Comments on several papers addressing professional development and instructional improvement for students with learning disabilities in regular classrooms. It urges the linking and alignment of professional development, classroom practice, and changes in student performance with measurement and training that expect the influence of one on the…

The goal of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Learning and Intelligent Systems (LIS) program is to focus research attention on the learning aspects of cognition, neuroscience, information technologies, and related disciplines. Goal-oriented descriptions of the three Collaborative Research on Learning Technology Centers funded under LIS are…

Evaluated two computer-assisted instructional programs designed to help students at risk earn credits for high school graduation and preparation for postsecondary education. Findings from two courses in an alternative high school illustrate research-based classroom features associated with a collaborative environment of state, district, and…

Describes gendered ideology of practice in teacher education programs in a research university-school collaborative setting in southeast United States. Shows how the themes of professor/father and teacher/mother are interwoven through the social construction of distinct power/knowledge relations in teacher education. (MMU)

Research over 20 years indicates that teachers are more attentive to male students from preschool through high school. Gender-appropriate practices maximize learning opportunities for both sexes by ensuring ongoing, formative evaluations, respecting each individual's learning pace, providing mentors, and intervening positively when appropriate.…

Examines distance education in postsecondary institutions, specifically in community and technical colleges in the United States, as an educational domain where information technologies have a central place. Looks at characterizing features of distance education management through a group of distance education managers and explores their role as…

Foxfire awards were presented to a professor of education who helped found a Foxfire-affiliated teacher network and develop new courses, and four elementary-secondary teachers who implemented Foxfire classroom approaches that included learning centers; student tutoring; individual folder work; student-researched stories of family, community, and…

Examines the dialogic nature of educational practices, by studying how local speech genres in two diverse communities influence teachers' descriptions of their practice and the children with whom they work. Argues that the meanings attached to the way students are viewed are generated within a community and have profound implications for the way…

Evaluates the effectiveness of a field-based doctoral program in educational administration on linking theory and research to the improvement of practice. Evaluation of the theory-practice emphasis at the University of Utah's program suggests that the program is successfully meeting its objective of promoting change in schools. (SLD)

Students in a combined grade 3-4 in a charter school in Asheville, North Carolina, chose the topics and ways to demonstrate their learning to fulfill history curriculum requirements. Their choices of local historical architecture and traditional quilt-making spiraled out to include photography, historical fiction, and quilted pillows, which were…

The teacher of an inclusive K-3 class in Pike County, Kentucky, chose coal as a topic because it had meaning to her students and they could use the community as a learning laboratory. Although a democratic classroom fostered student ownership of the material, older and younger students had different motivational requirements. (TD)

Research has established that small schools create intimate learning communities where students can be encouraged by caring adults, reduce student alienation, reduce negative effects of low socioeconomic status, and encourage teachers to help students succeed. Strategies for creating small learning communities within large schools and findings on…

Discusses the importance of a school's infrastructure, equipment and software acquisitions, and the need for staff training and inservice workshops targeted toward helping teachers develop skills in technology applications. Considers the significance of the Internet and the changing role of the teacher. (AEF)

A commentary precedes this previously published study that indicates fifth-grade and eighth-grade students in homogeneous classes perceived that their teachers held higher expectations of them than did students who were heterogeneously grouped. The statistical methods used in the study are explained, along with key findings. (Contains references.)…

Presents ways adults in Montessori 6-to-9 classrooms can help students expand their vocabularies. Suggestions for building vocabulary and understanding include using Command Cards to teach a variety of verbs, providing opportunities to play with words and memorize poetry, and making classical literature available. Maintains that lack of concern…