In 1993 teachers in the Virginia Beach (Virginia) public schools asked parents what they think about classroom practices as part of a client satisfaction project. A questionnaire called the Parent Perception Survey was mailed to more than 40,000 homes to ask about parent satisfaction with the teaching their children were receiving. A teacher task…

This book contains the following papers examining the didactic, academic, analytic, philosophical, and technological underpinnings of distance education: "Introduction"; "Quality and Access in Distance Education: Theoretical Considerations" (D. Randy Garrison); "Theory of Transactional Distance" (Michael G. Moore);…

Chapters in this book, based on the efforts of the Urban Education National Network Task Force, define the nature of obstacles to the academic performance of urban students and identify, validate, and disseminate a knowledge base of theory and practice to inform decision making about urban schools. The chapters are: (1) "The Nature of the…

This bibliography was written for those interested in learning about the sociological and psychological research literature on Hispanic/Latino youth gangs. The focus is on the sociological and psychological issues of gang life that could be used to inform a school's response to gangs of Hispanic and Latino youth. Gangs and educators have…

This paper addresses the advocacy movement for the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms, especially the meaning of this movement for children who are deaf. First the ideology of the militant push for full mandatory inclusion is considered. This ideology is seen as having been fueled by two events. The first event…

Professional knowledge created as teachers interact with the complexity of variables related to teaching and learning in active, thoughtful, reflective practice, is essential to expert teaching. This qualitative study is designed to describe and define the factors (processes) that are pertinent to the process of reflection as it is utilized by…

To examine the relationship among the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS), Educational Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ), and Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory (PAEI), the three instruments were administered to 111 graduate adult education students. The instruments had similar purposes: PAEI measured philosophical orientation relative to…

This report provides information on gifted and talented education in Alaska, based on a survey of 154 teachers and 728 parents in 41 of 54 school districts. The report describes student eligibility, service availability, curriculum and administrative models, teacher training, parent satisfaction, and service evaluation. The report considers…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project that assists school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project examined dropout rates from Florida's 67 school districts and their…

This technical report describes the methodology, results, and conclusions of a 1991 survey, which was conducted to determine state efforts to develop systems to assess educational outcomes, states' needs for solutions to technical/implementation problems, existing databases, and efforts of states to design a comprehensive system of indicators in…

In August of 1991, the Colchester (Vermont) Board of Education and the Colchester Education Association (CEA) jointly initiated a Teacher Evaluation Study Committee. The group assumed responsibility for producing a revised teacher evaluation model which would positively impact the district's teaching and learning process. During school year…

This paper reports a fragment from a recent investigation into student perceptions of effective teaching practices. The larger inquiry sought to ascertain which instructional methods, strategies, and activities employed by teachers are perceived as effective learning experiences by students. Specifically, this study focuses on the characteristics…

The International School Effectiveness Research Programme (ISERP) is an example of the exchange of research and research results in the field of educational effectiveness. It aims to build on existing models of good practice and to avoid the variations in approach that limit the transferability of data within and between countries. A number of…

The principalship was studied from the perspective of newly appointed principals in the highly bureaucratized urban context of New York City. Their attitudes, goals, and role and leadership behaviors and the effects of the school-system context were studied. Interviews were conducted with 12 principals from one Pre-K-1, seven elementary and three…

This investigation surveyed 505 parents of elementary school students enrolled in the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Public School District regarding the characteristics of a "best teacher." Approximately 50 percent of the parent responses were from minority parents (35.6 percent African American, 10.6 percent Hispanic, 2.4 percent Native…