This study explores two approaches to directly measuring the quality of instruction: teachers' assignments with student work and focused lesson observations. The technical quality and potential feasibility of these approaches for measuring instruction in large numbers of classrooms are compared within two different content areas (reading…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a preschool program followed the recommendations outlined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in their joint position statement "Early Childhood Mathematics: Promoting Good…

In this article, the author describes his work with a professional network in Connecticut. The Connecticut Superintendents Network is designed to be a community of practice among superintendents who are committed to sustained instructional improvement in their districts. Here, the Harvard University professor applies the medical rounds model to…

Data from three classroom observation instruments (Florida Taxonomy of Cognitive Behavior, Reciprocal Category System, and Teacher Practices Observational Record), used simultaneously by three-member teams to observe 117 teachers and their students, were subjected to factor analysis to identify and define their discrete and overlapping areas and,…

A study was designed to determine whether the presence or absence of a classroom observer and the prior knowledge or lack of knowledge that an observation was to occur would affect the verbal behavior of teachers as measured by the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis. The variables were dichotomized yielding a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design…

A scheme of student cognitive growth is suggested by a combination of Piaget's developmental stages and Bruner's imagery-related stages: the concrete level, for which imagery is not necessary; the concrete-imagery level, with imagery for enrichment of the concrete; the representational level, for which imagery is needed to make the translation to…

A 3-week summer institute was conducted for 84 cooperating teachers, half of them elementary and half secondary teachers, 85 percent of them from the DeKalb area. Objectives were to develop their desire to work with student teachers and their concern for quality student teaching and to develop technical and human relations skills necessary for…

The manual describes procedures and techniques required for the collection of academic survival skill data (data on the classroom behavior of students and the teacher or peer responses to that behavior). The observer is provided with guidelines to assure smooth data collection through proper equipment functioning and the maintenance of good…

Neither teachers nor students have been instructed in the meaning of non-verbal communication. Several assumptions are presented regarding the nature of non-verbal communication. It has been difficult to do research and reporting in this field due to difficulty in data collection, the complexity of human communication, analization difficulty,…

Those who supervise teachers are in an excellent position to influence the learning experiences of many youngsters, believes this educator. Supervisors who give thoughtful and constructive guidance can improve the school for students and teachers alike. (Editor)

Use of the photograph as a technical resource for recording and maintaining data for formative evaluation is discussed. Some advantages and limitations of its use in the classroom are outlined, and types of data appropriate to the medium are suggested. (RAO)

This article points out that the methodology of educational evaluation has been dominated by scientific assumptions and, then, argues that two concepts--connoisseurship and criticism--yield procedures that could provide a complement to the scientific approaches. (MM)

Using a minute-by-minute observational chart, classroom activities and student involvement may be recorded. Such a record is valuable for noting students' and teachers' time on task. (JW)