NWREL NEWS

What’s New on the Web

New Search Engine

In the past, searching for just the right page on NWREL’s Web site of more than 22,000 documents may have seemed like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. But now, users of the site are apt to find what they need in the first page—maybe even the first result. “With the popularity of search engines like Google, we all expect to type a word or two into a search box and get the answer,” observes NWREL’s head Webmaster, Vicki Jean Beauchamp.

“With our previous search engines, that wasn’t happening. You’d get results ... though not necessarily what you were seeking. That’s changed with the introduction of the Google Mini, a new search engine that’s been adapted exclusively for NWREL’s use.” Google Mini works with any search box on NWREL’s Web site. If you still have trouble finding the appropriate page, e-mail Beauchamp at webmaster@nwrel.org. Here’s to more efficient searching!

By Request

While quantities last, various titles from NWREL’s popular By Request series are available for sale in NWREL’s Products Catalog Online (www.nwrel.org/comm/catalog/). The series addresses a wide variety of issues and concerns raised by Northwest educators during a 10-year span, including:

• Strategies and Resources for Mainstream Teachers of English Language Learners
• Building Trust With Schools and Diverse Families: A Foundation for Lasting Partnerships
• Culturally Responsive Practices for Student Success
• Profiles of Progress: What Works in Northwest Title I Schools

Each booklet contains a discussion of research and literature pertinent to the issue, a sampling of how Northwest schools are addressing the challenge, suggestions for adapting these ideas to schools, selected references, and contact information. HTML and/or PDF versions of all 30 booklets are free on the Web at www.nwrel.org/request/.

Northwest Education is available online in both PDF and HTML versions. Look for Web exclusives, marked with .