One of the great school funding myths of our time is the notion that money spent on improving public schools for poor and minority students is akin to throwing money into a bottomless pit. According to the politicians and policymakers who have pushed this view into the public debate on education reform, our schools have ample resources, and…

While there is general agreement that student attitudes toward science education are poor, there is little agreement in defining, measuring, or improving attitudes. The nature of how students relate to science rather than what they know about science is becoming an area of increased focus in science education research. This case study specifically…

Debunks mythologizing reform data concerning technology, inclusion, multiculturalism, and money. Finds little evidence that technology improves student achievement, that mainstreaming serves all special-needs students, or that minorities will soon dominate U.S. demographics. Americans' low-bid attitude toward education has created a plethora of…

Two teachers participating in professional development involving research were asked to read and respond, in light of their own teaching, to Lisa Delpit's study of the dilemma of progressive education versus teaching traditional skills to disadvantaged black students. The teachers' responses illustrate the importance of teachers' prior beliefs and…

Presented is the extent to which pupils of different ages tend to confuse scientific and everyday meanings of "Law" and "Conservation." The concepts of resource economy, environmental concern, and the law of conservation of energy are discussed in terms of potential teaching difficulties. (KR)

Describes a multiple choice, pencil and paper, diagnostic instrument used to measure student understanding of covalent bonding and structure concepts. Reports evidence of seven commonly held misconceptions. (MVL)

Describes 10 steps for developing a diagnostic test of students' misconceptions and the use of two tests in chemistry (covalent bonding and structure) and in biology (photosynthesis and respiration in plants). Discusses the results and some implications for teaching science. (YP)

Two studies examined the construction of children's beliefs about projectile motion of a ball rolled off a table. Describes the concepts used by children, analyzes their use as a function of age, and gives a naturalistic description of their use. Results indicate that appropriate instruction can remediate misconceptions. (MDH)

Reports misconceptions identified in students with respect to the topic of parallel lines and the teaching strategies found to be useful in challenging those misconceptions. (11 references) (MDH)

Critiques environmental education in elementary school and secondary school education by reviewing 10 myths that give children an incomplete understanding of environmental issues. Discusses recycling, plastics, garbage, pesticides, acid rain, consumption, overpopulation, air pollution, global warming, and the ozone layer. Offers suggestions to…

Presented is a list of over 50 commonly held misconceptions based on a literature review found in students and adults. The list covers earth science topics such as space, the lithosphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the cryosphere. (KR)

Examined fifth-grade students' survey responses to investigate incorrect rules that derive from children's efforts to interpret decimals as integers or as fractions. Regarding fractions, difficulties arise because only the whole-part approach to fractions is presented in elementary school. (Author/MDH)

Discusses traditional school demonstrations and experiments in hydrotropism. Explains that these experiments seem to "prove" hydrotropism, but yet most botanists reject hydrotropism. Teachers continue to teach the concept because it is logical and the experiments are simple. (PR)

Explores high school students' and preservice teachers' knowledge of light, vision, and related topics before and after commonly practiced instruction. Suggests a hierarchical structure to represent the collective conceptual knowledge of students and teachers in terms of facets and schemes of knowledge. Makes suggestions for designing instruction…

Educators should banish the specter of African-American children as high-risk, budding disasters and closely examine these children's schooling environment. Black children of all incomes are schooled in highly segregated settings, due to residential segregation. Exposure to health hazards (lead-based paint) and corporal punishment are serious…