Questionnaires assessed preschool teachers' concepts of cognitive development, educational goals for children's cognitive development, and curriculum activities used to foster children's cognitive development. Teachers' goals and activities were more consistent with environmental learning theory than with cognitive development theory or…

Survey responses of 55 public school early childhood education teachers provided information about teachers' perspectives on child rearing, parents' child-rearing capabilities, the mission of schools, teachers' roles, and constraints to effective family-school connections. Differences between teachers' views and the basic tenets of current…

Provides brief overviews of the four articles in this issue. Articles concern (1) social influences on kindergartners' journal writing; (2) stress behaviors of kindergartners while taking standardized tests; (3) preschool teachers' attitudes about cognitive development, educational objectives, and curriculum practices; and (4) preschool teachers'…

Discusses feminism and its role in social studies. Suggests that adding a few female names and faces has not changed the inherent masculinity of the culture. Argues that women's contributions are overlooked because they do not fit the male model of achievement. Suggests that women's culture must be articulated in the social studies. (DK)

Discusses the report of a subcommittee of the Committee of Ten dealing with history, civil government, and the political economy. Describes the makeup of the committee, its goals, and its findings on ways to improve the school curriculum. Explains that the committee advocated a broad social studies approach to the teaching of history. (DK)

Presents a study analyzing the relationship between preservice teachers' perspectives of their role and how they teach social studies. Identifies seven perspectives: scholar psychologist, friendly scholar, inculcator, facilitator of thinking and lifelong learning, friendly pedagogue, empowerer, and nurturer. Concludes that multiple approaches to…

Examines the political beliefs of social studies education professors and social studies teachers. Reports that the political ideology of the professors was more liberal than that of the social studies teachers. Suggests that these differences in outlook have an effect on the way social studies is taught because of differing definitions of good…

Examines political, social, cultural, and economic variables that historically have contributed to rural resistance to educational reform. Discusses various roles of schools in the rural community. Demonstrates that the seeds of current debates on issues such as local versus national control of school reform are in the past. Contains 44…

Compares school, classroom, and student level data for matched pairs of high- and low-achieving rural schools and matched pairs of urban schools. Finds that organizational and interpersonal processes sustaining effective schools vary by rural/urban context. Includes three longitudinal case studies of rural schools. Contains 26 references. (SV)

Presents a computerized programmatic feasibility model for estimating revenues and expenditures of Minnesota school districts to determine whether a district or combination of districts could offer state-mandated instructional and support services on a continuing basis. Discusses four pilot applications relating to reorganization decisions. (SV)

Washington statewide data indicate that attrition rates did not differ between rural and urban special educators, but were twice as high for rural special educators as general educators. Interviews with special educators focus on soaring rural special education enrollments and difficulties in rural teacher recruitment. Contains 23 references. (SV)

Of 239 Nebraska school board presidents surveyed, 68 percent had experienced a critical incident with their superintendents. The most frequently cited incidents involved communications or human relations (37 percent), followed by staffing issues (15 percent), and ethics (11 percent). Over half of the incidents resulted in superintendent…

Interviews with 42 of Iowa's 44 shared superintendents examined school district motives for sharing superintendents, the need to redefine the superintendent's role, superintendents' personal motivations, sources of frustration, community relations, and factors leading to success or failure of the sharing agreement. Contains 20 references. (SV)

Presents results of a study in which music teachers and students with varying levels of experience and expertise evaluated musical performances. Finds differences in subjects with high levels of expertise are a result of more than experience. Concludes that developing an accurate measure for expertise would aid in obtaining the best role models as…

Traces the history of the infusion of rhythmic movement into preschool and elementary school music programs. Contrasts a progressive approach which taught that movement was essential in teaching music and a conservative view that rhythmic response was genetically determined and could not be developed through training. (DK)