This document contains 4 issues (spring 2002-winter 2002-2003) of "WCER Highlights," a publication of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). Topics covered by the articles include: new tools for educational data management; the practice of science; the FAST (Families and Schools Together) program; South African students meet…

How can lasting change be made in the way art is taught in U.S. schools? This was the challenge facing six regional professional development consortia sponsored by the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (Los Angeles, California). This publication documents the change effort, which is unique because it has affected thousands of students and…

This introductory text provides an overview of the processes and procedures associated with developing, maintaining, and evaluating a library collection at the building level. The processes and procedures practiced in school library media centers are discussed in relation to educational theory and principles of collection development. The text was…

An ongoing longitudinal study, conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research and Aboriginal consultants in 13 schools across Australia, is following the progress of a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their early years of schooling. This report discusses findings from the first 2 years of the study. The…

This monograph examines issues associated with the problems of children and youth with disabilities in the justice system. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 focuses on prevention, including systemic prevention strategies, challenges to successful prevention, model programs that address prevention, and recommended prevention practices.…

Written for the wide range of practitioners working with young children, this book offers guidance on both the theory and the practical management of drama in the early years. The book emphasizes the relationship between pretend play and the cognitive and affective development of young children, and highlights children's need to experience quality…

The Scottish Executive Education Department has pledged to achieve universal provision of preschool education for 3- and 4-year-olds, whose parents want it, by 2002. The particular factors affecting delivery of preschool education in rural areas were examined through telephone interviews with local education authorities and voluntary preschool…

Looping, a multi-year teaching assignment whereby a teacher remains with the same group of children for more than one grade, is designed to meet the individual needs of students and improve student learning. This booklet describes the practice of looping in American schools. The booklet details the underlying theories supporting the practice and…

The intent of this publication is to support schools as they connect the vision they have for technology and student learning with the tasks they need to accomplish in order to achieve their vision. Chapter 1 provides an understanding of the origins of "Planning into Practice" and lays the groundwork for how to use the materials. Chapter…

To aid members of the news media in looking at the issues of quality in postsecondary education, the authors of the recently published "Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter" distill some useful factors for the media and the general public to use in assessing the quality of education at four-year colleges and universities.…

In this paper I will explore three contrasting teaching and learning environments, including one in which students engage in a "dance of agency". I will move from a consideration of classroom practices to a contention that our work as researchers of mathematics education should pay more attention to teaching practices. Further, that understanding…

Productivity tools allow students to do something that was not possible without technology and then to share their results with others. In contrast to traditional software that encourages linear procedural processes, tool software is open-ended. Productivity tools include word processing, spread sheets, graphics, and telecommunications software.…

Local school district teacher evaluation plans, processes, and procedures were studied to determine whether they measure up to the criteria outlined by D. Stufflebeam's "Personnel Evaluation Standards" (1988). The applicability and interpretability of the "Standards" across 14 actual cases from local school districts in…

This book uses critical theory analysis to understand the culture of the university and how it affects the educational plans of adults. The six chapters of the book depict the areas in which adult students are victimized by academic culture. Chapter 1 provides the study's research question and investigative methodology. Chapter 2 defines the…

This book is designed to give teachers ideas about how to effectively integrate the Internet into the classroom, based on teaching practices throughout the world. The book is organized three sections. The first section provides an introduction to Internet use and applications. Chapters include the potential of the Internet to support learning,…