This paper reviews literature on teacher effectiveness and evaluation. In order for teacher evaluation to be effective in terms of improving teacher performance, it has to be formative. Evaluations also can contribute to the improvement of the performance of the school overall. Teacher evaluation also has effects on the environment outside the…

This report describes practical policy and program development processes and promising program models for preventing and treating female delinquency. The report also provides a profile of female juvenile offenders, the problems they present, their needs, and the need to address them. More girls are entering the juvenile justice system, and it…

With 90 million Americans now reading and writing at the two lowest of five levels of proficiency ("functional" illiteracy by many estimates) according to the 1994 National Education Goals Report, and 30% to 40% of enrolled students in remedial classes, it is past time to determine a "fix" for the greatest national…

This document contains the four issues of Northwest Education published from fall 1999 through summer 2000. Issue themes are: (1) "Sea Change: Meeting the Challenge of Schoolwide Reform" (Fall 1999); (2) "City Kids: What Helps Them Thrive" (Winter 1999); (3) "The New Principal" (Spring 2000); and (4) "Growing…

This book offers a balanced introduction to and examination of contemporary Japanese education that considers criticisms of Japanese schooling practices made by the participants themselves. While the post World War 2 system of schooling has provided valuable ingredients for economic success, the book argues that these have been accompanied by…

Currently, culturally sensitive teaching of Asian Americans is basically confined for the most part to the college level. Asian American studies programs have become the site for Asian Americans to relearn, redefine, even regain their identity. This paper seeks to apply the knowledge and scholarship developed in Asian American studies in the past…

This report presents the results of a videotape study of science teaching in Shenzhen, China. Shenzhen is one of China's first special economic zones adjacent to Hong Kong. Developed from a small fishing village in the late 1970s, Shenzhen experienced fast economic growth in the last two decades, which has steadily increased the diversity of the…

This 24-minute videotape explores learning and teaching in classrooms where technology has provided an opportunity for change. In the videotape, actual classroom scenes show new roles and relationships for both students and teachers. Educators reflect on the rewards and challenges of a process that has led to fundamental shifts in classroom…

This comprehensive review of literature on social justice provides a thorough conceptual and theoretical overview of social justice and its origins. A review of policies and programs and their underlying rationale is discussed, educational funding policies are examined, a discussion of research (indicating the current educational experiences of…

This paper discusses the problem of African American adult literacy not as a problem of individuals, but as a problem integrally connected to African American communities. Part 1 describes the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and provides an overview of results for African Americans. The NALS sample was composed of approximately 13,600…

This publication contains journal essays and book chapters from publications of the National Council of Teachers of English. The following articles appear in the publication's first section, "Multimedia in the Classroom": (1) "The Classroom" (Marilyn Jody and Marianne Saccardi); (2) "Let's Go to the Movies: Rethinking the…

The present era is one of accountability, high-stakes standardized testing, and standards-based reform. However, there is a relative absence of meaningful discussion of how to achieve equitable outcomes that do not unfairly penalize the most under-served students. This paper challenges the perpetuation of reform practices that do not measure their…

Teacher assessment and grading practices were studied in a two-phase investigation in the seven school districts that make up the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium in Virginia. The first report summarizes the findings from Phase 1 of the study, which focused on teacher responses to closed-end, written survey questions. In Phase 1, 921…

This study investigated the assessment and grading practices of 213 secondary science teachers representing urban, suburban, and rural schools. Teachers indicated the extent to which they used various factors in grading students, the types of assessments used, and the cognitive level of these assessments. The results indicate a wide variation in…

Measuring school and system performance presents a major challenge and opportunity for governments. The public is demanding stringent quality reviews to ensure that the multi-billion dollar education investment has the greatest possible impact on student learning. Current methods to evaluate system performance do not do a good job of demonstrating…