Virtual schools have the potential to improve student learning--but so far, as asserted in this article, research tells little about how online instruction affects student performance. Most of the studies that pointed to good student outcomes were small in scale and based on specific programs or products. Few provide data to help understand…

Reviews the research literature on critical thinking, touching on the nature of and need for critical thinking and ensuing action, relevant findings of psychological research, the context of thought, issues in test construction, the diagnosis of thinking problems, and the need for research into the teaching of critical thinking. (PGD)

Identifies five approaches to research on teaching, and groups them into primarily quantitative approaches and primarily qualitative approaches. (Author/MLF)

Research shows that from the beginning students should be taught through their perceptual strengths; students can identify their preferences accurately; and younger children learn better through visual experiences than auditory experiences, and best through tactile-kinesthetic experiences. (Author)

Effective teaching practices identified through research stress the search for meaning and can therefore serve as a foundation for teaching thinking, despite grade-level and subject matter differences in content, teacher role, engagement time, and outcomes sought. Effective teaching is structured, interactive, and conducted in a positive learning…

Criticizes John Goodlad's book "A Place Called School," claiming the conclusions and recommendations are questionable because of a limited review of the literature, a lack of student achievement data, and methodological problems. (MLF)

John Goodlad, author of "A Place Called School," responds to Hersh Waxman's critical review by claiming Waxman takes terms out of context, ignores the author's caveats, and critiques what the book is not, contrary to everything the author says it is. (MLF)

A review of some of the most important educational research of the past 50 years. Re-establishes how noted researchers and their research-based formulations have influenced U.S. Supreme Court decisions; curriculum and instruction; early childhood education; and policies regarding small class size, standards-based reform, and productivity.…

Having established that mastery learning works, researchers are beginning to investigate components of the system and theorists are integrating it with other recent trends. (Author)

Research evidence shows that mastery learning is much more effective than conventional methods; however, it is not yet known whether it works equally well for all kinds of learning and for all kinds of students. (Author/JM)

Reviews research on the link between extracurricular activities and student engagement. Finds that extracurricular activities appeal to student interests, encourage peer interaction, prompt cooperation, build student-adult relationships, provide structure and challenge, and draw students--especially minorities and women--to science. (PKP)

Education courses can make a difference in classroom practices. Research indicates that the application of educational concepts has improved teaching in several areas: understanding child behavior, constructing and interpreting tests, monitoring and increasing academic learning time, and applying principles of child growth and development.…

Reviews research on instructional practices that help at-risk students. The programs reviewed fall into three general categories: prevention programs at the primary level, classroom change programs, and supplementary/remedial programs. Lists general features that characterize these programs. (TE)

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Simplified interpretations of brain function portraying rationality solely in the left hemisphere and creativity solely in the right are incorrect, but the two sides of the brain do differ in important ways. Researchers have discovered that: In the vast majority of right handers, speech is almost…

In response to the preceding article by Robert L. Hillerich in the same issue of "Educational Leadership," the author argues that Hillerich's recommendations for spelling instruction do not take into account recent research on the cognitive processes involved in learning to spell. (RW)