The authors of the study "The Long-Term Impact of Teachers" claim that their study shows that increases in teacher value-added lead to significant and lasting increases in test scores and significant increases in income that will last throughout adulthood. Instead, I show that these claims are false because they are contradicted by the…

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in understanding the levels and trends in high school graduation in the U.S. A big and influential literature has argued that the "true" high school graduation rate remains at an unsatisfactory level, and that the graduation rates for minorities (Blacks and Hispanics) are alarmingly low. In this…

A recent article by Stuebing, Barth, Cirino, Francis and Fletcher critiqued the findings of Camilli, Vargas, and Yurecko (2003) and Camilli, Wolfe, and Smith (2006). With a methodological argument, they attempted to resolve the conflict between these studies and the original report Teaching Children to Read (National Reading Panel, 2000). In…

The purpose of this article is to comment on the prior article entitled "Examining Instruction, Achievement and Equity with NAEP mathematics data," by Sarah Theule Lubienski. That article claims that a prior article by the author suffered from three weaknesses: (1) An attempt to justify No Child Left Behind (NCLB); (2) drawing causal inferences…

I comment on the strengths and limitations of Haskell's article and provide a critical review of his arguments about the negative impact of SEF on tenure and other administrative decisions. I object to the limited evidence supporting the claim that the use of student evaluations per se challenges academic freedom. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

The authors reviewed the article "What Do Klein et al. Tell Us About Test Scores in Texas?" by Toenjes. A summary of their responses is presented. First, Toenjes incorrectly describes the focus of the authors' study. Second, Toenjes appears to have misunderstood the purpose of their 20-schools analysis. Third, Toenjes misunderstands the…

I take issue with several points in the Howleys' reanalysis (Vol. 12 No. 52 of this journal) of "High School Size: Which Works Best and for Whom?" (Lee & Smith, 1997). That the original sample of NELS schools might have underrepresented small rural public schools would not bias results, as they claim. Their assertion that our conclusions about an…

We seek to understand why persons develop their musical preferences by identifying with a particular cultural group and social background. This identification is greatly shaped by experience in their environment. Resources employed for this identification are mostly different from those employed in schools to foster academic knowledge. We argue…

Interest in strengthening the impact and value of education research has been growing around the world. Here I outline a view of the nature of "impact" and point to instances where research has had a positive impact in education, but always within a larger social and political framework. A three element "model" of research impact is developed and…

Explores student interaction with the educational system and shows why large numbers of students have incentives to undercut the intent of educational reforms. Describes the kind of educational structures and policies that create pathways to competent adulthood and have a chance of bringing about the reformers' goal of educational excellence. (SLD)

Addresses and extends R. Garlikov's discussion (1998) of A. Rud's (1997) criticism of the Socratic dialogue to cover general notions of power and shows how these may affect Socratic discourse. In Socratic pedagogy the adverse effects of power are reduced, and the focus shifts from people to propositions. (SLD)

Whether there are reasonable concerns about liberty raised by standards-driven educational reform is explored, focusing on students' interests in autonomy and authenticity, academic freedom, and pluralism. A view of standards and accountability that is narrowly focused on clear public interests is crucial for educational reform. (SLD)

Nation-building, partly through systems of schooling, has done more to debase than improve rural circumstances. Rural education needs a logic of improvement that differs from that applied so far. Some sources are suggested that might help in the development of real rural educational improvement. (SLD)

Developmentalism is an educational doctrine that presumes natural development to be optimal and requires that teaching practices overcome a presumption that they interfere with an optimal developmental trajectory. It actually impedes efforts to hold schools accountable for student achievement in that it rejects or ignores research on best teaching…

Argues that effective staff development for teachers should be tied to the daily classroom life and grounded in the concerns and questions of teachers. Discusses a theory of pedagogy that advocates teaching for understanding and a model of staff development based on practical knowledge and critical reflections. (SLD)