This brief report uses data from five administrations of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to examine the distribution of weekly instructional hours by regular, full-time first- through fourth-grade teachers of self-contained classrooms in four subjects: English/reading/language arts; arithmetic/mathematics; social studies/history; and,…

This study aimed at investigating the contribution of motivational beliefs, cognitive, and metacognitive strategy use to Turkish high school students' achievement in biology. In order to investigate the specified purpose of the study, 519 tenth-grade students were administered the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith,…

Parents, teachers, and government officials agree that America's schools must be reformed. However, new research suggests that most reforms will not work without closer attention to one critical resource--time. This document presents findings of a study conducted by the Rand Institute on Education and Training, which found that any reform takes…

In order to establish a tertiary educational sector that is able to provide equal opportunities to all students, it is vital that institutions diversify curriculum delivery and course assessment strategies. Although it may appear impractical to develop a course that takes into consideration the various learning preferences of all individuals,…

This study examined the academic engaged time of six students with low incidence disabilities who were enrolled in general elementary classrooms. These students participated in regular classes for reading or math, and at least one other subject area. The academic engaged time of these students was compared to that of six students without…

This handbook is divided into five parts: The introduction suggests how to approach the first year of teaching, and then dispels a number of myths about teaching. "Teaching Skills" covers general classroom management, planning lessons, paper work and grading, and working with students, including student discipline, motivation, individual needs,…

A 2-day conference was sponsored by the Department of Special Education and the Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation at Teachers College (Columbia University, New York), "Working Mother" magazine, The Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, and the U.S. Department of Education. More than 350 parents, teachers, school…

The National Education Commission on Time and Learning (NECT&L) is an independent advisory body authorized by Congress to conduct a comprehensive review of the relationship between time and learning in elementary-secondary education, including international comparisons, the use of time in and out of school, the use of facilities, year-round…

This paper presents a study that examined the "encounter" stage (adaptation to the new role) of a faculty member who is promoted to Department Chair. The quantitative study consisted of a national survey of 808 Department Chairs from 101 universities categorized as Research I and II and Doctorate granting I and II by the Carnegie Council.…

Using two statistical analysis techniques (the Program Evaluation and Review Technique and the Critical Path Method), this study analyzed procedures for compiling the required yearly report of the Metropolitan Separate School Board (Catholic) of Toronto, Canada. The computer-assisted analysis organized the process of completing the report more…

The subjects of this study were 165 teachers who participated in peer assistance workshops conducted by peer teachers recognized for their successful teaching. These teachers shared ideas on: (1) classroom/behavior management; (2) organizing instruction; (3) teaching methods for specific content; and (4) student evaluation and reporting.…

In 1986, the Tennessee legislature authorized the Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project. At the end of the school year, interviews were held with teachers from kindergarten through third-grade levels on their perceptions of teaching either in a small class, in a regular class with a full-time aide, or in a regular class. The following…

A study examined the use of time reserved for formal reading instruction in elementary schools. Subjects were 36 elementary classroom teachers--12 each from grades 1, 3, and 5--in 8 suburban schools. Specific reading instruction behaviors for each teacher were observed during two complete periods of the regularly scheduled reading classes. Teacher…

This document reports on a study of structural characteristics in the administrative behavior of Israeli school administrators and compares the findings with similar studies conducted in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The sample consisted of eight high school administrators, whose on-the-job behavior was observed for 5 hours per day for…

After reviewing effective teaching research during the past 20 years, one basic question arises: do teachers make any difference? Specifically, do teachers' classroom practices have any effect on student outcomes beyond the effects of ability and home background? What knowledge of minimal teaching competencies has been gained, and how firm is the…