When tough economic times set in, school business administrators heighten their normal zeal in finding ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The author's school district recently underwent a yearlong internal self-analysis to examine and determine the proper staffing levels for the administrative functions within the school district's…

Given the current economic constraints facing the country, school districts in the U.S. have been pushed to develop annual budgets through a new lens and to accept the reality that budget adoption is a complex, political process. Whether a school district is rich or poor, growing or declining in enrollment, serving a specialized population or…

A laboratory exercise using [superscript 27]Al NMR spectrometry to study the tetrahedral tetrahaloaluminate anions has been developed. Spectra of the homoleptic complexes [AlX[subscript 4]]-and the dihalide anions [AlX[subscript 4]Y[subscript 4-n]]-(X, Y = Cl, Br, or I) are acquired, then the pairwise-additivity concept developed by Vladimiroff…

The advent of educational policy debate and educational research in the first half of the twentieth century is part of the quest for respectability and influence in the social sciences. There was an increasing quest for "objective" methodologies and data as missionary societies, philanthropic foundations and governments sought reliable…

In this chapter, the historical roots of contemporary Practice Theory are unearthed in the work of semioticians, philosophers, and anthropologists. Saussure's semiotic theory is contrasted with that of Peirce, and the importance of Peirce's work for understanding the context of signs is stressed. The philosophy of language in the writings of…

Based on the social exchange theory of Homans, Gouldner, and Malinowski, this sociocultural analysis of three elementary schools focused on principal-teacher and teacher-teacher exchanges of instructional influence. Two questions were asked: (a) In what ways, if any, do principals and teachers in high-achieving, high-poverty schools exchange…

The importance of faculty development programs involving coordination between institutions of higher education and elementary and secondary schools is discussed. High school language teachers often express an interest in tailoring their courses to foreign language study at the college level. Such coordination requires mutual understanding about…

The aim of the paper is to ascertain the size and cultural vitality of the Sephardic component of the 50 Sephardic congregations and communities in the United States. Particular attention is focused on the extent to which Judeo-Spanish, the language of the Sephardim, continues to play a role within the group. The history of Sephardic expulsion and…

Details the skills and approaches that student teachers need to possess and develop as they begin their work in the classroom. Includes a web map for student teaching. (DDR)

The purpose of this paper is to link several sets of ideas in personality theory to each other and to Christian theology; link several sets of ideas in personality theory and cultural anthropology to each other and to Christian theology; and demonstrate that various social phenomena are not the domain of any particular social or behavioral science…

Author examined the casual reading of novels by Malinowski during the time he lived among the natives of New Guinea and of the islands around New Guinea from 1914-18. (Author/RK)

Addressing the need for developmental or remedial reading and writing courses at the college level, this paper provides a broad perspective on the strengthening of such programs for students deficient in these skills. The paper first enumerates various reasons for developing reading-writing courses for pre-college students, then provides evidence…

During spring 1988, an initial survey was conducted among two- and four-year colleges in New York State to identify the primary reading test used for diagnosis and placement. In order to address several questions raised by the study, a follow-up survey of participating two-year colleges was conducted during fall 1989. Of the 28 two-year colleges…

In February 1988, a survey was conducted to examine placement procedures and developmental reading programs at two- and four-year colleges in New York State. Surveys were mailed to 30 two-year colleges and 28 four-year colleges, requesting information on the placement tests and cut-off scores used; types of additional diagnostic testing; course…

The camp community is plagued by various stereotypes, including that camps and their staff are excessively happy, of poor quality, focused on partying and debauchery, scary, or overly strict. These cliches are perpetuated by the mass media. Each stereotype is discussed, and strategies for countering them during staff training are presented. (TD)