Investigated changes in graduate teacher-education students' knowledge of teaching and learning resulting from the use of personal journals. Analysis of participants' journals found that their insights became more profound as their journals progressed, and the nature and quality of thinking and reflection, as well as their influence on practice,…

A study of 127 families and 50 child care facilities in 17 Missouri communities found that criteria for selecting child care were similar for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan parents; parents were more concerned with quality child care and caregiver "warmth" than with practical considerations; but ratings on caregiver warmth did not predict…

Evaluation of year-round education (YRE) in a rural North Carolina school district found disruption to "sense of community;" positive attitudes among participating teachers, students, and parents (primarily based on personal scheduling preferences); but no advantages in attendance or achievement. Results suggest that decisions to use YRE should be…

A survey of 76 principals of twinned schools and 44 administrators of Ontario districts containing twinned schools provided baseline data about twinning, types of resource sharing, advantages and disadvantages, and suggestions for improvement. Commitment to twinning was not evident, and lack of a full-time principal was considered a disadvantage.…

Data on 3397 students from 28 high schools in the Western Australian School Effectiveness Study revealed that self-concept had a mitigating effect on student aspirations and achievement; urban students had higher aspirations and achievement than rural students, but similar self-concept; and classroom environment was a powerful determinant of…

Recent increases in cultural and linguistic diversity in Kansas have raised three challenges for educators, especially rural educators: geographic isolation, capacity building, and professional development. Describes innovative, nontraditional programs developed by Kansas State University to help educators meet these challenges, including distance…

Investigates the content conceptions of an experienced high school mathematics teacher and links those conceptions to their role in the teacher's first implementation of reform-oriented curricular materials during a six-week unit on functions. Concludes that the teacher's well-articulated ideas about features of a variety of relationships in…

Explores the potential for mathematics instruction of four reading strategies grounded in transactional reading theory. Illustrates how encouraging mathematics students to talk, write, draw, and enact texts can provide them with concrete ways to construct and negotiate interpretations of what they read. Contains 41 references. (Author/ASK)

Presents a study of the beliefs and belief structures of four preservice secondary mathematics teachers as they progress through a four-quarter sequence in mathematics education that includes student teaching. Concludes that the various ways in which the teachers structured their beliefs helped account for the fact that some beliefs were permeable…

Examines the ideas surrounding the teaching and learning of measurement estimation in the classroom. Focuses on two teachers' instruction during estimation lessons and on their pupils by employing ethnomethodologically informed conversation analysis. Indicates that estimation is understood as discursively interdependent with measurement and is…

An analysis of 100 English primary school development plans (SDPs) found that the SDPs tended to be multifocused, with few criteria for judging success. The paper examines three key issues in SDPs: promoting a unified, collaborative ethos; linking withtarget identification and review and subsequent improvements; and linking with student learning.…

Examined parent-school cooperation initiatives across Canada by interviewing representatives from the provincial Departments of Education and analyzing government documents and literature. Results indicated that there has been considerable policy development and legislation leading to parent advisory committees, but movement related to parenting,…

Analyzes surveys with English and Welsh teachers describing their reactions to teacher training reform which required novices to meet sets of explicit criteria and spend more time in schools. Teachers rejected the idea of training being totally school-based with no higher education input, appreciating links between universities and schools and…

Examines the academic effectiveness of English and Welsh Catholic schools, showing that there is a distinct Catholic community within English society having its own history, beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices that legitimately constitute a specific lifestyle. In meeting the many needs of their faith communities, Catholic schools accrue…

The focus of this article on play training (when adults intervene in informal but purposeful ways in preschool children's spontaneous, symbolic play) is not on whether it works, but on why it works. A theoretical framework for examining adult/child play interactions, which reconciles diverse perspectives in the literature, is presented.…