This article describes an assessment approach for students with severe and multiple disabilities, SMH.PAL, that employs expert system technology. The system matches behavior topography with studies describing treatment approaches and then generates case-specific, annotated descriptions of potentially useful articles. It also models an approach to…

Responds to "Identity, Metamorphosis, and Ethnographic Research: What Kind of Story Is Ways with Words?" by Suzanne deCastell and Tom Walker (1991). Describes the author's reaction to "Ways with Words--Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms" by Shirley Brice Heath (1983). (SLD)

Methods that will improve student achievement include: start early; focus on reading and math; bring in trained tutors; invest in teachers; shrink the size of classes and schools; and increase the amount of time spent learning. Offers guidelines for evaluating initiatives for improving student achievement, discusses technology, and provides…

Proposes a role for institutional research in changing institutional attitudes about priority placed on student retention efforts. Identifies organizational/attitudinal barriers to improving student retention efforts relative to theory on stages of grief (denial, hostility, bargaining, depression, acceptance); outlines tactics for moving the…

An epilogue to six papers on the role of the speech language pathologist in the inclusionary classroom integrates the views of the various authors, suggests some valued outcomes for inclusionary practice models, and identifies the next research-to-practice steps. (Contains references.) (DB)

Highlights issues and controversies concerning current race-related educational research. Contends that some critics believe research sacrifices empirical objectivity for political goals. Partisan research supporters respond that all research begins with untested assumptions and an acknowledgment of purpose does not signify a skewed methodology.…

Teachers' stories were used to report the findings of a phenomenological (qualitative interview-based) study of experiences in teaching American Indian children. Avoiding academic discourse closes the gap between the reporting of research findings and their implementation into classroom practice. Contains 18 references. (Author/SAS)

This article summarizes the journal's special issue on educational intervention research for students with learning disabilities and identifies the following common themes in the preceding papers: (1) effective teaching, (2) the match between teacher and learner characteristics, (3) flexibility in delivery and use, and (4) teacher and student…

This action research presents data about an online Master of Arts in Education (MAE) in Learning and Behavior Disorders (LBD), P-12 at Western Kentucky University. During extensive program revisions, the program developed a collaborative assessment model while preparing more than 300 special education personnel for work in rural schools.

Because federal law offers little guidance for continually-failing schools, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) conducted a study from August 2006 to January 2007 in Michigan to explore questions of what happens after restructuring, particularly to schools that continue to fail to meet achievement targets. Because it had an accountability system…

This report charts a vision for preparing California teachers for the 21st century. The report is an adaptation of the national framework found in the Association of Teacher Educators' report, "Restructuring the Education of Teachers." Recognizing that learning to be an effective teacher is a developmental process, the report is…

The roles that pragmatics can play in the development of communicative competence are discussed, and three uses are examined in greater detail, with examples offered: (1) for the refinement of the study of speech acts as they occur in different cultures; (2) to help determine the extent to which explicit instruction can increase the rate at which…

As one of the federally-funded regional educational laboratories, the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) is committed to assessing the impact of its products and services on a variety of client subgroups. These include educators and administrators at the elementary, secondary, and higher levels. To address the issue of measuring impact, the…

This collection of 12 essays provides an overview of research on effective teaching in higher education. It includes: (1) "Perceived Control in College Students: Implications for Instruction in Higher Education" (Raymond P. Perry); (2) "A Motivational Analysis of Academic Life in College" (Martin V. Covington); (3) "Turning Work into Play: The…

The report resulting from a colloquium of scholars on teacher development and promising educational practice for ethnolinguistically diverse populations is summarized. The group met to discuss the urgent need for teacher preparation to meet the needs of increasingly multilingual school populations. Two major conclusions were reached: that…