This paper discusses the difficulties that rural students on a Maine island encounter as they make the transition from a small local elementary school to a large distant high school. The elementary school is characterized by small class sizes, close nurturing teacher-student relationships, and the involvement of parents and families. When students…

This report reviews existing research on the effects of high stakes tests on students, particularly students with disabilities. The review focuses on potential effects on the curriculum, student learning, attitudes and school climate, and the costs versus benefits of high stakes testing of students with disabilities. Results indicate that research…

This paper identifies and discusses the connections between the way individuals frame their world based on the language they use and the impact of language and stereotyping on the perception that computer technology is primarily for certain individuals. The study explores how some of the dimensions of the language of computers and technology,…

This paper examines, through the eyes of Benjamin, a troubled Hispanic high school student in the Bronx, how the character of the school is reflected in the way that it flows around, or evades, its more troubled students. The paper discusses a relatively new school's attempt to understand itself and to define its point of intersection in the life…

This report contends that public school administrators no longer rely on literal interpretations of states' and districts' zero tolerance policies and overzealously promote safety, inventing creative interpretations of the laws and using them to suspend and expel children based on relatively minor offenses. Minority students are disproportionately…

This document presents standards for professional teaching practice in California. The standards were developed to facilitate the induction of beginning teachers into their professional roles and responsibilities. The standards are organized around six interrelated categories of teaching practice: Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning;…

Carnegie Corporation's landmark 1989 report, "Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century," focused national attention on the long-neglected needs of adolescent youth. In the following decade, hundreds of middle grades schools implemented "Turning Points" principles, and many others adopted similar and…

This publication provides answers to basic questions to help school board members more fully address the complexities of the planning, design, and construction process in order to maximize the goal of student success. The 101 questions and answers are in the areas of: facility planning; learning environment; information technology; safe schools;…

The experiences of six vocational education teachers from several high schools in Chesapeake County, Maryland, who "lived under" the educational reforms of the past 2 decades were examined in a phenomenological study. The study, which used the approach designed by Van Manen in "Researching Lived Experience," included consideration of the…

This booklet is compiled from all the Adult Learning Australia (ALA) Commentaries produced in 2000. Emailed to ALA members each week, ALA Commentaries are written by people in the field of adult learning in the broadest sense, usually in Australia, sometimes overseas, and designed to stimulate discussion. ALA hosts an online discussion forum about…

This study examined recent literature related to constructivist teacher education, focusing on descriptions of programs and research on program efforts and effects. The study involved literature published from 1990 to the present on constructivist teacher education. This included 20 preservice programs and 15 inservice programs. The studies were…

One of the critical elements of effective schools developed as a result of recent reform efforts and restructuring processes was the concept of learning communities and learning circles. This short paper discusses learning communities and learning circles. It defines learning communities as "a fellowship of learners in which the teachers in a…

This document contains summaries of the presentations and discussions that were part of a conference on human resource development (HRD) research and practice across Europe that focused on the theme of creativity and innovation in learning. The document begins with summaries of the following presentations: "Introduction" (Jim Stewart);…

Wherever colonizers have overwhelmed and marginalized Indigenous peoples, the educational system has failed these populations because it has been racialized and hegemonic, Eurocentric practices have subverted other ways of knowing. Despite the diversity of today's classrooms, minority world views are not provided space within educational…

This study investigated the effects of school-level and individual-level factors influencing the participation and nonparticipation of secondary school teachers in continuing professional education (CPE). Researchers randomly selected 25 out of Hong Kong's 442 secondary schools to participate. All teachers in the schools were invited to complete a…