This study focused on the topic of home visits from the teacher's perspective. A survey was distributed among 40 teachers who were randomly selected from New York City schools. These teachers were from Head Start, day care settings, and public and private schools. The survey focused on whether teachers find home visits to be an effective tool in…

This study, begun in October 1987, was conducted to explore the effect of particular contexts of schooling on educational outcomes and to provide a comprehensive look at what and how context conditions affect teaching and learning. The study design integrates 3 years of field research in 16 public and private high schools in 2 states and analyses…

Three techniques for surveying alumni and alumni's employers were utilized over the space of 3 academic years, for the purpose of comparing these methodologies. In the first study, alumni of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville were asked to complete a mailed questionnaire, then were encouraged through a follow-up mailing to grant permission for…

Some results are presented relating to the dimensionality of the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics item-response data. Based on theoretical considerations, practical limitations, and previous research, two procedures were selected for study: full information factor analysis as implemented in the TESTFACT computer…

This case study describes the separation distress experienced by Mei Mei, a 2-year-old Chinese-American female toddler at a midwestern university laboratory preschool. The toddler, who could not speak English, was undergoing the first substantial separation from her parents. The toddler was observed over a 9-week period, during which behaviors…

Building on one aspect of a large-scale longitudinal investigation, a study examined first graders' engagement with literature. Subjects, five Euro-American students (two males, three females), were videotaped during two 30-minute storybook reading sessions one week apart. During the reading session, child and adult sat side-by-side in an effort…

A case study examined two preservice teachers' attitudes about literature and the teaching of literature, and examined whether a "Teaching of Literature" course for secondary English education majors influenced their attitudes. Data included in-depth, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, written artifacts (learning logs,…

These brochures provide simple, specific activities parents can use during the summer to enhance their children's academic and social skills. The brochure for grades K-3 provides activities in the areas of reading, writing, math, and science. The brochure for grades 4-5 provides activities in the areas of reading, writing, math, and social…

Five different ways that viewers conceptualize and take stances toward a photograph are identified from a study that involved 384 written responses to a photograph. Subjects included 63 faculty members from Queensland (Australia) Institute of Technology, 80 school teachers, 67 photographers, and 174 12-year-olds. In focus group discussions, 25…

Traditional tests fall into two categories, both of which have several advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered when determining the type of test to use. Constructed-response tests, such as essay tests, ask students to construct their own responses. Thus, students are required not only to recall but to organize and often apply…

A study analyzed in detail one 37-minute classroom literature discussion to better understand how to foster students' critical reasoning. It investigated the characteristics of classroom interactions that support students in the process of responding to literature, the roles of the participants, and how the teacher can structure the tasks and use…

This paper compares and contrasts cases of three beginning teachers, graduates of a teacher education program that included an intervention component designed to change prospective elementary teachers' knowledge and beliefs about mathematics education. The goal of the intervention (a sequence of three mathematics courses, a methods course, and a…

In the 1980s West Virginia lost 70,000 mining and manufacturing jobs and nearly 4% of its population. Yet, despite the economic decline and a poverty rate of 23%, most West Virginians choose to stay. This series of newspaper articles focuses on why they stay. The story of one laid-off coal miner and his family illustrates the plight of many. Since…

A questionnaire entitled "An Inquiry into Classroom Practices in the Teaching of Writing" was sent to 222 authorities comprising two groups: those who have published a work in the form of a book or monograph under the auspices of the National Council of Teachers of English since 1963, and those who have held administrative positions in…

In order to compare the differences in cognitions of experienced and beginning teachers, the perceptions of six experienced teachers, six student teachers, and six probationer teachers (in their first year of teaching after college training) were studied at various times during the course of a school year, using a variety of methods (interview,…