The relationship of minutes of reading instruction to the gains in reading performance for 3,374 elementary school children shows consistent positive findings between large- and small-group classroom instruction and reading gains. Some of the negative results for individualized instruction may be due to school assignment practices. (Author/MLF)

This critique of the previous article (TM 510 107) notes that the Graden survey is similar to previous surveys in many of its findings. It is argued that the survey results do have important implications for continuing education of school psychologists. (BW)

The literature on school vandalism is reviewed, emphasizing strategies found successful in reducing school vandalism. It is interpreted in terms of three ideological orientations: conservative, liberal, and radical. Action research approach, which continually assesses strategy effects on a specific school system, is recommended for future…

Examines how the autoregressive earnings model developed by Ashenfelter to evaluate job-training programs can produce badly biased estimates of the magnitude and temporal pattern of program effects. Finds that the decay in Ashenfelter's estimated training effect for men was produced by a time-varying bias in his model, and presents a new, more…

This work presents a methodological critique and secondary analysis of a large scale societal experiment, performed by Kellaghan, that studied the educational and psychological effects of the introduction of standardized achievement/ability testing in elementary schools in Ireland. (Author/PN)

Examines the state of educational policy analysis, discussing the field's history, conceptual approaches to policy, areas of policy that have been studied, and methodological issues. Concludes with speculation on the future of policy research. (MCG)

Reviews research concerning sustained silent reading and lists factors that are important in determining whether such a reading program is successful. (FL)

Describes the major findings of research on effective principals and identifies the problems preventing its practical application to development of administrative training programs and school improvement policies and practices. Provides three new precise models that portray more accurately the complexity of the principal's involvement as…

The basic notion of variability is generalized from a univariate context to a multivariate context using two matrix functions, a determinant, and a trace, yielding a number of alternative multivariate indices of shared variation. Some problems in the interpretation of tests of multivariate hypotheses are reviewed. (Author/BW)

"The critical researcher's dilemma is that, while the topics, theories, and methods we have studied now seem to be in favor, the moral views and general analysis that prompted our studies are not." (Author)

In view of the small amount of attention given to non-black ethnic groups in the sociological literature, this paper suggests that it is no wonder that so little is known about ethnic-ethnic, ethnic-black, and ethnic-dominant society relations. (Author)

Notes that the paper by Williams et al (Social Forces, 55(2), 1976) establishes the reliability of Stouffer's tolerance scale in 1954 and 1973, but that it seriously distorts rather than illuminates understanding of political tolerance. (Author/AM)

Refutes the criticisms made by Harry Crockett (Social Forces 55(2), 1976) and conclude that there is no evidence in his criticisms that the interpretations of the origins of tolerance previously expressed are wrong. (AM)

Notes that most of those who criticized the authors' 1975 APA presidential address seem to explicitly or implicitly share the belief that issues discussed are important areas of study on which divergent perspectives should be developed and discussed even where the best available evidence falls far short of dependable scientific fact. (Author/AM)

Notes that despite the large number of studies on ethnicity and ethnic groups, some of the most important questions on the subject have either not been answered or treated adequately. (Author)