This paper focuses on the emerging role of practitioners, students, and professors in the preparation of school administrators. The first section provides an overview of the Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (CAPP), a 2-year program based on core modules/courses, reflection sessions, and internship experiences. The second section…

A study was conducted to examine and compare, in 10 selected countries, the interaction between current conceptions and theories of assessment and assessment practices. Of particular interest was the nature of changing practice and theory in assessing the learning achievements of students in elementary and secondary education, as well as the…

Research that has been conducted relating to the use of graphics and how various design variables interact with graphics in influencing the process of learning within individuals is explored. Research directions and approaches that may provide enhanced guidelines for integrating graphics into future interactive learning environments are described.…

This paper presents 13 research and theory driven methods and strategies for the college reading and learning program. The strategies described are: (1) promoting developmental growth and learning; (2) using a course simulation model; (3) using undergraduate teaching assistants; (4) employing peer teaching; (5) using high utility strategies for…

Preservice teachers need to be prepared for their roles as researchers and consumers of research. Four ways by which methods instructors can interest preservice teachers in research are: (1) selecting potentially useful findings and publishing them in journals of interest to prospective teachers; (2) assigning analysis of research papers; (3)…

Issues and assumptions underlying the current movement toward educational reform are explored. The historical antecedents of the current interest in accountability date back to before the turn of the century, but the beginning of mandated accountability in federal programs occured in the late 1960's. Publication of "A Nation at Risk" in…

This paper reviews the literature relative to the theory and practice of literature-based reading instruction, and seeks to bring clarity concerning the concept of literature-based reading instruction. The paper points out that from a theoretical point of view advocates of literature-based reading instruction draw upon the whole language…

How do people experience engagement? We explore this question by interpreting stories of engagement, stories associated with projects undertaken in conjunction with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Leadership for Institutional Change (LINC) initiative. The stories convey a sense of what it means to be and feel engaged: it is a resonant experience,…

A glance at new textbooks or at ads in composition journals will show that besides "writing" and "reading," the word "process" appears more often than any other word. Composition has followed other theoretical notions in the air and turned from analyzing finished essays to examining the processes which produced them.…

Noting that raising standards for teaching is a key to education reform, this guide outlines a tested plan for helping practicing teachers upgrade and fine-tune their own performance by systematically studying their own classroom methods and the student learning that results. Following an introduction, the guide discusses research group…

This study explored the perceptions of whole language instruction held by a group of teachers of young children. Four questions framed the study: (1) How do teachers of young children define a whole language program? (2) What kind of whole language activities have the teachers tried in their classroom, and how did teachers feel about the outcomes…

This instructor's manual is designed to augment the textbook, "Case Studies on Teaching", and was developed for use by the instructor to deepen and broaden students' analysis of the case studies. The text presents 36 case studies, based on data gathered from first-year teachers that provide direct involvement with some of the most common and…

The influences within the Ontario educational system perceived by teachers, department heads, and principals as affecting their evaluation policies and practices were studied. Interviews were conducted in the 1987-88 school year as part of the Ecology of Evaluation research project conducted in Ontario and British Columbia. About 50 elementary and…

Empirical research in education seems to have an international tendency to concentrate on problems that can be grasped adequately. But that approach tends to direct more research to smaller and smaller areas, where results are more precise but more irrelevant for the complex practice of education. To try to bridge this gap between research and…

From a Vygotskian perspective critical thinking skills are taught through speech interactions between teacher and student. Two assumptions central to Vygotskian theory are the role of inner speech in self-regulation and how teaching creates the zone of proximal development. Inner speech allows humans to consciously direct their thought processes.…