Investigated the usefulness of home-school reports for different communities of parents. Data from parent interviews and a survey of reporting practices in English secondary schools indicated that many schools were doing more than was legally required, though there were many difficulties. Parents felt that reports were overgeneralized and…

Researched PhD graduates who completed doctoral study during a period of change in the United Kingdom and confusion around the role and purpose of the doctorate. Based on qualitative interviews, the paper raises issues about the value and outcomes of doctoral study, student self-perception, and the capacity of the modern doctorate to yield both…

Examined book choices of below-average, average, and above-average readers in a fourth-grade literature-based reading program. Found that book selection criteria were mentioned at different frequencies with below-average readers, whose criteria included pictures and friends' recommendations. Word length, print size, and book length influenced…

Examined processes by which 4- and 5-year-olds initiate, organize, and maintain language play interactions. Found that as children voice incongruities of greater proportion, the emotional climate of play is heightened and ingenious verbal representations are provoked. Identified developmental features of hyperbolic language play. Contextualized…

Reviews literature to describe young children's pitch-matching accuracy and vocal range, and outlines developmentally appropriate practice. Identifies internal and external influences on pitch-matching accuracy and vocal range. Suggests that children's musical development should be considered in a dynamic way and that what is called "developmental…

Identified kindergarten through third grade teachers' perceptions of factors related to success of inclusive classrooms. Found that teachers shared a strong belief in the fundamental value of inclusion. Themes affecting perceptions indicated a need for more adequate and focused training, better consideration of classroom load factors, more…

Examined the impact of an 8-week intervention program designed to reduce racial/ethnic stereotyping among preschoolers varying in classification skill. Found that children in the experimental group had increased in classification skills at posttest and were less likely to sort photo cards by race/ethnicity and more likely to sort them by gender…

Examined 12 child caregivers' ability to articulate their beliefs concerning teacher practice, and personal and professional influences related to those beliefs. Found that 33 percent of teachers' rationales focused on children's socio-emotional development, 10 percent on cognitive development, and 6 percent on language development. Teachers with…

Compared reading, writing, and mathematics achievement of Title I and non-Title I third graders in comparable multiage and single-age classrooms in three school districts. Found higher achievement among non-Title I students in multiage settings when compared to those in a single-age setting. No setting differences were observed for Title I…

Examined teachers' interpersonal behavior and its association with affective and cognitive outcomes among 1,512 elementary mathematics students in Singapore. Validated a widely applicable and convenient questionnaire to assess teacher interpersonal behavior. Found that different data analysis methods yielded consistent associations between teacher…

Examined effectiveness of an 8-week "Wheel of Choice" intervention to discuss positive forms of conflict resolution among first graders. Found that students developed more positive strategies for solving conflicts. Physical and verbal aggression decreased from the first to the eighth week. Students used the "Wheel of Choice" when given opportunity…

Examined what one middle school teacher learned as she directed her students to complete a structural engineering task as a cooperative learning activity. Found that students were on task and collaborated to accomplish the goal, but that the teacher's decisions about how tasks were set up, carried out, and completed affected students' interactions…

Explores secondary school staffs' use of value added data, summarizing evidence emerging from other studies on how value added data are used by schools and questions this raises. The paper discusses findings and issues that emerged from a recent National Foundation for Educational Research-funded project that explored the potential role of value…

Describes how several schools participated in a school improvement project that helped them learn from each other in a competitive climate, noting issues influencing teachers' readiness to collaborate. It proved important to identify issues engaging with fundamental aspects of teaching and learning that were powerful enough to involve other…

Provides information on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). States that the overview of 1997 NAEP Arts Assessment results is disappointing within music education. Discusses the National Council for Education Statistics summary data tables. Presents three issues related to interpreting the tables and issues involved in secondary…