Presents results of a qualitative study of alternatively certified teachers from a large urban district in the Southwest, focusing on reasons for choosing alternative certification. Interviews with 100 teachers reveal a variety of reasons for choosing teaching and indicate that the alternative program increases the pool of qualified teachers. (SLD)

Takes a qualitative and quantitative look at the curriculum and teaching of a two-way immersion eighth-grade solar energy science classroom and examines its implications for education policy and reform. Results for a class of 25 students indicate that the approach increases the retention rate of Hispanic students. (SLD)

The purpose of this article is to report on the system-level findings of a longitudinal study of four mental health consumer-run self-help organizations. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that staff and members of the four Consumer/Survivor Initiatives (CSIs) participated actively in system-level activities, including community planning,…

Educational reform presents a number of challenges for elders, tribal educational leaders, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers and administrators, and families across the United States, including the pressing need to address parent or caregiver and community involvement in education. This study was conducted to (a) summarize major…

The flexible use of digital recordings from EFL classrooms as well as online communication with teaching experts are two promising ways of implementing e-learning in the context of initial teacher training. Our research focuses on how to blend these elements efficiently with the different theoretical and practical content layers of an introductory…

As more and more children are being separated from their biological parents because of AIDS, substance abuse, mental and physical illness, incarceration, and child abuse and neglect, child welfare agencies are relying more often on kinship care as a viable option for out-of-home placements. In many cases, kinship care falls on the grandparents.…

In response to the need for research on the contextualized use of CALL resources, the authors conducted a survey on instructor use of a popular online Spanish language learning resource to provide insight into how foreign language instructors' use of online resources are influenced by socio-institutional factors and instructor motivational factors…

The article details the transformation of one literature discussion group reading the story, Felita, by Nicholosa Mohr. The research study documented the process of implementing literature discussion groups with multicultural children's literature in a fourth grade English language arts classroom. Through a discussion of a critical incident in the…

This study examines whether students' constant focus on meeting teacher expectations might cause students to see themselves as producers of products for someone else, rather than as learners. Four researchers asked elementary, middle, high school, and university students to describe their experience of classrooms, listening for patterns that would…

The expectations of parents of students with disabilities who transferred schools through an open enrollment option were examined in this qualitative study. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of 18 children and adolescents who transferred their child through Minnesota's open enrollment law. Interviews addressed: the student's history…

This study explored the portfolio evaluation process from the perspectives of teachers using portfolios to evaluate their students and teachers using portfolios of their own to evaluate their teaching. Two university professors, one elementary school teacher, and one secondary school teacher participated, using qualitative research methods.…

This volume presents a comprehensive review of current research on the implementation of quality arts programs in U.S. schools, and an indicator of areas that need to be explored, with emphasis on community priorities and initiatives. The 49 quantitative and qualitative reports, articles, and dissertations are divided into five sections: (1) six…

A review of the research and a case study of current practice in one large urban school district evaluate the decision-making process of including students with disabilities in systems of educational accountability and the identification and provision of suitable accommodations for such students. Issues in the inclusion of students with…

This study (reported in separate English and Spanish versions) used a qualitative approach to identify the supportive parental behaviors of academically successful children from low income families in Even Start programs, from the parents', teachers', and children's perspectives. The sample contained 12 low income parents who had one or more…

The perceptions of cooperative education held by the students, teachers, and employers participating in cooperative education programs in Ohio and Ontario, Canada, were examined through six parallel case studies conducted in one urban, suburban, and rural school in each country. Data were gathered through site visits to each school, participant…