely appeal to many children, especially those who may be dealing with a bully. Everyday Kevin walks to the neighborhood playground in hope of having great fun. But each day, without failure, a boy named Sammy is there. Whenever Kevin approaches a piece of equipment, Sammy will say he can not go on it because he is the "King of the Playground" then threatens to hurt Kevin if he does not listen. Together, Kevin and his father discuss what Sammy is doing to Kevin, and they work through the difficult situation. Soon Kevin gains enough confidence to stand up for himself, and does with remarkable results! I enjoyed seeing how Kevin could open up to his father and how they, together worked out the problem. The understandable text and colorful illustrations flow together smoothly, and add a great deal of feeling to the plot.

As a Kindergarten teacher I make a point to read this book every year to my students, to show them that a scary or seemingly hopeless situation can result in a good friendship with a little perservernce and creativity. I like the fact that the Dad was a good source of support for the child, and that the Dad is shown working outside and inside the house in some non-traditional roles. Buoyed by his father's support, Kevin returns to the playground, always trying new ways to secure a spot on the playground. Children need more tools like this for resolving conflict in a non-violent manner.

I am an elementary school teacher and found this book to be a great way to introduce Vermont to my students as part of our fifty states theme unit. We've had fun learning new facts about each of the states and this book, as part of the Discover America Alphabet Series, is an ideal way to share the diversity of our states, their traditions and to learn interesting facts about each one. The pictures in this book are vivid and are great for sharing a special viewpoint of Vermont. The facts are interesting and encourage and promote a child's interest in the state. I highly recommend this book!

I ordered the series, Discover America State By State for our primary school library. When the books arrived, I couldn't give them up! I had to own them myself! So I paid for this set and ordered the second set for the library. The publishing company claims the books are intended for children ages 4-8 years. However, my husband and I were awed at the beautiful artwork representing each state and the wealth of information to be gained, some obvious, some very trivial but nonetheless interesting. I teach second grade. Many of my students have never been outside our state. What a fantastic way to introduce them to the beauty, contrasts, and wonder of our very own nation! I could spend the whole school year teaching language arts, social studies, and science using this set as my textbook.

Potiential readers should be aware that this is the diffinative English translation of this spiritual classic. It is sometimes referenced by native Farsi speakers because of it's accuracy. However, it is difficult to read. Know that the work required to read this translation will be well rewarded for anyone with a heart.

Jalaluddin Rumi, b. 1205 in Balkh, now Turkestan, d. 1273 was founder of the Mevlevi order of Sufi Dervishes. He was known among followers as "Mevlana" or "Our Master". The Mathnawi, "Song of the Reed" is often referred to as the Koran in Persian, and ranks among the classics of world spiritual literature.

A series of 3 volumes, the Mathnawi is an ingenious series of allegories, fables, parables and tales, often no more than a page or two in length. The sprawling scope of the subjects covered include everything from accounts of the famous saints of Islam, Christianity and Judaism; told in symbolic and allegorical form to deeply mystical interpretations of life and a renewed call to faith. The quality of the writing is best described as ecstatic prose verse. They are rich with detail about the cultural life of the period.

Rumi dictated the 3 volume series to a scribe, after the loss of his closest friend, guide and spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz.

Shams was a wandering mystic of astonishing accomplishment who came upon Rumi in his mature middle years and through their relationship, helped carry Rumi into further phases of his development. Their bond was so close, it aroused suspicion and finally jealousy among Rumi's followers, who plotted against Shams and eventually had him killed.

Rumi was inconsolable. According to the tales, the famous turning of the Whirling Dervishes was invented as a form of meditation and praise to God after the wrenching loss of his spiritual companion.

The richly layered stories of the Mathnawi will prove inspirational for the spiritually-inclined of any faith, as well as students of comparative religion, and those open to inner adventures describing the mystical travels of one of the world's greatest, and most literate saints.

I read this book and absolutely loved it. It is a great story for anyone who feels left out or "In the middle". I first read it in junior high and it gave me a character to identify with and a story to enjoy as well. I read it again and again.

Maudie in the Middle is a book about a girl who is in the middle of seven children. She felt that being in the middle she got the worst of everything, because she had to go do chores instead of staying home to play with the youngest children, and she was to young to go do exciting things with her three oldest siblings. Maudie dreamed of being Aunt Sylvie's godchild so that she would get special atention from someone. Maudie thought that if she was good enugh her wish would come true. But it was to hard not to get in to trouble on the farm that she lived in the early 1900's.

Before I bought "Exploring Medical Language" I knew absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing about Medical Terminology.
And to tell you the truth, when I first opened this huge, intimidating, monster of a book, It scared... me... I mean, wouldn't "rhabdomyosarcoma" or "esophagogastroduodenoscopy"
frighten you (just a bit) I thought, nooooo way.

But I opened it, read it, did the cool excersises, listen the the audio tapes, played a bit with the CD-R.

She begins at the beginning.....Little baby steps.

All of a sudden... I was like, I get it! I really get it!
Not only that, but I was beginning to enjoy it.

The prefix, suffix, and word roots suddenely become beautiful, flowing words that make sense.
Myrna LaFleur Brooks made this book come alive, interesting, and allowed medical language to become a little bit like music.
Well, a little!!!! Thanx for the "A" Myrna!

I'm currently using this book as a supplemental text for my paramedic training. We've just finished cardiology, and I couldn't have done it without this text. I already owned Phalen, Dubin, and Huff; all are good, but the Huszar text is now the one I go to first when I have a question about ECG's. There are a multitude of practical illustrations, tables, and review questions. Best of all is the 200-and-some strips for practice in the appendix. Highly recommend!!

This is one of the essential books that bring a solid perspective on what is the reality of history, not what commentators or national prides would like it to be.. Braudel is one of the most gifted historians of this century, and few like him can go into the inner workings of the social and economical mechanisms that drive history, really. In this well written volume, excellently translated, one sees clearly where laid the "center" of the Western world in the XVI century: The Mediterranean. Assuredly, the gold of the Americas was coming in; and the North Sea and Baltic trades were going on briskly. Nevertheless, Venice still mattered. The Mediterranean links remained the prize for Spain, the Ottoman empire and whomever had access to the locked sea. Yet, the future was close and the through the XVI there were clear signs of the shifts in power to come. Mr. Braudel work is as comprehensive as it gets. This is a gigantic canvas of the Mediterranean of the time, from its geographical and climatic descriptions, to the way that the Ottoman Empire raised money for its needs. We do not have a single hero in this almost novelistic type of work, everybody gets its turn under the sun. The result is a deeper understanding of where we come from. Even if today you live in Fairbanks, Alaska, you will feel strangely linked to the Venetian Pepper trade of the times.....

In the 1500s, billions in gold and silver poured into Spanish coffers from the new world; yet, a century later Spain was bankrupt. What happened? Fernand Braudel has woven together a fascinating tour around the Mediterranean of the 1500s, explaining the rise of the Ottoman Empire, how Egyptians made iced drinks, why Algiers became the capital of piracy, how the banking system created the first transcontinental roads, and much more. This book immerses the reader in a new world full of rich details and suprising connections. Spain? An extravagant Star-Wars size naval fleet built with timbers imported from Scandinavia; nonexistent accounting practices, the personal greed of Spanish nobility helped along by canny bankers in the Netherlands--the wealth poured out as fast as it had come.

Comprehensive, scholarly, research based, current, a cutting-edge reference; I could go on, and on.

This resource contains entries on assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and ethics from more than seventy experts in the mental health field. A veritable graduate-level course right at your fingertips!

Ideal for students like myself, who are just entering the field.

For any practitioner in the health-care field, particularly in the area of mental health, this is a top-notch reference book. The book is well-organized and presented in a comprehensive manner. From diagnosis and treatment to crisis intervention and practice management, the reference book will provide a welcome addition to the professional library in your office or clinic. The book does not serve as a classic text book, we probably have enough of those around, but for the price, it does make a great addition to a reference library.

Joy has really put something special together here. Not only is the information explained in easily understood terms using specific (if manufactured) examples, but the readers on the tapes speak well, slowly enough to be clearly understood, and made me feel comfortable listening to them. (I swear that James' voice reminds me of the narrator from that really popular Civil War documentary...) Confused about Copyrights? Don't understand why a Poor Man's Copyright won't hold up in a court of law? Want to know the difference between a mechanical license and a performing rights license? Interested in the legal differences between major record labels and independent labels? Want to know how best to go about retaining a music lawyer, should you need one? There are a whole host of other answers to frequently asked questions on the subject of music law - each one answered succinctly (and without talking down to the audience that would be listening to it, which I feel is very important), then cross-referenced in the small booklet that's included. It's a portable guide that will give you the basics without requiring you to read a huge tome on the subject. This is one of the best references I've seen on this very confusing topic in YEARS. For ...... - less than most printed publications on the subject, I'd say this is a *very* worthy investment.

The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle is head and shoulders above most of the other books on the industry. It cuts right to the chase without getting bogged down in legalese. Not only is the interview format easy for the layman to understand, but the audiobook gives him action items that he can use immediately. I also commend Joy Butler on the accompanying booklet. While other books contain page after page after page of dense text that can be at times hard to follow, the booklet summarizes the most important parts of music law in just 62 pages. It also has one of the easiest to understand breakdowns of how to calculate your record royalties I've ever seen.