A naturalistic case study, involving a 2-year collaboration between 14 classroom teachers and eight university researchers studying 250 middle and high school students, examined the types of principles underlying effective literature instruction that emphasizes the development of students' reasoning abilities in the context of their understanding…

This book contains papers presented at a conference on educational promise, performance, and expectations. Papers included in this volume are: (1) "Education in Australia: We Get What We Deserve" (S. Ball); (2) "The Size and Scale: What is Expected" (J. G. Owen); (3) "The Search for Educational Quality and Equality: A U.…

First in a series, the monograph provides a detailed description of the variety of data collected concerning student achievement and attendance during a 1980-1983 evaluation of Indian Education Act Title IV Part A programs. Data included the results of standardized achievement tests; anecdotal evidence from parents, project staff, and others;…

The first round of a study of what happens to students after they leave Peel County (Ontario) secondary schools includes data from students who were in grade 11 in 1977-78 and 1979-80. A 10 percent sample (approximately 750 students in each group) was drawn from school records. Of these, 1,072 people (75 percent) were interviewed by telephone.…

This study, part of a larger ethnographic study of elementary students categorized as at-risk, attempts to determine whether the labelling of students affects teachers' expectations of, and behavior toward, at-risk students. The beliefs of a teacher sample of five women, three Hispanic and two Anglo, at two urban schools in the Southwest with…

In 1990, the full-time teaching faculty of Catonsville Community College (CCC) were given a faculty inventory as part of a staff development activity. The staff development program included a faculty meeting devoted to a panel discussion of the seven principles for good practices in undergraduate education designed by the Center for Teaching…

Sex discrimination in education has been prohibited by federal legislation since Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was signed into law. Title IX and other federal legislation have increased women's access to education, yet sex differences in educational preparation and occupational choice persist. This issues brief discusses various…

A review of studies of at-risk students is presented in this document. Two recurring themes that occur in the studies reviewed are structured involvement and high expectations of students. The following items are reviewed: "Sex, Race, and Grade Differences in the Locus of Control Orientations of At-Risk Elementary Students," by Beverly D. Payne…

Key concepts from theory and research on student learning are discussed, and a conceptual framework to promote the design of local instructional improvement efforts is presented. The objective is to advocate that institutional researchers focus more directly on the basic issues of teaching and learning and to suggest that improving instructional…

Substantive articles in this newsletter issue concern: (1) issues related to reproductive technology; (2) marriage and family questions for the 1986 census; (3) fault and violence in the family court; (4) children and young people in institutional care; (5) marriage counseling initiatives; (6) employment and families; and (7) family life in…

The paper summarizes a study of the educational environments of profoundly handicapped pupils enrolled in special education classes relative to the types of learning experiences, social opportunities, and services provided by three teachers in the San Diego, California, school district. The teachers were all in their first year working with the…

Characteristics and job expectations of students taking courses in the field of higher education were investigated, along with student perceptions of their programs. Findings may be helpful in making curricula responsive to student expectations and in developing marketing/recruitment strategies. Eleven questions that relate to client…

Because student ratings of their instructors are frequently used by colleges in making personnel decisions and because a variety of course, student, and instructor characteristics may be significantly related to these ratings, academic departments should investigate their student evaluation process. Responses on 1292 student evaluation of…

This annotated bibliography focuses on the sociological study of the educational process. Topics covered include: (1) classroom interaction; (2) the social organization and structure of schools and the larger society; (3) the socialization of students and teachers; (4) communication strategies and structures; (5) expectancy effects; (6) the…

This report is based on the results of a field experiment in three racially integrated elementary schools. The study reports that groupwork is an effective strategy to produce equal status behavior among racial groups of different socioeconomic background and different levels of academic skills. It also reports that small groups are of critical…