Asserts that the National Standards for Arts Education ignore the values that shape, define, and illuminate democracy. Calls for attention to child development, school environment, and teaching strategies to supplement the work already done on curriculum standards. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the effects of personal characteristics, family involvement, and ability grouping on school participation and commitment. Finds that decreasing levels of school commitment are associated with increasing rates of school crime, misconduct, and nonattendance. (CFR)

Describes a study based on data from a national survey of elementary and secondary school teachers that identified exemplary computer-using teachers and examined differences between exemplary and other computer-using teachers, including school environments, personal backgrounds, and teaching practices. Collegiality, school support, resource…

Reports on a study of the effects of single-sex and mixed-sex schooling on personality characteristics among 2095 Belgian sixth-grade students. Finds that it is not the student gender composition but the gender composition of the teaching staff that exerts influence. (CFR)

Summarizes research concerning the characteristics of at-risk students. Available research clearly demonstrates that the single most consistent factor characterizing at-risk students is social class. Consequently, studies investigating the impact of social class on school success are also reviewed. Research leads to specific suggestions for…

Reports on a study of 12 U.S. and Russian elementary students working with a mathematics computer software program. Finds that students working together learned the program's concepts faster. Discusses implications of the findings and the significance of sociohistorical frameworks on cognitive processes. (CFR)

Conversations with seven graduates of the Northern Teacher Education Program now teaching in northern Canada, explored family, school, and cultural factors that shaped their teacher role identities, and how these identities enable them to positively influence northern schools, students, and communities. A growing narrative of Aboriginal…

Discusses differentiation in terms of the instructional program, school organization, staff development, and extensions beyond the classroom. Suggests learning activities with differing levels of cognitive challenge as vehicles for differentiated classrooms. Focuses curriculum on global citizenship and themes of identity, connections,…

A Chicago two-way bilingual immersion magnet school gives equal regard to English and Spanish and values student cultures. Other features include family atmosphere, student-centered instruction, and strong parent and community collaboration. Students, including low-income limited-English-speaking students, consistently score high in English…

Spurred by federal and state mandates for improved performance, school districts across the country have become adept at establishing districtwide goals to raise student achievement. They have identified learning gaps among various student populations and now seek to close them. They have targeted improved performance in reading or math by grade…

This chapter examines the unique contributions and strategies of minority-serving institutions that successfully serve and graduate students of color.

There has been very little previous evaluation research that examines the effects of interventions on persistence.

This study was designed to contribute to a small but growing body of knowledge on the influence of gender in technology-rich collaborative learning environments. The study examined middle school students attitudes towards using computers and working in groups during scientific inquiry. Students attitudes towards technology and group work were…

Contemporary schools are faced daily with the challenge of identifying the instructional needs of migrant learners who are having notable difficulty learning. Given this reality, it is important to consider contemporary questions of special and general education practices. To explore these questions, this article draws from observation in a…

The history of (external) quality assurance schemes in European higher education since ca. 1980 is sketched in this article. The three pioneering countries in Western Europe are taken as models of different developments and contrasted with the rise of accreditation in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989. Using theoretical insights, the dynamics…