In 24 third and sixth grade classrooms, 78 percent of instructional time involved quiet work or teacher talking, whereas 1 percent involved brainstorming, discussion, oral problem solving, and role playing combined. Talk structures were affected by subject and teacher sex but not by grade or teacher experience. Contains 71 references. (Author/SV)

American indicator systems of educational accountability generally focus on student outcomes. The next generation of indicator systems must address wider issues, such as social context and values, curriculum assessment, structure of schooling, and individual student differences. Administrative, technical, political, and financial issues in…

Eight papers discuss the public choice model of education in an international context and the implications of choice for parental involvement in schools. Perspectives/dilemmas in the United States, Great Britain, Japan, and Israel are considered. Conflicting views of schools as service organizations and schools as commonwealth organizations are…

Eight papers discuss issues comparing public and private education. New studies are included to emphasize the international dimensions of the public school versus private school debate, addressing national policies toward private education; research evidence comparing the effectiveness of public and private schools; and reasons for these…

Research is reviewed concerning the cooperative learning methods most widely researched in studies comparing cooperative and traditional methods. Several cooperative learning methods are described. Outcomes reviewed include academic achievement, intergroup relations, mainstreaming, and self-esteem. (TJH)

Discusses personal practical knowledge, its role in image making, and teaching practices. Describes images' role in two interns' classroom practices. On-site field notes and interview data suggest how images, such as "classroom as community," function in classroom teachers' lives. Images can be played out differently in classroom practices. (TES)

Reports study on use of critical-incident analysis and guided reflection with preservice teachers in one-year postdegree program. Single case study demonstrates how mentor-assisted analysis helps derive meaning from teaching practicum. Suggests value of guided-reflective journal writing as preservice teacher development exercise. (TES)

Reports 126 interns' ratings of 31 existing and ideal clinical supervision behaviors before and after 4-month internship, to determine satisfaction with cooperating teacher supervision. Training and frequent practice in clinical supervision rated most ideal supervisory behaviors. Audio, video recording rated lowest. Recommends observational method…

Compares responses of teachers participating in curriculum committees at societal and institutional levels of educational system. Differences found in teachers' motivations to join committees and in satisfactions or dissatisfactions they derived from participation. Suggests that curriculum development changes as it becomes farther removed from…

Studies behaviors that characterize effective curriculum consultants. Focuses on strategies reported by six experienced and six inexperienced consultants. Data organized into consultation model: initiation, planning, delivery, followup. Overt strategies, not the crude quantitative data (such as time spent), make significant differences. Work…

Summarizes survey results of students in college-to-university transfer program. Distinguishes between persisters and nonpersisters to identify attrition factors. Nonpersisters (10 percent of whole) were found indistinguishable, except in having recognized "stepping out" as an option. Confirms value of transfer programs. Offers suggestions for…

Ten articles on the use of multilevel data in educational research are presented. Topics include model specification and building, analytical procedures, aggregation bias, least squares statistics, hierarchical linear models, significance testing, and testing multilevel product-process networks. (TJH)

Eight articles on international educational indicators (IEIs) are presented. Topics include functions and limitations of IEIs; science and math indicators and national welfare; higher education indicators; cost and resource indicators; and national perspectives from the United States, Australia, France, and England and Wales. (TJH)

Five papers discuss the current and potential contributions of information-processing theory to our understanding of mathematical thinking as those contributions affect the practice of mathematics education. It is concluded that information-processing theories need to be supplemented in various ways to more adequately reflect the complexity of…

Six papers discuss concerns and research in mathematics education and reflect the diversity of approaches used in addressing substantive issues related to mathematics teaching and learning. Student, curriculum, and teacher are considered in empirical and conceptual studies, each of which also presents a review of the literature. (SLD)