Studied factors contributing to early Spanish literacy and later English reading for students from kindergarten through grade 7 (complete data for 91 students). Results suggest that early literacy experiences support subsequent literacy development regardless of language and that time spent on the native language is not time lost with respect to…

Discusses the possibility that L. Vygotsky, described as the "Mozart of Psychology," met and exchanged views with John Dewey in 1928 and describes the meeting of the minds evidenced in Dewey's writings after 1925 and Vygotsky's writings toward the end of his life. (SLD)

Studied changes in bullying, victimization, and peer affiliation as 138 students made the transition from elementary school through the first year of middle school. Results show that bullying and aggressive victimization remain relatively constant over time. Discusses changes in social affiliations and their importance in minimizing victimization.…

Studied patterns of coping behavior and changes in coping for 169 Australian adolescents at grade levels 7, 9, and 11 using the Adolescent Coping Scale (E. Frydenberg and R. Lewis, 1993). Findings highlight differences in development of coping patterns between boys and girls. Discusses implications for the teaching of coping skills. (SLD)

Studied the effectiveness of an innovative statistics course designed to improve students' scientific and statistical reasoning skills during its second presentation. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that the 22 students made significant gains in their ability to reason statistically. Analyses also revealed some specific conceptual…

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…

Studied the relative impact on student achievement when students were paired with one other student or a large group of peers and when they worked with a teacher or did not. Results for 109 elementary school students indicate that access to a teacher or a large group of peers were equally potent learning resources in computer supported…

Assesses the potential impact of large-scale voucher programs, drawing on empirical literature in economics, education, and sociology. Orients the discussion around research questions about: (1) the relative efficiency of private and public schools; (2) whether school vouchers will make the public schools more efficient; and (3) whether vouchers…

Reviews recent research developments related to the study of interests and goals and their relationship to children's learning. Calls for reconsidering the polarization of situational and individual interest, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and performance and mastery goals. Discusses the multidimensional nature of motivational forces. (SLD)

Draws on the work of an eclectic group of thinkers to present a range of perspectives that inform, complicate, and contest efforts to "teach freedom." Illustrates the many ways that postmodern theorists use to explore the tensions of politics and pedagogy and the commitments that underlie some of their projects. (SLD)

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…

Presents case studies of four exemplary schools as they worked to meet the demands of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and the assessment system, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System. Finds that the ways schools met the challenges were unique to each site, but outlines aspect common to teachers in all four sites. (SLD)

Studied characteristics of teachers' professional lives that accompany student achievement in writing, reading, and English. Results from classes of 44 middle and high school teachers in 4 states show the importance of a climate that promoted student achievement, teacher professional development, structured improvement activities, teacher caring…

Studied differences in the print environment offered children in 20 first-grade classrooms of very low or very high socioeconomic status. Site visits show substantial differences between the two groups, with lower amount, type, and uses of print in the lower socioeconomic status classrooms. Meaningful differences in literacy instruction were…

Developed a model and an operational measure of collective teacher efficacy and tested the measure in a pilot study involving 70 teachers. Also used the instrument to study collective teacher efficacy and academic achievement in 47 urban elementary schools. Results show collective teacher efficacy to be positively associated with student-level…