One of a series of articles on principles of good practice in legal education, this article focuses on the importance of encouraging cooperation among students. Considers the value of the learning community and the relationship of cooperative learning and academic excellence. Includes examples of cooperative learning in a variety of law school…

Applies management approach described in "The Discipline of Market Leaders" to middle schools. Maintains that by choosing a value proposition that defines what the school is and does, educators promise to provide a specific combination of services. Concludes that it is necessary to devote energies, policies, and practices to a single proposition:…

Provides contact information and brief descriptions of 13 high schools, colleges, community programs, and distance education schools receiving the Australian Rural Education Award in 2000. (SV)

A visit to Trail Wind Elementary School in Boise (Idaho) reveals the qualities that earned Debbie Toy Idaho's Distinguished Principal of the Year award: creative commitment to student needs, the ability to bring in outside resources, dedication to a school vision, community and parent participation, team building among staff, and participatory…

Outlines the transmission theory of teaching explaining that the theory is criticized in terms of its implied acceptance of theory-free observation, learning by inductive process, and secure knowledge. Discusses Karl Popper's alternative theories of learning and the growth of knowledge and outlines some of the implications for educational…

Investigates student's opinions of what they believe is valuable for the first class meeting of a course. Reports that a good first class meeting includes a well-organized, focused presentation containing basic course information including requirements, expectations, and information on examinations and assignments. Expounds that faculty should…

Presents a theory of collegial social control of teacher's instructional beliefs and practices that centers on the idea of "collegial focus." Examines whether social control affects teachers' practices, if collegial focus strengthens social control, the role of subject-matter specialization, and the effects of bureaucratic control on collegial…

Evaluates how the change in educational philosophy from progressive education to traditional methods in the United Kingdom influenced teachers' attitudes toward classroom practice by replicating a study undertaken in 1982. Reports that the findings demonstrate a significant shift towards traditional teaching styles between 1982 and 1996. (Contains…

Describes music education and its priorities as a basis for stimulating research questions and discusses advocacy research as evidence of the worth of music education research cited by arts advocates. Responds to the publication entitled "Priorities for Arts Education Research" by the Goals 2000 Arts Education Partnership. (CMK)

Presents an approach for bridging the gap between theory and practice in educational improvement. The approach, which consists of carrying out design experiments involving the creation and evaluation in the classroom of complex instructional interventions, is illustrated through the example of an intervention aimed at improving mathematics skills…

This paper explores influences of economic factors on sociocultural aspects of traditional, industrial, and "transitional" societies, with India an example of a transitional society. Links between socioeconomic contexts, child-rearing goals and practices, and early intervention programs are considered. Child-rearing goals and practices…

Examines the past and projects the future path of instructional design (ID). Discusses teacher cognition; common elements in instructional activities and teachers and designers; ID models and teacher planning; instructional design perspectives; and the need to bridge the gap between instructional design theory and the practice of teaching.…

Overview of research training systems leading to doctoral degrees in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden emphasizes the structure of postgraduate education, administration and funding, number of students, time to degree, completion rates, labor market, and study abroad. Comparisons to U.S., British, German, and French systems suggests a trend…

A survey of 292 rural Oklahoma teachers and administrators examined the implementation and impact of reforms mandated by the Oklahoma Education Reform Act (1990): actual changes in their school district and in rural districts statewide; personal and professional impact of the reforms; which reforms were having the most impact; impact on daily…

Addresses the mismatch between educational research methodologies and its application to generic features of practice and proposes a problem-based methodology that better links research with problem solving. Implications of this methodology are discussed from recent research on school tracking. (GR)