This study involved 524 students in 2 elementary schools in analyzing the effects of instructional service changes. Services included cooperative learning for sixth grade students, cross-age tutoring for special/remedial students in grades 1-3, and in-class services for all grade levels. None of the three treatments had much impact on achievement.…

Discussed is a type of evaluation unlike traditional methods in that it gives students an opportunity to exercise an influence on their own situation. Planning, procedures, and recordings are described. (CW)

Under the Kentucky Education Reform Act, Kentucky has redesigned curricular policies and instructional practices and has set in motion a process for restructuring teacher education by defining new standards for effective teaching and new requirements for certification. Guiding principles to prepare a teaching force able to implement school reform…

Advocates a model of multicultural education plus integration to ensure that multicultural education is both taught by committed experts and integrated into general courses. Defining a rigorous scholarly and research agenda and developing strong leaders and standards for practice will ensure the place of multicultural education as an academic…

Problematic opinions and practices regarding testing and grading were studied for 536 secondary school teachers of academic subjects. Results indicate widespread differences between teacher beliefs and practices and what measurement specialists would recommend as testing practices. Implications for teacher training in measurement are discussed.…

An overview is provided of the nature of reflective practice as presented in pedagogical literature and of the necessary characteristics of the reflective practitioner in an educational context. Implications for the evaluation of classroom teachers are explored, and suggestions for further research are offered. (SLD)

Highlights two recent studies in the field of distance education. C.N. Gunawardena and F.J. Zittle found a high degree of variation between learner satisfaction and social presence in a computer-mediated communication environment. J. McDonald and C. Campbell-Gibson study demonstrated that groups meeting in a synchronous computer-mediated course…

Summarizes research concerning the educational experience of women students, in Germany and Austria. Posits six broad categories of research: (1) beginning of women as university students; (2) "tradition of prejudice;" (3) structural analyses of female students; (4) university socialization and memory; (5) occupationally specific…

Examines the origins of school knowledge, and proposes a new tool for analyzing in-class teaching phenomena for different disciplines. Teachers who have mastered the structures of their own discipline's teaching content analyze and compare the contents of other disciplines, thus addressing multidisciplinary teaching problems with a didactic…

A survey of all secondary schools in a southern English county found that 4.6% offered outdoor education courses, 15% had discontinued such courses in the last 5 years, 46% included outdoor/adventure activities in physical-education curricula, and 88% ran short residential trips temporarily replacing the school curriculum. Discusses obstacles and…

Examines issues in the assessment of the special educational needs of children for whom English is a second language, and identifies notions that actually prevent good practices. Urges more attainable practices that focus assessment on the learning environment, including the "where,""with whom,""from whom,""when,""what," and "how" of the child's…

Presents a perspective on the growing and evolving nature of distance learning, its history, and the research that informs practice. Explores the development of online distance education and discusses considerations in designing online instruction, including pedagogical concerns, organizational issues, and institutional issues. (AEF)

Draws on an ethnographic study of Japanese middle schools and other data to analyze the Japanese educational concepts of "lifestyle guidance" and "group living," which promote students' egalitarian participation in the life of the school. Examines Japanese ideals of community and participation as the basis of an alternative…

Discusses theoretical approaches to teaching and learning in the past 20 years, and their link to computer and communication technology. Presents examples of recent programs to improve science and technology education among junior high and high schools in Israel, which incorporate the use of computers and information systems to diverse degrees and…

Elk City, Idaho, instituted an arts program in its small K-10 school with grant and community funding. An arts facilitator organized a visiting-artists program and trained teachers to recognize different learning styles and integrate art, literature, and music into the curriculum. Self-esteem and test scores have risen, and the community is…