Urban education reformers are now abandoning basic skills instruction and emphasizing critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. An autocratic "pedagogy of poverty" undermines reform efforts by forcing compliance without involving students in learning and self-discipline. Good teaching is happening whenever students are actively involved…

Presents a theoretical formulation that integrates, within the framework of expectation states theory, theories of the emergence of power-and-prestige orders in status-heterogeneous and homogeneous task-oriented groups. Discusses a model based on this theoretic formulation. Offers a model for predicting participation rates in open interaction…

Study examined whether future teachers' perceptions of students related to stereotypical views of ethnic surnames. Subjects from midwestern and western universities evaluated book excerpts authored by people with one of seven ethnic surnames. The top ranked surnames in both groups were English and Christian, and the bottom ranked was Hispanic. (SM)

Researchers videotaped behaviors of student teachers teaching physical education classes to determine sexist behavior in teacher/student interaction and student performance; student teacher linguistic patterns; and classroom management. Overall, teachers consistently interacted with male students differently and more frequently than with females…

Successful urban superintendents demonstrate various traits not always specified in job descriptions, including an ability to inspire, business savvy, sensitivity to diversity, self-confidence, deference to board members, high energy, and a sense of humor. A school executive assuming an urban superintendency without these qualities will experience…

The national survey of full-time graduate social work students (N=687) examined student characteristics and practice orientations. Comparison of 1990 graduates with earlier cohorts suggests that, although students' personal characteristics have shifted, their motivations and goals are compatible with traditional social work functions. (Author/MLW)

A study of 55 religious school teachers examined the relationship between general and personal efficacy and several measures of teachers' orientations toward management, control, and student motivation. Results suggest that the greater the teacher's sense of personal efficacy, the more humanistic the teacher's pupil control orientation.…

A new English teacher at the Air Force Academy describes his experience with students' academic shortcomings and his own expectations, concluding that teachers need training in taking risks, accepting failure, and findings ways to foster new learning and growth, both in themselves and in students. (MSE)

Problems generated by higher education institutional efforts to constrain faculty's instructional autonomy are evaluated. Given traditional administrative noninvolvement, such efforts can offend faculty expectations, leading to claims against the institution stemming from poor evaluations. Academic freedom values are examined as a heuristic for…

Asserts that, although portfolios are used frequently to evaluate art students, the potential of the portfolio as an intellectual, creative, and comprehensive test of artistic performance needs further exploration. Discusses the portfolio process as having three major components: (1) idea; (2) process; and (3) product. (CFR)

Asserts that the quality of any musical performance is a direct result of what happens in rehearsals. Argues that the primary responsibility for planning and implementing successful rehearsal sessions falls to the conductor. Describes a six-step approach for rehearsals, which should begin at least six months prior to the performance date. (CFR)

Tested model of college drinking behavior which included alcohol expectancies, living environment, peer influence, and gender. Findings from 92 college students revealed that 3 (alcohol expectancies, social assertion, college living arrangement) of the 4 variables of the model were predictive of present alcohol use. Only gender did not…

Describes a school reform project of the National Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence that studies teaching approaches and supporting activities for Zuni middle and high schools to encourage high expectations for all students. Principles of effective teaching for Native Americans are explored. (SLD)

This interview with Mara Sapon-Shevin discusses her interest in students with learning disabilities and giftedness, the negative effects of labeling students, what teachers can do to improve the social climate and peer acceptance in heterogeneous classrooms, and the need for teachers to teach all students as if they are gifted. (CR)

Describes the outcomes of a study that measured the attitudes of two middle school general-education teachers about inclusion. The general educators had high expectations for students with disabilities and perceived the participation and progress of students to be directly related to a special educator's presence in the class. (CR)