In a policy climate driven by tests and external mandates, theories of school reform that place teachers, their knowledge, and their relationships at the heart of school improvement have garnered attention as promising alternatives. Yet little exists in print about how such theories actually work or what these approaches look like in practice.…

Whilst there is a growing body of literature on practitioner research and the role of collaborations and partnerships that include universities in that process, there are relatively few studies examining the role of the university in any depth. We reflect on 12 years of working in school-university collaborative research partnerships through an…

The coincident arrival of a European policy space in education and a European Educational Research Association [EERA], and their subsequent relation, will be the subject of this paper. EERA is a hybrid organization--it supports scientific networking, it is a social partner in EU policy, it is a first level social space for networking, and…

"Our culture underestimates teachers--not only the complexity of their work, but also their potential to contribute substantively to the dialogue about school reform," write the authors of this article. Online teacher networks have the potential to transform traditional concepts of teacher leadership, enabling teachers to bond together into…

The year's business reading identified new trends, reckoned with old challenges, offered counteropinions on hot topics, reinforced some old lessons, highlighted gains over losses, celebrated innovations that have potential for all, and observed the failures of these innovations to keep their promise. In short, it was a year of balancing…

A total of 43 mothers of 13-month-old infants were asked to position individuals who were close to them in a network diagram and to indicate which of those individuals provided support. Mothers reported extended networks. Results affirm the importance of spousal support for mothers of infants in intact families. (Author/RH)

Interviewed 53 noninstitutionalized elderly to examine patterns of exchange of assistance within their informal helping networks. Results suggest inability to reciprocate rather than need for assistance had a greater negative effect on morale. There was a negative relationship between formal service use and reliance on the informal network.…

Explored the social network relationships of divorced persons (N=42) prior to and following divorce. Subjects were administered the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the General Well-Being Schedule and completed a questionnaire. Findings suggested that changes in social networks from pre- to post- divorce tend to decrease the quality of adjustment.…

Argues that a single life event has the capacity to affect not one but several lives. This thesis is related to theories on attachment, roles, and convoys. The concept of life-event webs is introduced to explain complex relations among individuals within networks such as families. (Author/RH)

Discusses the influence of the primary group on career choice, based on perceptions of both the client and the group. Presents various counseling strategies including drawings, sentence completion, joint sessions, and a consultant approach. (JAC)

Suggests that the social position and value of old age are normally of little importance in the personal lives of older people, partly because of the limited salience of age within their informal networks. Factors that heighten the salience of being old may reduce well being. (JAC)

Examined impact of employment on health of retirees (n=175). Results indicated that employment in retirement years was related to larger social networks and indirectly to better perceived health. Of three social network factors identified (family, friends, confidants), employment was significantly related only to friendship component. (Author/NB)

A qualitative study of 27 low-literate people who relied on readers for help found satisfying and unsatisfying exchange patterns ranging from balanced to imbalanced to nonexistent reciprocity. The existence of trust and respect affected satisfaction with relationship. (SK)

Indigenous social networks of Ethiopian farmers participate in seed exchange based on mutual interdependence and trust. A government-imposed extension program must validate the role of local seed systems in developing a national seed industry. (SK)

Introduces articles in this journal volume on bilingual borrowing. Each paper carries out two methodological imperatives: (1) All are focused on well-defined speech communities using a standard social network; (2) most authors were members of the communities and data was collected from interactions with their own close contacts. (Author/VWL)