Expectations and how they are communicated influence employees' motivation, effort, goals, efficacy and performance. This study examined faculty performance evaluation standards and processes of 60 academic departments in research universities for motivationally relevant elements. Characteristics were systematically analysed to understand their…

Leader perceptions of higher education reforms in Armenia are examined in order to gain an insight into how they view the reforms, their role in the reforms and the roles of others. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Armenian higher education leaders and analysed in terms of the following five aspects relevant to leadership: policy…

The current educational policy climate in the USA places immense pressure on school district central offices to use evidence to inform their decisions in order to improve student learning. In light of both the expectations of evidence-based decision making and the significance of central offices in supporting teaching and learning, there is…

Implementing educational reform requires partnerships, and university-school collaborations in the form of investigative and experimental projects can aim to determine the practicalities of reform. However, there are funded projects that do not achieve intended outcomes. In the context of a new reform initiative in education, namely, science,…

An interview with Dr. Shaywitz , pediatrician, neuroscientist, and member of the National Reading Panel, focuses on the ways the brains of young children develop and what can be done to prevent early learning difficulties. (MLF)

Work with a longitudinal low-income sample of almost 200 early readers revealed that schools that focus entirely on teaching decoding skills in the early grades neglect the essential vocabulary knowledge that students need to become competent readers. (Contains 20 references and 5 tables.) (MLF)

Reviews a research project of 15 years ago that investigated whether children were better or worse off when they attended preschools that emphasized adult-directed instruction and the basics of reading and math rather than preschools that focused on play and exploration. Now, the most effective early childhood classrooms nurture both children's…

Several large-scale research efforts imply that improving instructional quality rather than assessing student readiness is a better way to promote student performance in the early grades. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/MLF)

The Starting School Research Project in Australia collected data from children, parents, and teachers to find out what they consider important as students start school--and how transition programs can help. A set of guidelines is provided for school programs that promote effective transition. (Author/MLF)

The Reggio Emilia approach to education reveals new ways for promoting children's academic learning; offers documentation as a tool for studying, sharing, and planning children's education experiences; and provokes a new way to think about the role of the teacher. (Contains 17 references.) (MLF)

In Reggio Emilia classrooms, working in small groups and documenting the learning process brings to light new understandings of teaching and learning for both children and adults. The classroom example is part of the Making Learning Visible Project, between Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Municipal Infant-Toddler…

Observations for 2 years of 34 grade 1 classrooms, in which at least three-fourths of the students were English learners, link specific instructional strategies to reading growth among English learners. Six facets of instruction predicted student growth in reading--in both reading comprehension and reading fluency and accuracy. (Contains 24…

Recent research provides evidence of the strong connections between quality of play in preschool years and children's readiness for school instruction. Mature play, characterized by imaginary situations, multiple roles, clearly defined rules, flexible themes, language development, length of play, helps students' cognitive development. (Contains 12…

Research has shown that preschool education is a sound investment--academically, socially, and economically. Offers some options for integrating the existing patchwork of U.S. public and private programs into a uniform system that provides a high-quality early education to all young children. (Contains 13 references.) (MLF)

Basics crucial to the successful functioning of early child-care and education programs are infrastructure and system. Infrastructure refers to the supports of finance, governance, accountability, professional development and training, and quality-assurance mechanisms. Systems make the parts function by eliminating redundancies and maximizing…