In his inaugural Presidential Address, given to the BERA Conference 2013 at the University of Sussex, Ian Menter addresses a number of issues concerning educational policy and the contributions that educational research might make to policy development. As BERA approaches its fortieth anniversary, he also sets out some of the responsibilities that…

A review of the critical literature provides a brief history of systematic observation of classroom behaviors, long valued as an important data collection method in educational research. Milestones in systematic observation of classrooms are traced back to 1914 and the development and use of the Special Strategies Observation System (SSOS) through…

Discusses James Conant's ideas about the democratic role of the comprehensive high school and addresses just how those ideas have been treated by history. Major historical events have converged in the post-World War II period to make Conant's view of the democratic high school problematic, at least in large metropolitan areas. (SLD)

Develops a conceptual framework of research genres that illustrates the complex multidisciplinary roots of multicultural education. Includes examples of research to clarify the nature of the genres and the interactive connections across genres within the framework as a whole. Discusses implications for practice. (SLD)

Using ethnographic techniques and formal interviews with 12 students, examined the racial messages and lessons students got from parents and teachers in one suburban elementary school community. Explicit color-blind "race talk" masked a reality of racialized practices and color-conscious understandings. Discusses this apparent paradox in the…

Uses National Educational Longitudinal Study data for approximately 25,000 students to show that information about higher education, guidance, and essential preparatory actions taken by secondary school students influences whether they will attend postsecondary education institutions within 2 years of high school graduation, and the types of…

Used qualitative data from two schools using the Success for All (SFA) program to examine how teachers responded to SFA and how their beliefs, experiences, and programmatic adaptations influenced implementation. Forty-seven interviews with teachers, principals, and SFA facilitators and 49 classroom observations showed that teachers fell into four…

Identifies ways in which multicultural education can transform cultural capital, examining thee dynamics that constrain the potential for cultural capital transformation through multicultural education. These constraints mean that multiculturalism may be unlikely to transform cultural capital, and may actually undermine the conditions for its…

Reviews the contribution of recent international studies to an understanding of the role of content in curriculum and the way in which schools have an impact on student learning. Such studies suggest that how the science and mathematics curriculum is presented may account for differences in student performance. (SLD)

Interviews with 78 high school students and 22 teachers in five high schools suggest that violence occurs at predictable locations and times in and around the school building. The locations were generally undefined public space not supervised by any teacher. Discusses implications for the prevention of school violence. Contains 98 references. (SLD)

Examined the teaching of two Latina/o elementary school teachers and identified issues with the potential for improving the literacy instruction of Latina/o students. Findings indicate that infusion results in a balanced approach to literacy learning, that more extensive reform increases teacher rapport with students, and that teachers' identities…

Examines the implementation of educational assessment policy in the United States, England, and Wales from the perspectives of power, what educators need to learn, and legitimacy. Findings suggest that assessment policy is useful for promoting easily observable changes, but not for deep modifications of teaching practice. (SLD)

Used the National Education Longitudinal Study database to examine student and school factors associated with dropping out in different grades. Results show that the mix of student risk factors changes between early and late dropouts. School factors can account for approximately two-thirds of the difference in mean school dropout rates, but do not…

Describes fundamental dimensions that appear to underlie effective transfer: subject-matter knowledge; general cognitive and metacognitive strategies; and motivation. Summarizes five generalizations about transfer drawn from the literatures on transfer, domain learning, and analogical reasoning. (SLD)

The narratives of more than 300 qualitative researchers about problems and solutions attempted during research were collected and analyzed to develop three successive descriptive-interpretive frameworks for understanding researchers' lived experiences during the shift from single to multiple research paradigms. The need for more reflective…