Supervisors can help teachers resolve problems involving affiliation, control, parents, student success, and time. (Author)

In his new book, Reuven Feuerstein explains the program he has developed to improve human ability to learn and to solve problems. (Author/MLF)

Elaborates on the article "Synthesis of Research on the Effectiveness of Intellectual Skills Programs: Snake-Oil Remedies or Miracle Cures?" by Sternberg and Bhana. Encourages the development of a theory that could provide a guide to the infusion of thinking instruction into any area of inquiry. (IW)

Reviews the research on the effectiveness of five thinking skills training programs: Instrumental Enrichment, Philosophy for Children, Structure-of-Intellect (SOI), Problem Solving and Comprehension: A Short Course in Analytical Reasoning, and Odyssey. Compares and contrasts the content of each program and describes the relative lack of adequate…

Without more unanimity about which characteristics contribute to a school's effectiveness, it is difficult to know which characteristics to use as a focus for improvement. (Author/JM)

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)

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)

Discusses the differences among researchers in learning style definitions, instruments used to identify learning style, and the applications of their research. (Author/MLF)

Professional literature extols the potential benefits of portfolios for teaching, learning, and assessment--particularly compared with traditional multiple-choice tests. Although initial findings favor portfolio assessments, the challenges lie in ensuring technical quality, equity, and feasibility for large-scale assessment purposes. Two major…

Summarizes the work of "information processing" psychologists who study cognition and contends that intelligence consists of a set of developed thinking and learning skills that can, to some degree, be taught. Nine such skills are listed including problem identification and strategy selection. (Author/MLF)

Research in cognitive science is providing an increasingly detailed understanding of human cognition. Teachers can help students become conscious of their own reasoning processes and then learn to compare, contrast, interrelate, or coordinate various ways in which they think in order to refine their problem-solving methods. (Author/MLF)

School districts should be allowed to dispense with labeling children as disadvantaged and to use the Title I support they receive in schools that have a high proportion of children from poor families. (Author/MLF)

Examines some problems with school effectiveness research, including small samples, indentification error, and inappropriate comparisons. Nevertheless, the article concludes that characteristics of effective schools can be useful in school improvement as long as facile solutions are avoided in favor of incremental long-term cultural change.…

Studies about how schools improve indicate that the process of improvement happens simultaneously on two levels: the individual teacher level and the level of the school as an organization. Staff development, networking, and problem-centered activities are current approaches found promising for school improvement. (Author/MLF)