Discusses ways in which selected factors limit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention efforts in African-American communities, focusing on the stigma associated with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), reliance on traditional models of health, and the lack of funding for needed services and research. (SLD)

Analyzes how staff at two inservice programs that helped elementary teachers develop constructivist teaching practices construed program subject matter, noting the role they assigned subject matter in helping educators learn to teach. The reformist pedagogy used a principled conception of subject matter. Developing teachers' subject matter…

An international project is setting a research agenda for examining ways in which demands for change in higher education are shaped and interpreted by the higher education community in different countries. The research focuses on (1) the regulatory relationship between government and higher education institutions, and (2) classification and…

Reviews research done in conjunction with educational reform in the Soviet Union, highlighting the work of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences. Criticizes research for short-sightedness, lack of coordination, and failure to unite theory and practice. Delineates shortcomings and calls for greater integration and a broader, more creative vision for…

Describes the Public Library Effectiveness Study (PLES), which was designed to apply models and methods of organizational effectiveness research to public libraries. Indicators of public library effectiveness are described, factor analysis results are presented, implications for evaluating library performance are discussed, and further research is…

Reviews effective schools research and discusses the theories behind it. Both the "empirical" approach and the multiparadigmatic approach have limitations. An evolutionary epistemology that interweaves qualitative and quantitative aspects of school effectiveness is preferable. People need realistic change models allowing them to balance…

Argues that the contexts of teaching are more diverse, embedded, and interactive in their effects on teaching practice than is assumed by prior school effects research. The paper discusses teaching for understanding, student differentiation and tracking, school social organization, bureaucratization of schooling, and implications for policy…

Contends that the sociology of U.S. organized religion is undergoing a period of ferment. Discusses the development of an open market in the historiography and sociology of U.S. religion studies. Concludes with suggestions for further research. (CFR)

Examines the effects of poverty on parenting, noting the work of the Kennedy Center at Peabody College and discussing parenting as a process, how parents are influenced by poverty, how parenting in poverty influences children's development, how children are directly and indirectly influenced by poverty, and factors that mediate the debilitating…

Discusses the integration of technology into the learning environment and considers how best to equip the teacher of the future to accommodate such changes. Summarizes the findings of student and teacher reactions to online Web-based courses at the University of Central Florida and suggests further research. (Author/LRW)

Explores problematic charter-school characteristics that must be changed to improve American education: lack of innovative practices and improved academic outcomes; disproportionate administrative costs; segregation of students by ethnicity, income level, and special needs; and deplorable physical learning environments. More competition, planning,…

Explores why mental health has been a contested issue in Head Start and describes recent efforts to bring mental health closer to the center of the program agenda. Describes areas of challenge and innovation that might further the program goal of improving the well-being of parents and children in poverty. Concludes with recommendations for…

A brief review of what is known about teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults focuses on four areas: characteristics and needs of adult English language learners; program design and instructional practices; ESL teacher preparation and staff development; and learner assessment and outcomes. Teachers are urged to let colleagues,…

Research shows that learning communities are an effective way to improve student performance and persistence, but the success of any particular implementation is not guaranteed. Each program should be evaluated with regard to the likelihood that better-prepared students tend to participate. The protocol used for evaluation at Indiana…

Reports on a study of the information sources used in environmental scanning by chief executives of the Canadian telecommunications industry that investigated the relationship between perceived source quality and source use and the chief executives' perception and use of the company library and electronic information sources. (Contains 23…