Describes the tests used in the Final Year Study of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), noting a variety of problems that render any interpretation of the study problematic (e.g., misleading statements, age variation, the devastating character of the results, failure of quality controls, differences in populations…

Discusses the cognitive and situative research approaches, identifying several points on which they agree (e.g., individual and social perspectives on activity are fundamental in education; learning can be general, and abstractions can be efficacious, but sometimes they are not; and situative and cognitive approaches can cast light on different…

Surveyed AERA members regarding their perceptions of: statistical issues and statistical significance testing; the general linear model; stepwise methods; score reliability; type I and II errors; sample size; statistical probabilities as exclusive measures of effect size; p values as direct measures of result value; and p values evaluating…

Examines the dilemma of audience and voice in education, connecting the golden era of American educational historiography to the education reforms of the 1960s-70s, then discussing recent developments in the areas of people of color, history and policy, higher education, and gender-based history. Suggests ways that history might be connected to…

Responds to an article on new directions in American history, discussing teacher isolation and presenting three types of solitary activity (independent research conducted in isolation from colleagues; topical areas within educational history isolated from one another; and educational history isolated from the real world of policy and practice).…

Examines the golden age of American education, describing the historical work of the old school and the revisionist critique that followed, both of which failed to address the complexities of American education. Political discussions of education are natural, but political analyses that are disengaged from broader moral, ethical, and transcendent…

Examines why there have been periods when new historical accounts of education excite attention and challenge dominant ideas and practices, noting that what is new can differ significantly. Discusses whether historians have anything to contribute to educational policy and looks at the influence of diversity on the interpretation of educational…

Responds to an article on school choice that claims that increased school choice likely has little effect on overall student achievement, arguing that it is premature to judge the impact of school choice and competition and that analysts should not be bounded by perceived political constraints when examining public policies designed to increase…

Presents the American Educational Research Association's position on high-stakes educational testing, which stresses conditions essential to sound implementation of such testing, including: protection against high-stakes decisions based on single tests; adequate resources and opportunity to learn; validation for each intended use; alignment…

Presents the responses of five people in the field of education (professors and assessment administrators) to the recently published position statement by the American Educational Research Association on high stakes testing in preK-12 education. The responses point out the contributions of this position statement and offer suggestions for…

Presents a historical framework of classroom assessment, highlighting the key tenets of social efficiency curricula, behaviorist learning theories, and scientific measurement. Offers a contrasting social-constructivist conceptual framework that blends key ideas from cognitive, constructivist, and sociocultural theories. Elaborates on ways that…

Predictions about the future of education are made against a backdrop of the history of the university and the historical effects of technology on higher education and education in general. The role of the university professor will shift from content area expert to that of instructional developer, instructional troubleshooter, and instructional…

Teacher educators and policy makers must provide teachers with the tools, processes, and supports to help students across the socioeconomic spectrum achieve standards according to their multiple intelligences while avoiding undermining influences of reductionism, superficiality, inequity, and pseudo-change. Seven elements for successful reform…

Teacher education lacks structural coherence, often results in training regimens or decoupled practices but not professional education experiences, and resists change. Two reforms to enhance professionalism are proposed: creating tracked programs that consider special populations and contexts, such as rural or Catholic schools, and developing…

The bilingual education debate often focuses solely on quick mastery of English versus native language maintenance, ignoring the more important issue of overall academic success for English language learners. Research suggests that the effectiveness of late-exit bilingual programs may be related to their provision of long-term academic support and…