Fifteen papers examine the cultural context and history of African Americans in higher education research and practice. Papers are grouped in three parts: African American culture in higher education research; African American higher education research issues and paradigms; and African American culture and higher education policy and practice.…

This book provides a critical examination of the major issues that social work education and practice must confront if social work is to remain as a mainline profession. The book explores issues that are not normally covered in social work literature, such as the challenge of reconstructing the social work profession, the use of technology in…

This paper unites theory and practice in examining the concept of "theory in practice." It contends that good administrators are theoretical about their work and that they construct categories using common, essential characteristics across similar situations so that few situations are viewed as unique. Two school superintendents were interviewed…

These two newsletters of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) present articles concerned with research on the education of gifted and talented students. The articles include: "NRC/GT: Making Decisions and Determining Next Steps" (E. Jean Gubbins); "Free Summer Programs for Talented Teens" (D. Betsy McCoach); "High End…

If an instructor teaches in a rhetoric and composition program, one of the most important ways to teach discourse study as a resistance to discourse theory is by tracing the fundamental founding dichotomies of discourse theory through the history of rhetorical theory, examining how assumptions of the legitimacy of such founding dichotomies has…

NMSA/AMLE's position paper "This We Believe" has come to be recognized as the best articulation of the middle school concept, the accepted standard. But inevitably, a position paper speaks in visionary generalizations; to move these ideals into actual practice is a very demanding task, but one that has to be undertaken if needed and…

Multiple-intelligences theory (MI) explores how cultures and disciplines shape human potential. Both MI and learning-style theories reject dominant ideologies of intelligence. Whereas learning styles are concerned with differences in the learning process, MI centers on learning content and products. Blending learning styles and MI theories via…

In a response to the preceding article, this one overviews an alternative approach to the study of second language acquisition (SLA). The article attempts to clear a pathway into other disciplines whose premises and empirical findings may help SLA researchers to reconfigure theoretical and pedagogical concerns with language and learning. (22…

Provides an account of a teacher's attempts to adopt a constructivist approach to lesson planning. Includes a detailed lesson plan for enabling students to accurately characterize living things. (DDR)

Argues against a type of program evaluation of undergraduate institutions that assumes students are products. Proposes that if students are products, then students are raw materials. Discusses the philosophical problems of considering students as raw materials. (DDR)

Presents and recommends the rationale for a primary science curriculum characterized by reduced content, breadth and balance, and a focus on investigative activities. Contains 128 references. (DDR)

Used case study of an urban elementary school to examine connections between educational research and practice at the school level. Compared the school's new "protocol" process for group discourse to the research orientations within discipline-based, institutional, and teacher research. Uncovered the key role of discourse conventions in…

Outlines a teaching strategy designed to promote hands-on, inquiry-type learning. This strategy is based on constructivist principles and reflects much of the current understanding of how children learn science. Contains 31 references. (DDR)

Addresses the question of what bearing the nature of educational theories has on their application to practice and focuses on the application of normative goal-directed theories of science education. Contains 40 references. (DDR)

In response to an article in the same issue by Norris and Kvernbekk, argues that the theory of Driver and associates, elaborated upon in the three articles which form the basis for their analysis, is not a normative goal-directed theory. (DDR)