Audiobooks may be used with adolescent readers to improve fluency, expand vocabulary, activate prior knowledge, develop comprehension, and increase motivation to interact with books. Removing the restraints of word recognition and decoding allows a very positive focus on the meaning behind an author's words. This provides an opportunity for many…

Studying the Holocaust provides an opportunity to explore a fascinating historical topic whose impact on the contemporary world cannot be overstated. As such, the topic is now an accepted part of the American secondary school curriculum. For such curricula to be of maximum benefit to students, clearly defined perspectives that direct the students'…

This study focuses on data collected at "Progressive Secondary School" in Southern California, a high school which uses narrative evaluations and other forms of alternative summative assessment on a school wide basis. Through a survey and personal interviews, students were asked to describe what they liked most and least about the use of narrative…

Researchers have suggested that self-efficacy and goal orientation are context specific variables. However, few researchers have addressed these variables in technology-enhanced learning environments. This study examined changes in 549 middle school students' goal orientation, self-efficacy, and science knowledge after engaging in science learning…

This article examines the High Tech High charter school, the ideas and practices that influenced its development, and the school's impact on San Diego Unified School District, which authorized the charter. The Discussion analyzes the school's program using frameworks of social bonding theory and progressive educational theory and practice. Since…

The purpose of this study was to determine if requiring multiple credits of high school physical education for graduation has an impact on promoting physical activity in young adults. Participants in this study (N=361) were surveyed concerning their high school physical education experiences and current performance of physical activity. Results…

External stakeholders and public constituents often have predetermined notions of what administrators do. This quantitative study was designed to help provide concrete evidence of how their time is actually spent. This researcher-developed survey was electronically sent to 332 secondary school principals in the state of Iowa. Although some…

What are middle school students' attitudes toward digital cheating and plagiarism? To answer the question, an empirical study was conducted in three middle schools using multiple focus groups and interviews. Students participated in the focus groups, and teachers, and parents participated in interviews. The study found that peer culture…

This paper presents survey data concerning the procedure for determining Class Rank and Valedictorian status at 232 of the 500 largest public high school districts in the United States. These data are analyzed to consider whether or not districts are currently employing methodologies that provide students with appropriate incentives and provide…

The actual and preferred classroom experiences of 11 teachers and their 254 secondary students were surveyed. Our survey focused on nine dimensions of effective teaching. In contrast to existing research, in which dimensions of teaching practice are experimenter-defined, our survey reflected the educator standards of a particular state (Texas).…

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics, core beliefs, and activities of successful middle grades programs. Schools in Florida are held to standards of accountability under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability, and the Florida Secondary Schools Redesign Act.…

Without adequate reading comprehension, writing proficiency, math competency, and critical thinking skills, students pursuing higher education are vulnerable to failure. An environmental Science course built around academic wholism is the focus of a summer program designed to bridge the gap between high school and college. Students self-reflect…

The purpose of this paper is to identify strategies for preventing and managing classroom discipline problems that any teacher, even a student teacher, can use successfully. Sixty-eight student science teachers, during their first weeks of student teaching, each reported, in an account of a well-remembered event about classroom management,…

Twenty-seven special education students in self-contained classes whose behavior met DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnostic criteria for an ODD diagnosis were matched according to age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, math and reading scores, and IQ with 27 special education students in self-contained classes who did…

Moral issues embedded in grading practices of high school English teachers are central to this study. Arriving at a fair grade while weighing both achievement and non-achievement factors and the role of teachers' expectations are examined using a theoretical framework which considers grading processes in terms of truth, worthwhileness, trust, and…