The outstanding characteristics of Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, New York, are discussed in the context of the recent history and current public expectations of public schools. The school, opened in 1974 as an experimental program, is academically rigorous and has high standards for teacher participation and creativity. (MSE)

This brief summarizes the findings of a recent book, "Standards Deviation: How Schools Misunderstand Education Policy" (Spillane, 2004), that examines state and local government relations as the standards move from the statehouse to the district policymakers and teachers who attempt to make sense of them. It takes a case study approach,…

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is a tool for developing learner responsibility and autonomy through reflection and self-awareness.The ELP is based on the Common European Framework (CEF) Reference Levels that enable learners to describe what they can do in different languages.The CEF is a Council of Europe initiative aimed at improving the…

This study is part of a larger research agenda, which includes future doctoral study, aiming to investigate the psychological processes of thought experiments. How do thought-experimenters establish relations between their imaginary worlds and the physical one? How does a technique devoid of new sensory input result to new empirical knowledge? In…

Having a body of literature on psychological sequelae of victims, assessments, and interventions following a trauma can help mental health workers to better understand the prior treatment responses and to plan for the future. In this article, we review the current status of published mental health research on children following September 11,…

The purpose of this study was to identify how effective teachers manage productive groups in elementary grade classrooms. Multiple instrumental case study methods were used to document the managerial actions of selected teachers who made extensive use of cooperative learning (CL) activities. Four teachers in three elementary grade classrooms (two…

An exploration of how year 12 students in a New Zealand high school make meaning of their experiences of different specialist IT (information technology) courses shows that gender identity is a potent factor in their experiences. At a personal level, individual students, males and females, construe their experiences of CPS (computer studies) and…

It has become more and more common to read and hear that the essential factor underlying effective schools is an ethos or culture of excellence and that effective school leaders are culture builders. The main purpose of this study was to ascertain administrators' views of their schools' climate. The second purpose was to examine imperative skills…

This thesis examines the history of school consolidation in Randolph County, West Virginia, which includes some of the most rural, mountainous land in the state. West Virginians have built schools, reorganized schools, and made numerous changes to structures over the last 250 years. Some changes had community support; others encountered stormy…

This report assesses the current situation of girls' participation in elementary education, suggesting approaches that may help increase girls' retention. It reviews research findings and conventional wisdom on constraints affecting girls' schooling and examines initiatives that have attempted to increase girls' retention. Chapter 1,…

This book provides an overview of the modal curriculum in teacher education, summarizing 29 teacher education reform proposals and examining six instructional approaches to teacher education. Chapter 1 describes the modal teacher preparation curriculum (general studies, content studies, professional education, integrative studies, and guidelines…

A study examining school contributions to community development collected data from five rural Australian communities via interviews with school and community members, documentation from school and community sources, and observation. Preliminary findings from two communities suggest that in both, the school was a key player in building and…

Bullying is a topic rarely talked about in a sustained, non-judgmental, and age-appropriate manner. The subject is also an under-studied phenomenon in the United States, in contrast with Britain, Norway, and Sweden. In the past, studies on bullying have focused on the pathology of the bully instead of on the whole school culture, or bullying has…

The Indicators Project on Education Organizing was designed to examine the role of community organizing in school reform. For over 2 years, researchers documented the education organizing of five urban groups. This report presents an education organizing indicators framework that highlights strategies and accomplishments of education organizing.…

This report describes Austin, Texas' Austin Interfaith, which connects community institutions that can support families (e.g., schools, congregations, and civic organization) and builds the capacity of family members to participate fully in the economic system. Viewing schools as key neighborhood institutions, Austin Interfaith works directly with…