The author argues that it is time to move beyond definitional activities in research related to effective schooling. Four new challenges to researchers are suggested: indicators of effectiveness; extending effectiveness to new contexts; staff development; and information processing. (MT)

The complexities of defining successful schooling, along with other elusive factors such as teaching styles, pose problems for teacher evaluation. Teaching requires more than the ability to perform skills according to a preset formula; it involves making decisions which combine judgment with performance of skills. (PP)

Three possible ways to link teachers with research on teaching and teaching practices are described: (1) rules, (2) evidence, and (3) schemata (which provide a way to "see" a phenomenon and to think about it). Illustrations are drawn from the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. Schemata on classroom time and teacher behavior are presented. (PP)

A teacher recounts her experiences in adapting the concept of Academic Learning Time (ALT), developed in the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, to sixth-grade classes whose students formerly had been instructed individually. ALT was introduced into reading and mathematics instruction. Its effects on student motivation and achievement are…

The efforts of a principal who used ideas concerning use of classroom time generated by the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study to restructure programs at two rural elementary schools are described. Staff development efforts and teachers' reactions are highlighted. Changes in instruction and in scheduling are discussed. (PP)

This review focuses on the relationship between instructional processes and student behavior as presented in "Time to Learn," a description of processes, findings, and implications from the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. Attention is given to chapters concerning data collection, relational and descriptive processes, and limitations of the…

In this critique of "Time to Learn," a publication dealing with the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, the reviewer argues that time spent on a task is not an adequate measure of instructional quality or relevance. Other limitations of the book and of the study are discussed. (PP)

Strategies for informing teachers about academic learning time, the major concept of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, are described. Recommendations include: (1) encouraging a stance of reflection and self-study among teachers; (2) teacher involvement in research, (3) staff development efforts; and (4) appreciation of the complexities of…