This study examined the effects of peer coaching on mathematics teaching practices and teacher beliefs about their capacity to have an impact on student learning. Twelve teachers in grades 3 and 6 participated in a brief but intensive professional development program over six months. The program focused on effective mathematics teaching strategies…

Principals are held accountable for student achievement although most studies find that they have no direct effect on it. In this study we tested a model hypothesizing that principals contribute to student achievement indirectly through teacher commitment and beliefs about their collective capacity. Path analysis of data from 205 elementary…

Research on student assessment in online environments has not been extensive, although manuals for instructors provide broad guidelines and specific procedures. In this article we review the most frequently reported approaches to online assessment in postsecondary settings, giving particular attention to systems for assessing the quality of…

Four grade-9 mathematics teachers in Canada were studied over one year as they implemented destreaming (detracking), which was an externally induced reform in their school system. Implementation of the destreaming had an immediate negative effect on teacher expectations of their own efficacy, but their beliefs rebounded over the year. (SLD)

The popularity of semestered timetable organization is founded on the belief that this organizational change makes a positive contribution to the social, emotional, and cognitive growth of students. This research attempted to test the validity of that belief by identifying the claims made for timetable reorganization, formulating these claims as…

This article reports data on the retention of problem-solving performance after one month, four months, and six months, in three separate studies conducted in school settings involving a variety of grades and subjects. (Author/LMO)

Instructional design strategy for improving problem solving is presented. The strategy entails selecting an appropriate domain of problem-solving tasks, learning hierarchies, teaching methods and assembling of learning materials, and designing teacher training and evaluation. Obstacles to be overcome and directions for future research are…

Relationships among student achievement, teacher efficacy, and interactions with 6 history teaching coaches were studied for 18 seventh and eighth grade history teachers in 36 classes. Student achievement was higher when teachers had more contact with coaches and when teachers had more confidence in education's effectiveness. (SLD)

A study of interactions among 15 students in a computer-mediated graduate course found no sexist language or overt exclusionary behavior. However, women exercised less procedural leadership and influence on group products and had fewer productive contributions. (Author/SK)