Analysis of the mathematics attainment of cohorts of British elementary students in Year 2 (n=1,740) and Year 6 (n=1,663) from 1989-1997 reveals stable attainment over 9 years. There were fewer overachievers than expected since the standardization of the test. (SK)

An ethnographic study of the attitudes of teachers, headteachers, and home/school liaison workers toward school-parent relationships in Britain showed that, despite desire for closer and mutually supportive relationships, psychological and government policy barriers often prevented their development. (SK)

Eight Scottish primary school teachers described their experiences teaching about the Holocaust to 9-11 year-olds. With appropriate methodology and inservice training, the Holocaust can be a successful, challenging area of study. (SK)

A survey of 271 British secondary school teachers indicated that they recognize their role in supporting student literacy. However, they make limited use of literacy teaching strategies and have little training in literacy development. (SK)

Following a study finding that British teachers of post-16 English primarily used teacher-led recitation, four teachers were coached in alternative discourse strategies. The training resulted in a higher level of student initiation, thinking, and reciprocal listening. (SK)

Although the "consensus thesis" assumes that learning difficulties arise from school structural deficiencies, a study of two English secondary schools concludes that the thesis fails to account for complexities of school development. Instead, open-ended dialog between contrasting discourses would foster dynamic school cultures. (SK)

Videos, virtual reality, and the World Wide Web create effective macrocontexts for integrating science and language arts. Contexts must be readily available, appropriate for the level, and interesting to students. Teachers should be able to identify scientific concepts and language skills embedded in them. Alternative assessment methods are more…

The European Commission supports critical inquiry for developing knowledge-based flexible skills. However, in Greece the highly centralized education system dictates curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment decisions. Teachers are unable to have meaningful involvement in educational policy making. (SK)

Two ways of looking at literacy are as technical skills or as social practices. Effective teaching of bilingual learners must build on students' experiences and knowledge and involve linguistic-minority parents. (SK)

Interviews with 30 British primary and secondary teachers about informal math-assessment practices revealed differences in perceptions of how students can change, teaching practices, learning styles, desired outcomes, and views of math. These differences can lead to inequities in the way students are treated in educational systems. (SK)

British math teachers' accounts of their classroom life show how their daily work builds classroom culture and how they have been limited by the imposition of the National Curriculum. Because of it, teachers construct a position of neutrality about student achievement despite the way they shape the learning conditions that influence it. (SK)

Examines whether "everyday" and scientific concepts about math are dichotomous. Discusses culture and the role of language in math meaning making. Provides a transcript of math talk in an elementary classroom to illustrate how formal and informal learning can be connected. (SK)

The metaphor of spaciousness emerged in an examination of one math teacher and one class of students. Spacious math embraces large problems with mathematically rich activities. Spacious teaching and learning is large enough to include social relationships. Students felt that the teacher, group, and class organization mattered to learning. (SK)

Analysis of the math talk of two 17-year olds and their teacher showed how students used modality markers to convey social and math attitudes. One student conformed to and supported the dominant discourse of math as an impersonal set of procedures. The other expressed more personal involvement in math, which is typically not supported in classroom…

In Papua New Guinea, women are severely underrepresented in many jobs requiring math competence. Math and science are considered male subjects and taught abstractly. Unlike males, females lack exposure to Western thought and are not encouraged to pursue higher education. (SK)